This is an update on the Mushuk Yuyay school feeding program that FOE supported last year.
The FOE funds were to be used in 3 schools. 400 children were provided with breakfasts and participated in the educational activities.
The program will last through June 2017 due to the assistance of FOE donations. Below is a recent video and some photos from the project.
Objectives
The Healthy Children, Healthy Futures Program is working with several indigenous Cañaris community schools for the purposes of:
- Learning the value of nutritious traditional food such as quinoa and amaranth. For example, one cup (2.4 dl, 245 g) of cooked amaranth grain (from about 65 g raw) provides 251 calories and is an excellent source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of protein, dietary fiber, and some dietary minerals. Amaranth is particularly rich in manganese (105% DV), magnesium (40% DV), iron (29% DV), and selenium (20% DV.) Also cooked amaranth leaves are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, manganese, and foliate. Other home grown crops are barley.
- Learning how to prepare and serve the foods such as barley or quinoa soup, amaranth, preparation of quimbolitos (traditional Ecuadorian pastries) made of corn flour and wrapped in achira leaves (ancient Andean crop plant with edible leaves).
- Learning how to plant these traditional foods through the use of demonstration plots.