A Community We Support: Marroquín de Abajo
Background
Feed the Hungry San Miguel began operating a kitchen in the rural community of Marroquín de Abajo in 2008. During school year 2023-2024, a hot, nutritious lunch is served every school day to 56 students at the Mariano Matamoros primaria (elementary) school. Purified water is also delivered to the school for meal preparation and consumption by students and teachers.
Location Statistics
Marroquín de Abajo is 18km from the Feed the Hungry center. The most recent INEGI census (2020) reported a population of 301 men, women, and children, residing in 66 households. Thirty-four percent of the residents were under the age of 14. Of the residents over 12 years old, 50% were economically active. Among adults, the average level of schooling completed was 6 years, and more than 9% were illiterate.
Nutrition Report – School Year 2022-2023
For the latest Nutrition Report, staff nutritionists assessed 46 students in primaria through height, weight, and body fat measurements.
During the nutritional evaluation, we had the opportunity to interview the children about their eating habits outside of primary school; they mentioned consuming sweets, junk food, and soft drinks, and drinking little natural water. It has been proven that this can directly lead to overweight. When carrying out the evaluation, we observed dental cavities, missing teeth, pronounced dark undereye circles, and early signs of acanthosis nigricans.
Although children diagnosed with underweight are very few, many of them present clinical signs such as dry and depigmented skin, which, in addition to being an indicator of dehydration, can be associated with a diet insufficient in nutrients such as protein, omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
Health Assessment Results
| Condition | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| Obese | 0 |
| Overweight | 3 |
| At risk of overweight | 5 |
| Normal | 36 |
| Light underweight | 2 |
| Moderate underweight | 0 |
| Severe underweight | 0 |
A comparison of the anthropometric measurements carried out in the previous school year (2021-2022) showed a significant increase in the cases of normality, from 50% to 78%. The meals provided by Feed the Hungry during the school year has contributed positively to the health of children.
Finally, it is important to mention that cases of obesity have disappeared; there were only a few cases of overweight. We continue to work with parents, children, teachers, and the school cook to continue to improve the children’s nutritional status through balanced meals, adequate hydration, and physical exercise.
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