A Community We Support: Ejido de Tirado
Background
The Feed the Hungry kitchen at the Emiliano Zapata preschool (kinder) opened in 1997. Just 3 km from the Feed the Hungry Center, it is located in Ejido de Tirado, an urban yet very poor community. During school year 2023-2024, our kitchen serves a hot lunch to as many as 200 children every school day—nearly 40,000 meals per school year. Purified water is also delivered to the school for meal preparation and consumption by students and teachers.
The seasonal menus are designed by the Feed the Hungry nutritionists and tasty and healthy recipes are created by the staff chef. This team trains the salaried cooks as well as the volunteer mothers who help to serve the children. The children are weighed and measured periodically to measure progress.
There are nine children aged between one and three years old (and their mothers) who also benefit from the delivery of food supplies every two weeks through Feed the Hungry’s Early Childhood Nutrition Program.
Home visits are conducted by Feed the Hungry staff to evaluate of the conditions of the homes and to observe family eating habits. “Healthy cooking” classes, designed around foodstuff that is readily available, as well as recipes and instructional guides to good nutrition, are provided. Workshops are offered to promote safe food handling, balanced meals, and physical activity at home.
Nutrition Report – School Year 2022-2023
For the latest Nutrition Report, staff nutritionists assessed 145 kinder students through height, weight, and body fat measurements.
School Year 2022-2023
During the most recent health assessment, few cases of underweight were detected, yet clinical signs of malnutrition were observed: dry hair, dry skin, and dental caries, likely due to a deficiency of foods rich in protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
Contributing to cases of obesity and overweight is the consumption of sugary drinks and processed foods with high levels of sugar and trans fats, which are very easy to acquire due to their wide distribution. Most of the children told us that their breakfast at home commonly consists of cookies, yogurt, or foods high in sugar.
Comparative measurements 2022-2023 vs 2021-2022
In general, the improvements in the students’ nutritional status is evident. The number of cases of obesity were fewer than the previous year. We now also record cases of “risk of overweight” to confirm the importance of maintaining the child’s “normal” nutritional status.
The increase in the number of children who are in the normal weight range is significant. Although the community is located in an area with access to healthy foods, many parents are unschooled in the preparation of balanced meals. We continue to conduct workshops with the parents on important nutrition topics, since they are the main influences on the habits of their children.
Health Assessment Results 2022-2023 vs 2021-2022
| Condition | 2022-2023 145 Students Measured | 2021-2022 120 Students Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Light underweight | 1% | 8% |
| Moderate underweight | 0% | 9% |
| Severe underweigh | 0% | 3% |
| Normal | 82% | 61% |
| Obese | 1% | 8% |
| Overweight | 6% | 11% |
| High risk of overweight | 10% | N/A |
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