SAVE THE CHILDREN LAUNCHES THE SECOND EDITION OF THE CONTEST “DALE PECHO Y COMIDITA: POWERFUL NUTRITION”

On this occasion, the participation of popular kitchens, communal pots and Peruvian and Venezuelan families from Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Lima and Arequipa is called.

After breastfeeding, from six months of life, the requirements of the boy and girl increase, so it is necessary to provide a balanced and healthy diet to ensure their growth and physical, cognitive and emotional development. This is important in the Peruvian context in which chronic malnutrition and anemia are problems that put their integral development at risk.

According to the INEI, in 2021, 11.5% of the population under five years of age in the country suffered from chronic malnutrition, according to the Pattern of the World Health Organization (WHO). Likewise, the INEI indicates that 38.8% of girls and boys from 6 to 35 months of age presented anemia. In addition, breastfeeding fell more than four percentage points compared to 2020, from 68.4% to 64% in boys and girls under six months in Peru.

“Breastfeeding is very important because of the physiological changes of growth and development in children. A malnourished child has more illnesses, a greater propensity for anemia or overweight, poor school performance and fewer opportunities for socialization and personal development,” said Doris Mansilla, nutrition specialist at Save the Children.

Currently, in the face of the health emergency and economic crisis, soup kitchens and community kitchens play an important role in providing food to Peruvian families and migrants in vulnerable situations.

In this context, Save the Children promotes a strategy to ensure good nutrition, health and survival of children from the earliest years. For this reason, it launches again the virtual contest “Breast feed and eat: Powerful Nutrition”. This second edition is aimed at mothers and fathers of children under 5 years of age (in the individual participation modality) and community kitchens and/or soup kitchens (collective participation modality) in the regions of Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Lima and Arequipa.

The initiative aims to promote healthy maternal and child feeding practices, as well as motivate the creation and consumption of innovative dishes based on foods rich in iron, merging Peruvian-Venezuelan cuisine. The activity takes place within the framework of the “Families without borders” project, which is implemented by Save the Children, with the support of the USAID Humanitarian Assistance Office (BHA).

To participate, mothers and fathers of children under 5 years of age must go to www.dalepechoycomidita.pe, register and answer a questionnaire on healthy eating. The popular kitchens and the common pots will be able to participate by uploading a photo or video, where they present a creative, nutritious, economical dish with a Peruvian-Venezuelan fusion. The main ingredient must be blood or viscera.

The deadline to participate is until June 3 for both modalities. The winners of this will win 38 kits for girls and boys that include a dining set, stroller and toys, and those in the collective modality will obtain 19 prizes with pots, utensils, sets of aprons, masks, kitchen hats and a diploma for their stake.

Save the Children has been working since 2018 to promote the well-being of migrant children. Currently, through the “Families without borders” project, we provide humanitarian aid so that the most vulnerable migrant and refugee families have access to food, housing and shelter. In addition, we provide information, orientation and counseling to maintain healthy maternal and child feeding practices to the migrant population and the Peruvian community.