Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture
(Nutrición y Agricultura Sostenible)
The daily diet for many people living in the highlands around Quispicanchi consists of potatoes and rice. As a result, throughout the region, communities suffer from high rates of anemia caused by a lack of access to the critical nutrition provided by fruits, vegetables, and proteins.
We collaborate with local schools and parish communities to provide temporary food assistance while working to implement sustainable solutions to improve overall nutrition, especially for children.
CURRENT PROJECTS
THE “GALPON” IN SULLUMAYO
In October of 2024, in collaboration with families and administrators at the Virgen del Rosario School, the Project broke ground on a chicken shed designed to sustainably house 500 chickens with exterior spaces for grazing. Over the school’s summer break (December - February) we will complete construction of the roof, plastering walls to provide proper insulation, and installing technical equipment for feeding and watering.
The goal of the initiative is to gradually replace monthly Project sponsored donations, providing a more sustainable source of iron rich protein, improving the overall health of over 100 students.
NUTRITION SUPPORT
Supporting critically important nutrition programs throughout the region is the foundation of our work. In collaboration with local social services organizations and schools, the Project sponsors daily nutritious meals for 160 school children, ages 3 - 18, on 4 campuses. Annually, we provide over 19,000 meals free of charge to three divisions of the Virgen del Rosario school and CEBE San Antonio, a local special needs school and the only one of its kind serving families in Quispicanchi.
Empowered by our partners from the Wayra Association and Project local staff, families from each school campus join our team at regional markets each week to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese, milk and protein.
A critical part of understanding the success of our nutrition support is a measurable reduction in anemia rates. Test are completed twice a year, at the start and close of the school year.
RECENT PROJECTS
AÑO 2024
We partnered with CEBE (the San Antonio Special Needs School) and local technicians, to construct an on-campus greenhouse. In time this greenhouse will partially replace Project sponsored monthly produce donations as well as provide a therapeutic learning space for children with special needs.
With construction complete, in 2025 we will partner with other local organizations and specialists to develop a strategy for maximizing the growing space and to educate school staff and families in techniques and practices sustain the greenhouse.
AÑO 2023
We completed installing an irrigation system for the new greenhouse in Huaro, Quispicanchi - the final stage of a $12,000 sustainable agriculture initiative begun the year before.
AÑO 2022
In collaboration with the Parish of Saint Peter the Apostle, the Quispicanchi Project sponsored the construction of a 2,500 square foot greenhouse. Located in Huaro, Quispicanchi, the project provides a sustainable source of protein for three parish food programs providing meals for food insecure families.
AÑO 2021
From our founding in May 2020, through the end of 2021, the Project supported emergency food relief by funding nutrition programs at three local parishes. The programs provided 150 food insecure families 2 meals a day , 5 days a week.
Additionally, we collaborated with teachers and families at the Virgen del Rosario School in Sullumayo to support a network of greenhouses, sponsoring critical repairs and providing seeds and seedlings. These spaces are a source of extra produce for school lunch programs, and also serve as learning labs for over 100 students.
