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The Guatemalan Sugar Industry contributes to sanitation and water in local communities

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry contributes to sanitation and water in communities

The Guatemalan sugar producers through their foundation, Fundazucar, handed over 4 technical plans for water and sanitation that will benefit 12,185 people in the Pacific Lowlands of the country.

The studies were delivered to local authorities. They meet the requirements and standards of government institutions, which will facilitate the obtention of economic funds for their development.

Fundazucar provides free technical assistance and advice through the  Engineering and Water Sanitation Unit -Unisan- for the elaboration of water and sanitation projects, which are necessary to obtain the allocation of funds for their construction. Local government authorities oversee the financing, and als the execution of water and sanitation infrastructure projects.

This unit, created in 2001, promotes the execution of water and sanitation infrastructure projects at the municipal level, providing professional technical assistance. By this, the Guatemalan Sugar Industry contributes to the well-being and development of the local communities.

 

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Health professionals are trained with the “Health Comes First” program of Fundazucar

Health professionals are trained thanks to Fundazúcar's “Health Comes First” program

More than 437 health professionals from 65 health posts and health centers on the South of Guatemala are trained with the “Health Comes First” program of the Sugar Foundation -Fundazucar- in alliance with the Ministry of Health and Social Assistance with the aim of promoting health preventive in the communities.

Since 2016 Fundazucar, in alliance with the Ministry of Health, has promoted the innovative program “Health Comes First”, which trains public health workers to develop technical skills and an attitude of service.

In addition, joint prevention actions are carried out against COVID-19 and vector-borne diseases such as dengue, Zika and / or chinkunguya through the education and training of human resources in the health sector and in the communities of the South of Guatemala.

Some of the actions that have been carried out as part of the “Health Comes First” program are:

  • Delivery of the Protocol “Plan for the prevention, containment and response to cases of COVID-19” from the Ministry of Health to 65 health services of the South of Guatemala.
  • Trainings for 500 health professionals distributed in 12 face-to-face and / or virtual training workshops on the COVID-19 protocol of the Ministry of Health and preventive health promotion, with an emphasis on the “1,000-day window” and diseases caused by vectors such as Zika, Dengue and Chinkunguya; with 93% attendance.
  • Technical support to health professionals for the use and updating of epidemiological data analysis, with the aim of developing a culture of analysis of the information produced for making timely decisions.
  • Nine deliveries of Personal Protective Equipment -EPP- to 917 health workers in the priority area of the South of Guatemala to protect health workers on the first line of attention to COVID-19.
  • Participation of the Fundazucar team in 70 Nutritional Brigades for the active search for children with Acute Malnutrition, in coordination with the Ministry of Health and the Secretary of Food and Nutritional Security in 10 municipalities of 4 departments of the South of Guatemala.

“The Guatemalan Sugar Industry promotes the development and well-being of the communities through a responsible operation and the execution of social programs aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals -SDG-“, affirmed Maria Silvia Pineda, Sustainability Manager of -Asazgua- and director of Fundazucar.

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IADB allies with the Guatemalan Sugar Industry to prevent chronic child malnutrition

better families program

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.

Better families program

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.

Better families SPOON

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.

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“Better families” a social program developed by the Guatemalan Sugar Industry will be implemented by local governments

"Better families" a social program developed by the Guatemalan Sugar Industry that promotes food and nutritional security, will be implemented by local governments

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry, through their Sugar Foundation – Fundazucar-, signed a cooperation agreement with municipal authorities of the sixth bigger department of Guatemala, called Escuintla for the transfer of the methodology of the Better Families program, which promotes food security and nutrition, as well as the empowerment of women as agents of change and catalyst for development.

"Better families" a social program developed by the Guatemalan Sugar Industry that promotes food and nutritional security, will be implemented by local governments

Better Families is a program certified by the Guatemalan Ministry of Education and promotes the training of women for behavior change from the individual, family and community level, recognizing in her a key agent to promote the improvement of health and nutritional status of the family, especially of the children.

The Better Families program has empowered and trained more than 532,000 women since its implementation in 1998. Due to the positive results, it was transferred to the Government of Honduras and was implemented twice as a public policy of the State in Guatemala. Likewise, 14 companies, foundations and international organizations have carried it out in different areas of the country with the aim of reducing chronic child malnutrition.

"Better families" a social program developed by the Guatemalan Sugar Industry that promotes food and nutritional security, will be implemented by local governments

The objective of this cooperation agreement is to replicate this social program that provides education to women, so they get to know practices for the proper selection, preparation, and consumption of food. As well as educating mothers in preventive health with sustainable actions to improve the conditions of their children, family, and community. Through this program, the implementation of inter-institutional coordination mechanisms for Food and Nutrition Security in the signatory municipalities is facilitated.

The agreement was signed by the mayors of four municipalities of the Department of Escuintla in the South of Guatemala, as well as by Luis Miguel Paiz, General Manager of the Guatemalan Sugar Producers Association and Maria Silvia Pineda Molina, Executive Director of Fundazucar.

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The Social Programs of the Sugar Foundation were certified and accredited

The Social Programs of the Sugar Foundation were certified and accredited

The Social Programs, implemented by the Sugar Foundation of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry were certified and accredited for a period of five years by the Guatemalan Ministry of Education. The programs are aligned with the SDG´s of the United Nations.

These programs have been translated in more than 532,000 women empowered and trained in food security and development for their family and community; 26,837 youngsters empowered, since 2015, to be leaders and responsible citizens; 10,500 teachers from the South of Guatemala trained annually, benefiting more than 300,000 students; 5,390 community leaders have participated in the formulation and monitoring of 406 Comprehensive Community Development Plans that have benefited hundreds of residents of communities on the South Coast of Guatemala, during 19 years; 2,529 women and 1,612 municipal employees have been trained with this program between 2016 and 2018.

This success has made companies and organizations hire these services to implement them in areas of their interest, with which the work of Corporate Social Responsibility multiplies, for more information on how to be a Social Investor visit: http://www.fundazucar.org/programs?lang=en

The programs

The name of the programs are: Generation 15-30, Better families, Procaps and Pedagogical Coaching, Health comes first, Better communities, Participatory Municipal Development y Communities in development. These certifications and accreditations ensure educational quality of the social programs according to the standards of the Government of Guatemala through the Ministry of Education.

Social Programs of the Sugar Foundation were certified and accredited

The now certified and accredited programs are focused on 65 municipalities and are aligned with public policies. The main objective of these is local development promoting citizen participation and strengthening local authorities.

The main actors are the same citizens, young people, women, teachers, health workers, community leaders and municipal authorities who, through the programs, are contributing to the well-being of their community.

Given the global and national scenario of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the Foundation adapted social programs according to the needs posed by the health emergency. This has made it possible to reinforce the development strategy that has been executed in line with local public policies.

However, due to the positive results of the programs, they continue through individuals and / or companies that have made the decision to replicate the Fundazucar Programs with their own resources in the geographic areas of their interest, who are called “Social investors”. If there is interest in replicating the model, you can contact the Sugar Foundation at +502 22158000 for more information.

Social Programs of the Sugar Foundation were certified and accredited

Since 1990, Fundazucar has promoted programs with a model of social investment where citizens themselves manage their resources for the benefit and development of their community.