The Inter-American Development Bank -IADB- signed an alliance with the Sugar Foundation -Fundazucar- of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry for the execution of the SPOON program (Sustaining Program for Improving Nutrition) that seeks to prevent chronic malnutrition and reduce the risks of future obesity in children from 0 to 24 months of age living in areas of high poverty in Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico.
In Guatemala, the SPOON initiative was implemented in the department of Baja Verapaz, located 150 kilometers (93 miles) north from the Capital, in the context of “Better Families” program of Fundazucar because it shares the same objectives and is an innovative self-management model driven by women that promotes behavior change to improve Safety Nutritional Food.
The program ended in May 2021 with a duration of 24 months and the participation of 604 women from 39 communities of the 8 municipalities of Baja Verapaz. These women successfully completed the training for behavior change in the programmatic axes of: Self-esteem, Health and Nutrition, Responsible Motherhood and Fatherhood, and Reproductive Health.
The Sugar Foundation has worked with more than 532,000 women who have been empowered and trained in food security and development for their family and community. This program is executed through alliances with authorities and institutions and, in this case, with social investors who relied on field experience to develop effective behavior change strategies.
The positive results and success stories of the Better Families program of the Sugar Foundation – Fundazucar- has led to the implementation by social investors: companies, foundations, and international organizations, to prevent chronic child malnutrition.