Healthy Children program

This is a program called Healthy Children, Healthy Future (Niños Saludables, Futuro Saludable) that Mushuk Yuyay (New Thought) has designed in answer to the problem of malnutrition. This program has wide support in the schools and the community. The schools now have demonstration plots where the children grow the crops, process them, learn about the nutritional values, prepare dishes, and present the nutritious foods at community program. The children become the promoters of nutritious, traditional foods. We have a local nurse who will be donating her talents to the program. We also have backing from the National University of Education. Funds are requested to support this program. Funds are requested to add a breakfast program for the children who attend school hungry.

Mushuk Yuyay is an association of small farmer owners in the high Andes in the Cañar region of Ecuador which is involved in several projects with the goal of achieving sustainable and resilient family farming, food sovereignty, and economic self reliance. Each of the projects that the association, Mushuk Yuyay has designed and begun leads toward this complex goal. Each activity is a piece of the puzzle, carefully planned and carried out as resources become available. Mushuk Yuyay is an open, transparent, and democratically managed association intent on carrying out the self determined programs of the Cañari people. Mushuk Yuyay works as a companion to the other organizations in the area including the agricultural cooperatives that were formed during the Agrarian Reform of the 1960’s.

Mushuk Yuyay has worked on collaborative projects with the national agricultural research program (INIAP), the McKnight Foundation on Andean grain development and Ekorural with experimental plantings. The association was incorporated as a not-for-profit in 1994 and holds a Certificate of Social Responsibility from the World Confederation of Businesses. Thus, they will strengthen their agriculture and improve their health as well as advance educational goals. The goal is to raise $1,000 to pilot this program as a part of nutrition education endeavor for Mushuk Yuyay in Cañar.

Here is a more detailed description of the program.

Should you have any additional questions about the project, please contact Stuart or Alan.