A Community We Support: Clavellinas
Background
Since 2007, Feed the Hungry has provided nutritious meals to the children attending Ignacio Ramirez Primaria (elementary) school and Jose Maris Luis Mora Kinder (preschool) in the community of Clavellinas. During school year 2023-2024, 255 students will receive a hot lunch every school day. Purified water is also delivered to the schools for meal preparation and consumption by students and teachers.
Our Early Childhood Nutrition program includes 30 families in Clavellinas who receive food supplies twice per month, providing nutrition for children not yet of school age. Workshops for mothers are conducted on topics such as hygiene in food preparation, the importance of hydration, and appropriate food portions for children from six months to three years of age. Home visits allow our nutritionists to evaluate living conditions and learn about the family eating habits. Mothers receive materials to guide them in preparing balanced meals using the provisions provided by Feed the Hungry.
Location Statistics
Clavellinas, also known as Coyotes Clavellinas, is one of the most populated communities within the San Miguel de Allende municipality, The latest census (2020) reported that the population of the community was 1,425 men, women, and children, residing in 296 households. At that time, 39% were children age 14 or younger. The average school achievement for adults was 7 years; 7% of the adult population were illiterate. Only 46% of the adult population was employed.
Primaria Students
The students who are underweight are usually first-graders who had not become accustomed to school meals in preschool, and children who do not partake in the school meals offered every day. If they do not eat the school meal, they don’t eat until the afternoon at home, spending approximately six hours fasting. The clinical signs they present are diffuse depigmentation, dry hair, and skin (signs of poor hydration), and nail diseases such as Leucolichia and Coilonychia (iron deficiency).
There are seventeen children who present problems due to being overweight, predominantly in the fourth-grade group, where 36% do not eat the school meals. During the evaluations, these children are invited to do so, emphasizing the benefits of the nutritious food.
Nutrition Report - School Year 2023-2024
| Condition | 144 Primaria Students | 66 Kinder Students |
|---|---|---|
| Obese | 10 | 1 |
| Overweight | 4 | 2 |
| At risk of overweight | 3 | 3 |
| Normal | 105 | 54 |
| Light underweight | 14 | 2 |
| Moderate underweight | 7 | 3 |
| Severe underweigh | 1 | 1 |
Kinder Students
The beginning of preschool can be challenging for these children, so attention must be paid to what they are offered to eat, at what time, the environment in which it is offered, and their level of satiety. Some children are not used to vegetables and must be encouraged to accept the school meals.
The children with malnutrition are new entrants to preschool. The clinical signs they present are dry and depigmented skin, dull hair, dental cavities, and in some cases, hyperkeratosis. These signs occur when there is a deficiency in micronutrients such as calcium, iron, and vitamins such as A and C.
The overweight children are mostly children in the third year of preschool. They present similar clinical signs, such as dental caries, pulp necrosis, and abdominal distension.
These children were asked about their diets, to which they responded that their breakfasts are usually boxed cereals with added sugars, hot chocolate, and coffee with sweet bread. Their other meals outside of school are soups or pastas, eggs with ham or sausage, juices or soft drinks, and beans. In very few cases they mention vegetables. Some of them mention that they do not like them or that they consume them infrequently.
Workshops offered to mothers help educate them on preparation of healthy meals at home that incorporate vegetables and protein and that their children will enjoy.
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