Fight Rising Malnutrition in Rural Guatemala

Juli is a 1 year 10 month old little girl that lives in the remote village of Paraxquin, Guatemala. Her favorite food is eggs and black beans! Juli is the the first daughter to her parents and Juli's father is a farmer who works in the fields every day, sowing green beans and corn. At times, he will work for others in their fields. Juli’s mother is a master weaver. She weaves traditional women’s blouses on a backstrap loom. Sometimes her mother goes with her husband to work in the fields as well. 

Juli was brought to the attention of our nutrition team, after being weighed and measured in one of our co-clinics with the Ministry of Health. We identified her with chronic malnutrition in April of this year. Chronic malnutrition is such a difficult situation for Juli because if we do not attack it quickly, it is irreversible, by affecting Juli’s brain growth and development, it means she will be more likely to be slower to talk, to run, to read and write and more likely to remain in the cycle of poverty and have lower life long earn income. We can change that through our personalized nutrition intervention that works with the child and parents to get their growth back on track. 

The Wuqu' Kawoq | Maya Health Alliance team went to visit Juli’s mother to explain our nutrition program and inquire if they would want to participate. Juli’s mom agreed to participate in the six month home-visit program. She said she looked most forward to learning what else she can feed Juli. The program includes monthly nutrition classes for her mother as well as monthly food supplies for Juli, such as: beans, eggs, and nutributter, a supplement to encourage child growth.

We are thrilled to report that right now, Juli has normal weight and height, she is no longer suffering from chronic malnutrition, thanks to the committed effort of her mother. Juli’s mother was proactive in implanting the new diet for Juli, providing her with beans, eggs, and vegetables. Juli’s mother explained that she wanted to do the best for her daughter so she can grow up and graduate from high school, as no one in her family has yet to do. She wants to see her daughter become a professional. She wants to fight for a healthier future for her daughter. Juli’s mother also said she very grateful for being part of the Nutrition program, as she felt respected and listened to by Rosa, our nutrition technician. She felt that the services were personalized and so helpful because every visit was in her home, in her language and provided her with easy examples that she could implement for her daughter. We are very happy with Juli’s progress and we can’t do this without you! Due to your continued incredible contributions you make our life-saving work possible. You create a future for children like Juli. You are helping transform the next generation in Guatemala.

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