NPH Honduras: Nourishing Diets, Healthy Children

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Malnutrition is one of the greatest challenges facing societies around the world. However, people in some countries suffer more from it than others. Unfortunately, Honduras is one of the countries most affected by malnutrition in the Americas

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8 Jun 2022

Food insecurity impacts 3.3 million Hondurans, including many minors, according to the World Food Program. Hunger has grown here in recent years due to many reasons, including natural disasters, health crises, and years of political instability. However, groups like NPH are constantly working to improve this problem. Over the last 36 years, NPH has benefited more than 3,000 children and adolescents in vulnerable conditions through different initiatives that promote food security. This is one of the pillars of NPH’s residential care.

‘’We are a family of more than five hundred people. Many of our children come from difficult backgrounds where they lacked access to proper care, food, housing, education, or health care. It is the home’s responsibility to meet those needs that they lacked to help restore their rights. And of course, to see them be happy and healthy”, says Sienna Dugan, project manager at NPH Honduras.

In Honduras, Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos annually spends over US$300 thousand buying food. Around 1,500 main dishes are cooked seven days a week, with two additional snacks offered daily to each child. ‘’We have a menu prepared by nutritionists who are responsible for checking and balancing the food. We always evaluate the amounts and portions given to each child. Typically, it’s four ounces of carbohydrates, three ounces of vegetables or salad, and four ounces of meat, depending on age,” says Max Servantes, head chef at the home. He also mentions that monthly they cook over a thousand pounds of beans, around 500 pounds (ca. 227 kg) of fish fillets, and about 2,400 pounds (ca. 1,089 kg) of chicken. Servantes assures that most of the fruits and vegetables are fresh and are certainly a savings for the house, since they are grown on NPH’s farm.

Beef and pork are two other foods that are produced directly at Rancho Santa Fe. However, other foods are served, such as fish fillets, which are more expensive. Even so, thanks to the donors, fish is served every 15 days to the NPH population. ”We spend around three thousand dollars a month on fish fillets because this type of meat is recommended by nutritionists. We really do our best to achieve the well-being of our children,” says Denis Morales, Deputy Director of NPH Honduras.

On the other hand, Dr. Dora Berríos, the coordinator of the health team, adds that “if a child arrives with a low weight to Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, we will support that child either with some supplements or a special diet. And even when they are fed with our traditional diets, we have managed to see most of those children gain weight. The improvement in their body mass index is considerable. Their growth graph is quite favorable, a very positive curve. Moreover, their improved performance is also seen in school and their daily activities. The prevention of diseases in children is also noticeable”.

The NPH Nutrition Program really does a great job 365 days a year, working hard to improve and maintain an excellent state of health for its beneficiaries. If you would like to help improve the health of vulnerable children, please visit www.nph.org/done-now-honduras