Guatemala joins forces to combat child malnutrition in Huehuetenango

Guatemala City, Sep 24 (EFE).- Guatemala is the sixth country in the world with the worst rates of child malnutrition, according to UNICEF figures. The situation is worse in rural departments such as Huehuetenango, where 87.4% of children suffer from malnutrition, and diverse sectors have come together to help those affected.

Such is the case of Guatemalans for Nutrition (GPN) and the Guatemalan Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS), who have formed for the second time “a strategic alliance to combat acute malnutrition in the department of Huehuetenango,” an area where 65% of the population is indigenous.

According to UNICEF, one of the major causes of child malnutrition in Guatemala is a diet low in vitamins that children receive. Much of the diet is based almost exclusively on corn tortillas, which seriously affects children’s health.

To address the situation, the collaboration between GPN and MSPAS proposes “to implement a comprehensive approach that encompasses both medical and nutritional care, as well as the identification and treatment of the underlying causes of this serious condition.”

“The alliance with MSPAS is key to addressing malnutrition in a comprehensive manner (...) We know that medical and nutritional treatment is not enough. We must also attack the root causes of malnutrition to achieve a sustainable recovery,” explained the executive director of Guatemalans for Nutrition, José Silva.

Sustainable recovery

In that sense, the recovery protocol created by GPN aims to develop sustainable actions that focus on the biological, environmental, and economic determinants of acute malnutrition, which affects almost the entire child population of the department.

“To address acute malnutrition, it is essential to combine efforts: this alliance between GPN and MSPAS not only provides the necessary resources but also fosters a coordinated and sustainable approach, maximizing the impact on the health and well-being of the most vulnerable children,” Silva stressed.

In addition, according to the director, this approach, together with medical-nutritional interventions, has proven to be effective in ensuring the sustainable recovery of affected children.

Strategy deployment

Based on information shared by both entities, the strategy will benefit children referred by MSPAS with acute malnutrition in Huehuetenango. It will be carried out in four phases: medical-nutritional intervention, inter-institutional visits to identify causes, implementation of sustainable actions, and positive closure of cases.

Given the urgent situation, the first phase will be implemented on September 27, with home visits starting in October. It is expected that the first results will be available in mid-October and, depending on each case, children can recover within three months.

This work is achieved by strengthening the collaborating team, which is why GPN is providing technical assistance to the medical and nutritional personnel of the 33 MSPAS brigades, which have mobilization and transportation resources for the entire department, as well as 860 nutritional recovery kits, didactic material and an information system that will allow the identification of the causes of morbidity.

“This joint strategy reflects our commitment to improve the lives of children in Huehuetenango and guarantee them a healthier future,” highlighted Silva.

These efforts also seek to address a context in which Guatemala faces problems of lower household incomes and low agricultural productivity due to an increase in recent years of droughts in the region. EFE

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EFE received support from Cervecería Centro Americana for the preparation of this article.

Photo provided by Aroldo Mateo of the executive director of Guatemalans for Nutrition (GPN), José Silva (3l), at an event organized by Guatemalans for Nutrition and the Guatemalan Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS), in Guatemala City, Guatemala. EFE/ Aroldo Mateo

Photo provided by Aroldo Mateo of an event organized by Guatemalans for Nutrition (GPN) and the Guatemalan Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS), in Guatemala City, Guatemala. EFE/ Aroldo Mateo

Photo provided by Aroldo Mateo of an event organized by Guatemalans for Nutrition (GPN) and the Guatemalan Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS), in Guatemala City, Guatemala. EFE/ Aroldo Mateo