Our site staff in Sucre are aware that childhood malnutrition is a pervasive issue in Bolivian families, like the ones they work with in two difficult neighbourhoods of Sucre. They cite national statistics that say 16% of children under five are malnourished and 50% are anemic. Most of the sponsored children in Sucre site live in rural areas with many coming from large and low-income families. These families depend on their parents going out for daily work, leaving older children alone to care for younger siblings. The domino effects are poor nutrition, low grades, and increased school dropout rates. Which is why the Sucre sponsor site’s Rodolfo Dining Hall is a crucial community hub. Children have a place to eat a nutritious meal, play, and do homework under the caring watch of site staff and parent volunteers. Our nutrition program, Ladles & Love, supports programs like this in the 13 countries we are located in.
With your support, the Sucre site extended its nutrition program into 2025. Thanks to your generosity through Ladles and Love, 58 diners come to the Roldolfo Hall every weekday. Almost half the children (26) are under the age of six, 22 are school-aged, and the rest are teens. The cook, known to the children as Aunt Jorgencia, prepares them a starter soup, main course, dessert, and drink each day. Site staff consult a nutritionist to ensure their menus are hitting the age-appropriate nutritional needs of each group. Their efforts are proving successful. In their last round of measurements, they found that 74% of the diners had a ‘normal’ nutrition status. Only two children were still considered to be ‘moderately’ malnourished. The site offers Sara, a mother of four, as an example and testimony to the value of the Rodolfo nutrition program. Sara moved to Sucre seven years ago and works as a kitchen assistant to support the four children she is raising alone. Before the Rodolfo program, her two eldest children, Eddy Leonel and Jhoana Lizeth, would often have to go to school without eating. Sara registered them for the Sucre nutrition program, and placed her youngest, Terlor, in the site’s Children’s Care Centre (Daycare). It takes a considerable burden off Sara to know that her children are eating well and regularly. “Aunt Jorgencia prepares it very deliciously, and they always tell me about it at night,” Sara says. “They are very happy to attend and share with their classmates, and I feel at peace knowing that they are eating well.” Ladles and Love focuses on supporting the nutritional needs of our sponsor sites. Become a Lunch Buddy through our monthly giving program and build stronger, healthier communities.