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World Health Day: ADRA Works to Reduce Malnutrition and Improve Health Among Children in Peru For more information, contact:
John Torres, Senior Public Relations Manager To donate to
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SILVER SPRING, Md.—Recognizing the role that nutrition plays in improving and maintaining good health, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is continuing to implement a three-year project in northern and central Peru to help thousands of children have better opportunities of growing up healthy. The project, named Ally Micuy, which means “Good Nutrition” in Quechua, one of Peru’s official languages, is designed to reduce anemia and malnutrition levels among children in Peru, where 24 percent of children under five are chronically undernourished, according to the World Food Programme (WFP) Since it first began in 2007, the project, which is funded by the Antamina Mining Fund (FMA), has directly benefited more than 17,000 children and more than 16,000 mothers, including over 2,000 pregnant women. The project is currently being implemented in the departments of Ancash and Huánuco, and uses four key components to reach its objectives. In the first component of this project, ADRA targets mothers, primarily working with women who are pregnant or have children younger than three, training them in best practices in regards to nutrition, health and sanitation, encouraging behaviors and habits that create healthy lifestyles. To prevent disease, ADRA also distributes valuable nutritional supplements and anti-parasitic medications among project participants. “By targeting mothers, we can make a direct impact on the lives of the project’s youngest beneficiaries,” said Mylene Huanqui, health portfolio manager for ADRA Peru. Secondly, ADRA, recognizing the importance of strengthening the family as a whole, works with families to develop a strategic plan to improve the health of their families from the inside out. This includes the construction of improved wood-burning stoves that keep smoke out, outdoor pens for livestock, and eco-friendly refrigerators that use innovative methods to keep produce fresh. “Thanks to the Ally Micuy program I learned to prepare balanced meals, wash my hands [before cooking and eating], and…clean and sort my house,” said Yolanda Fajardo, a participating mother from the Huachis District in the Ancash Region. “I [also] upgraded my kitchen, which has helped me save fuel and protect my family from diseases caused by smoke inhalation.” In an effort to encourage the overall sustainability of the project, ADRA also works with local, regional and government authorities, providing capacity building for personnel from the Peruvian Ministry of Health and other authorities, and community leaders. “Now that the Ally Micuy program is teaching us, we see a significant change in the way our homes are managed,” said Hugo Valderrama, of the district of Huasta, in the Ancash Region, who also noted that the greatest benefits are the improved stoves, gardens, and the improved nutrition of young children in the community. “There is a big difference since before ADRA came to our community,” added Valderrama. Finally, the project also helps families improve their household incomes, providing them with training and technical assistance in their chosen vocation, as well as valuable implements, such as seeds, fertilizer, and drip-irrigation equipment. These various components work to improve the food access and nutritional status of the targeted households, added Huanqui, and will lead to the greater development of the children, as well as the health of the families, and communities as a whole. World Health Day is commemorated every year on April 7, celebrating the founding of the World Health Organization in 1948. Follow ADRA on Twitter and Facebook to get the latest information as it happens. ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity. For more information about ADRA, visit www.adra.org. Author: Nadia McGill |
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