Malnutrition Plagues Guatemala's Children

I found this great article PBS wrote on the problems of Malnutrition in Guatemala.  It addressed so many of the issues we have been thinking about. Check it out to gain a brief understanding of the problem we're facing in Guatemala. 

Some of the key things I took away from the article were:

• "a lack of education on what foods are important for children is part of the problem."
• "A person can have 12 tortillas and a Coke and will not be hungry but they won't be well nourished" 
• 49 percent of children in Guatemala are chronically malnourished according to the World Food Program—the fourth highest rate in the world. In indigenous communities the rate is closer to 70 percent.
• Chronic malnutrition causes stunted growth, the most obvious and widespread indicator in Guatemala, 
• Infections that cause diarrhea play a big roll in malnutrition of infants, but for many families the root problem comes down to numbers—too many mouths to feed, not enough food.
•  The boys will sometimes preferentially get food over the girls
• USAID also contributes between $16 to $18 million a year in food assistance to the country, including some higher protein commodities like beans and grains fortified with soy.
• Guatemala continues to have some of the poorest nutrition indicators in the region and once a child has been malnourished through crucial early development, it has long-lasting implications
• Guatemala has the highest rates of obesity among poor countries in Latin America, linked to malnutrition. 

Other organizations we might find helpful

• PAHO/WHO
• This page might provide some helpful organizations. 
• WFP
• USAID 
• ADISA

• ADISA

  
  http://mayacom.org/organizations/santiago.htm
  ADISA is a non-profit organization created for the sole purpose of bettering the quality of life of handicapped people and their families.
  Located in Canton Xechivoy, a suburb of the town of Santiago Atitlan, in the Department of Solola, on the south shore of Lake Atitla n. Santiago Atitlan is one of the 19 municipalities of the Department of Solola, home to approximately 35 thousand, the majority of whom are Tzutuhiles, descendants of the Mayas.
  Since 1997 when we began meeting with parents and families, to this date we have worked in Four Areas:
  1. Special Education
  2. Medical Assistance
  3. Employment/Integration
  4. Awareness/Prevention.