Latest Proposal: UPAVIM Soy Food Processing, Marketing, & Nutrition Program 2003-2004 in Guatemala—Click UPAVIM 2003-2004 for details.
Latest from Plenty: Plenty Agricultural and Nutrition Services—Click Services for details.
2003 NEWS FROM PLENTY AUSTIN
Plenty Austin
Plenty Austin is a chapter of Plenty International that was started in 1995 by individuals from Austin and Dripping Springs who want to support the efforts of economically disenfranchised peoples, and in particular indigenous communities, in addressing housing, health care, food security and other basic needs. Individuals volunteer their time and donate financial and other material resources to assist women's groups, farming families, non-profit and other grass roots organizations implement a variety of community development programs. Many people now living in the Austin area have served on Plenty International's Board of Directors, as volunteers and/or staff.
Over the past six years Plenty Austin representatives have provided technical, and/or helped secure material assistance for: agriculture, environmental/forestry and computer technology education programs with the Carib people in Dominica; soy food processing and marketing, agriculture, child nutrition, water supply and housing initiatives in Nicaragua; nutrition education, soy food processing and marketing projects in Guatemala; nutrition education, food processing and marketing activities with the Huichol people in Mexico; and health care/midwifery, food production and processing, nutrition education, disaster relief and renewable energy initiatives in the Toledo District of Belize. Plenty Austin representatives also provide ongoing counseling, information and referral, and material assistance for recent immigrants from Central America who are attempting to live in Texas.
Guatemala
Barrio Esperanza, in Guatemala City, has an extremely large number of residents who are economically disenfranchised, living without means to provide for all of their family's food, health care, housing, clothing and education needs. Unidas para Vivir Mejor (UPAVIM or United to Live Better) is a women's led association and non-profit organization based in barrio Esperanza, that is operating a health clinic, pharmacy and medical laboratory, growth monitoring, breast feeding advocacy and support programs for new mothers, preschool and scholarship programs that serve thousands of people, mostly women and children. UPAVIM has 70+ members who volunteer hundreds of hours each month to facilitate operations of the social service programs. UPAVIM also manages a crafts production and marketing business from which some of the proceeds are used to help fund its health care and education activities.
Over the past two years, with an interest in helping to improve community access to high nutrient-low cost foods, nutrition education services and more jobs, UPAVIM set in motion a plan to begin producing and distributing bakery, fresh soy food and tortilla products. Plenty was asked to help in the early stages by designing a floor plan and equipment layout for the soy food processing room. Over the past year Plenty Austin representatives helped design, identify and purchase equipment UPAVIM will soon use to make soy milk, tofu (cheese), ice cream and other soy products. During 2003 Plenty representatives will be helping install final equipment needed and provide technical support for the women who will be responsible for implementing UPAVIM's nutrition education, soy food processing and marketing activities. UPAVIM plans to begin processing and marketing operations during the first half of this year.
Barrio San Bartolo, near Solola, is a Mayan community located on the side of a mountain with a beautiful view of Lake Atitlan, just above Panajachel. The people of San Bartolo have a community owned soy food processing and marketing business, Alimentos San Bartolo (ASB), that they have managed since 1979. ASB sells soy milk, tofu, soy-corn pinole, soy milk sickles and ice cream through their own retail outlet in Solola, restaurants and health food stores located in Panajachel, Guatemala City and Antigua, and at the processing facility. Plenty helped the San Bartolo community establish ASB and continues to provided short term technical assistance when requested. Besides employing 5-6 people, ASB: works with teachers and parents to provide highly nutritious foods for undernourished children living in San Bartolo; has paid the cost of purchasing a new water source and storage tank for the village; staff have organized cooking and nutrition education activities for women living in villages near Solola. During 2003 Plenty Austin representatives will help ASB to find resources to improve staff production and marketing skills, and equipment capacity for soy milk and other products. The community of San Bartolo is also seeking resources to improve their village drainage system, and donations of computers that would allow more youth and adults to develop new job market and advanced education skills.
Nicaragua
La Asociacion Soya de Nicaragua (SOYNICA), registered in 1989, is a women's led non-profit organization based in Managua, Nicaragua. SOYNICA's mission is to "promote and facilitate empowerment of women and families in the areas of nutrition, responsible and healthy consumption, early childhood education and the generation of income as a tool for improving their quality of life." Since its inception the staff (currently 70) and hundreds of community volunteers have worked to address education and nutrition needs of economically disenfranchised women and children.
Programs initiated by SOYNICA during the first half of its existence included: neighborhood based and managed nutrition supplementation assistance (mid-day meals) for severely undernourished children and women; primary and maternal health care, nutrition, preschool, job skill and peer support education programs for women and children; family counseling; and micro enterprise development. Today SOYNICA manages three distinct program areas. BANCAHORA is a self sustaining micro business loan and development program with 2,000 direct beneficiaries. Casa Nutrem, with 16 employees, is a developing small business that produces and sells low cost, high quality soybean and green leaf concentrate foods. Casa Nutrem also provides discount bulk foods for nutrition/food security programs managed by Red Cross, Nicaragua's Ministry of Health, Save the Children and SOYNICA. Through its Human and Community Development Programs SOYNICA works with other organizations to help families and communities address education and development needs in 36 rural villages in the Department of Ocotal and 40 barrios in Managua. In 2002 more than 1,500 families and 2,000 children received direct benefits from the Human and Community Development programs.
Plenty representatives have worked with SOYNICA since 1992, helping them to secure funding for, establish, and improve operations of Casa Nutrem, the soy foods processing, marketing and nutrition education program. Over 18 days in December 2002 Plenty Austin representative Chuck Haren returned to work with Casa Nutrem staff, helping them to: purchase, install and learn to operate two steam jacketed cookers; improve methods of soaking the soybeans before processing; identify methods of improving the shelf-life of the fresh soy food products; and redesign the milk press and cooling sytems. During 2003 Plenty Austin representatives will be helping SOYNICA secure funding and provide technical assistance to improve production capacity for Casa Nutrem in Managua and establish a second fresh soy food processing facility with women living in Esteli.
Mexico
The Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and Traditional Arts (HCSTA) is a non-profit organization located in Huejuquilla, Jalisco that is dedicated to improving the ability of Huichol people to address their economic development, health care and education needs. Huichol communities are some of the most economically disenfranchised within all of Mexico. Subsistence farming does not provide enough family income to meet all basic needs. Many parents are not aware of the combination of nutrients their children need each day to achieve full growth and development potential, and protection from virus and disease. Plenty representative are working with the Huichol Center to secure resources needed to implement a nutrition education, food production, processing and marketing program. In 2002 HCSTA was assisted in developing grant proposals and in initiating food processing and nutrition education activities. In February 2003 Plenty representative Louise Hagler will return to help initiate, what we hope to be, long term food nutrition education and food processing and marketing technical assistance services. The goals of the program are to increase family access to high nutrient low cost foods, improve nutrition needs awareness and create sustainable employment opportunities.
Belize
In the Toledo District of Belize, populated mostly by Mayan and Garifuna peoples, Plenty is providing technical and material assistance for: school gardening and food supplementation programs in cooperation with parents, teachers and the United Nations; literacy and health care/midwifery education programs carried out with women's groups and government health care workers; and agricultural and renewable energy education programs with the Toledo Cacao Growers Association and Sustainable Harvest. During 2003 Plenty will be seeking resources to expand on its work with parents and schools in addressing immediate and long term nutrition needs of school age children through expanded gardening and nutrition supplementation programs. Plenty will also continue its work with farmers towards improving agriculture and forestry practices and capacity, and with health care workers in addressing literacy and primary health care needs.
Dominica
The Carib people of Dominica are the last remaining indigenous people who continue to hold their land in common trust. The 5 square mile carib territory is located on the north-east coast of the Dominica West Indies. Plenty Austin representatives have worked with the Carib people since 1984. Since 2001 Plenty has provided financial and technical support for a Carib Land Use Reform Initiative (CLURI). Through this program the elected Carib Council, Waitukubuli Karifuna Development Agency (WAIKADA), Organization of Concerned Carib Women, Karifuna Cultural Group and the Carib Farmers Association are working to improve community awareness of land erosion, loss of watersheds and other land use problems, there causes and solutions. Funding provided by the New England Bio-labs in 2002 is making it possible for two Caribs to work with schools and community groups in organizing education, tree planting, direct erosion control and other environmental actions. At the same time CLURI staff are holding meetings to encourage community input on finding solutions to land use and protection issues. Representatives of the Carib Council and community groups mentioned above, using broad-based community input, are developing a new land use agreement for their community. During 2003 Plenty Austin representatives will continue to provide technical and seek financial resources to help the Carib people forge new, long standing land use agreements that will help to improve and sustain forest, water and agriculture lands for many future generations.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT PLENTY AUSTIN REPRESENTATIVES
Karen and Thomas Heikkala @ 512-462-1486; or heikkala@bga.com, or karen@plentyaustin.org
Chuck
Haren and Casta Calderon @ 512-912-1429; or ctci@earthlink.net, or chuck@plentyaustin.org