Healthy Kids, Healthy Forests Program
2,000 kids in Guatemala now eat Maya Nut school lunches daily
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The Equilibrium Fund in partnership with Alimentos Nutri-Naturales, BanRural, Rainforest Alliance, the Guatemalan Ministry of Education and the Guatemalan Ministry of Agriculture started the Healthy Kids, Healthy Forests Program in September, 2008.
Through this program, over 8,000 children from 45 rural schools received Maya Nut-based school lunches for two months. In 2009, 2000 kids from 22 rural schools are participating in the program.
The kids loved the Maya Nut and the parents loved that their children were eating healthy lunches at school.
As a result of this program, the Guatemalan Ministry of the Environment financed the planting of 250,000 new Maya Nut seedlings in the region. These seedlings will one day provide over 3 million pounds of food per year for these communities, representing a long term solution to problems of malnutrition and food insecurity in the region, in addition to the environmental services they provide (protection of soils and watersheds, biodiversity, mitigation of climate change...)
We are extremely proud of our creative partnership between The Equilibrium Fund, Alimentos Nutri-Naturales, BanRural, Rainforest Alliance and the Guatemalan Ministry of Education which has permitted this program to function affordably and successfully at so many levels.
In 2009 we decided to form a foundation to manage Healthy Kids, Healthy Forests in Guatemala. This will be a local organization, managed by a local board of directors and staff and is another step toward financial and food independence for the Guatemalan people.
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Kids learn about Maya Nut at school and protect it at home
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As a result of the Healthy Kids, Healthy Forests Program, Guatemalan kids are learning to appreciate the Maya Nut tree because they are eating it at school.
Their parents are learning to appreciate it as well and are more interested in reforesting with Maya Nut than before.
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Teaching Guatemalan high-school girls about Maya Nut
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Children who learn about the importance of the Maya Nut tree for wildlife, food and income are much more likely to encourage their parents to protect these trees. They are also much more likely to be interested in reforesting with Maya Nut and in protecting the environment on which they depend.
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Miskitu children lining up for Maya Nut in Nicaragua
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We are expanding Healthy Kids, Healthy Forests to new sites in 2009 and 2010. Chiapas program will start in 2009 and we hope to be able to finance a program in Nicaragua in 2010
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Mayan boys receive their Maya Nut school lunch from their teacher in San Miguel la Pelotada, a forest concession community in the Maya Biosphere Reserve multiple use zone in Guatemala.
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