Food creativity: healthier families in Guatemala

Thank you donors!

This is our first project report on GlobalGiving! Thanks to your support throughout the Accelerator in during the second half of September 2021 we successfully graduated and became a permanent member here. Thank you to each and every donor in these first three months of our project “Food creativity: healthier families in Guatemala”.

How we came about 

In June 2020 amidst the beginning of the pandemic, we at the Eat Better Wa’ik / Come Mejor Wa’ik adapted our work entirely, and started a food response and recovery program through the Improved Food Baskets, which included the majority of fruits and vegetables, with some grains and complementary foods. This came along with simple, understandable and relatable guidance on food, cooking and nutrition information. This was a tangible education in life-long food transformation. We started with 20 families in the village Concepción Pinula, thanks to a group of neighbors there with whom we worked together to bring in healthy and nutritious foods to the families. In just that year we expanded the response to most of Guatemala and reached more than 6000 people (children, youth, adults, seniors) directly and through collaborations. For this food creativity, we got support from two grants, first from The Pollination Project and then from the Food Solidarity Fund from Social Gastronomy Movement. We responded with the same values and lasting agricultural food in response to COVID and hurricane ETA and IOTA affected families and areas. That year we were named as one of the three Heroes of the Pandemic for our dedication in food response and education in Guatemala. 

In 2021, our work diversified on multiple projects (developing a food, climate and human rights entrepreneur program selected from the Impact Grant of Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative, multiple contributions towards the UN Food Systems Summit and COP26, delivering workshops, events and collaborations, and organized TEDxEatBetterWaik) and of course maintained our Improved Food Baskets. We focused specifically in Concepción Pinula for this, where we grew to 80 and 100 families, reaching more than 500 people in the village who are understanding food better and making healthier food choices at the time of the GlobalGiving Accelerator.

Food Creativity: healthier families in Guatemala

Food Creativity is our project on GlobalGiving born from the Improved Food Baskets. It starts with the baskets and how our creativity expands to bring that education for healthier families starting in Concepción Pinula through them.

So, from September 2021 we are expanding our impact through the project Food Creativity: healthier families in Guatemala. This is what we’ve been up to:

September 2021: from the Accelerator we ranked 96 with more than 600 organizations participating in the Accelerator, and raised USD 5,723 (Accelerator and Bonus Day) from 91 donors. From that, after fees, we got USD 4,820.70 as our first disbursement.

October 2021: This has been our most outstanding delivery in Concepción Pinula yet. On October 16th, commemorating World Food Day and Children’s Day (Guatemala) we jointly dedicated this activity with the Fundación Isabel Gutiérrez de Bosch, and continued employing the Wa’ik community team with women and men, and included 4 thematic areas:

• Childhood and motherhood interactive workshop for 300 mothers and their children and take-home materials;
• Delivery of 100 Improved Food Baskets (to take home reaching up to 500 people);
• Participating in the #UniversalPlate by SGM, where we prepared and served 100 colorful and nutritious meals by our in-house chef Celeste Aída, and the support of Néstor from La Fruteria.
• Bento (snack-box) for children - all healthy, educational, artistic, and hygenes material for girls and boys.
• 300 people participated in the activity, going in groups of 20 people;
• Increased number of vaccinated adults: the activity was only for vaccinated adults.

November 2021: the beginning of our newest orchard in San José Pinula; 

December 2021: Christmas and New Years Food Baskets delivery for 151 families o, and Christmas gift donating two water filters (Ecofiltros) to one family and the other for the Community. We now reach 750 people in just Concepción Pinula.
At the end of December 2021, we have raised USD 9,101 of an initial USD 20,000 goal project. Our ochard is growing!

We know it’s a lengthy report since it’s our first one, the next one will be shorter. Until then, thank you!

Links:

• Read our blog and activities