Nutrition is the foundation to a healthy life. Kids who eat healthy, well-balanced meals every day have the fuel to excel. Nourished children learn better in class, and have the energy to laugh, run, and play. In communities near our CMAVIL site in Paraguay, healthy eating isn’t always common knowledge. Many parents come from a background where they never learned healthy eating habits. It can be hard for busy mothers to make sure their children get the proper nourishment, especially those without access to resources or education.
Our CMAVIL site recently began hosting professional nutrition and cooking workshops to help strengthen healthy eating habits in families. Many women and mothers from the community were very eager to participate. The first workshop, focused on cooking and healthy meal preparation, had a nutrition specialist working closely with the group over a two month period. They learned tons of nutritious, easy recipes that they could feed to their families! “This knowledge is a powerful tool for women who often support their families on their own,” says Sr. Maria Graceila. “The empowerment of the women is gradually being strengthened!”
The next workshop was aimed at teaching families the basics of healthy eating. Over 50 families and their children gathered at the local children’s center to hear an informative presentation on the basics of nutrition and the four food groups. The presenters got everyone involved- children were even tasked with organizing toy “food” into the proper food groups!
At the end of the day, all of the children and families were delighted to be served delicious, healthy snacks. The snacks were lovingly prepared by the mothers who had participated in the first two-month long cooking workshop! They were overjoyed to share their new cooking skills with the community.
We trust that all of the families and participants will put their knowledge to good use, and that they will be able to use their new skills to incorporate healthy, nutritious meals into their household routines.
Follow Chalice on Facebook and Instagram for daily updates from our sponsor sites, impact stories, and more