A Community We Support: Plan Juárez
Background
Since 2006, Feed the Hungry San Miguel has been operating a kitchen in Plan Juárez, a severely poor indigenous community within Misión de Chichimecas in the municipality of San Luis de la Paz. Although outside of San Miguel, and therefore beyond the normal geographic scope of Feed the Hungry, this school kitchen is supported because these children are in extreme need of sustenance and balanced nutrition. The Plan Juárez school is 80 kilometers each way from the Feed the Hungry center, therefore our dedicated drivers make bimonthly deliveries of food and supplies, regardless of weather or road conditions.
In 2019, the Early Childhood Nutrition program was introduced in this community so that pre-kinder children younger than three years old and their mothers can benefit from a healthy breakfast and lunch on school grounds. There are 17 participants in the program.
During school year 2023-2024, 51 children at the elementary (primaria) school receive both breakfast and lunch every school day through the Feed the Hungry program. Purified water is also delivered to the schools for meal preparation and consumption by students and teachers.
Nutrition Report – School Year 2023-2024
For the latest Nutrition Report, staff nutritionists assessed 44 students through height, weight, and body fat measurements.
We now also record cases where the children are “at risk” of becoming overweight, as they are close to the range for that category. The information shows us not only the risk of diseases related to overweight but also the tendency to suffer severe problems due to obesity.
During the physical evaluations of these children, we find that more than 80 percent of them show signs of nutritional deficiencies. The majority of the children present with dry hair and lips, scaly skin, diffuse skin depigmentation, and degrees of dental caries ranging from mild to severe fluorosis and even loss of teeth, likely due to high levels of minerals in the water. Among the main deficiencies found in both overweight and underweight children were lack of biotin (vitamin B7), vitamin C, and zinc. These nutrients are not often found in the foods they eat at home.
Our intention is to continue to offer nutrition workshops for children and their parents to provide guidance on healthy eating, good hygiene, hydration, and the importance of physical activity.
Health Assessment Results
| Condition | Percent of Children 2023-2024 | Percent of Children 2022-2023 | Percent of Children 2021-2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obese | 5% | 3% | 2% |
| Overweight | 2% | 6% | 11% |
| At risk of overweight | 4% | 17% | N/A |
| Normal | 68% | 56% | 43% |
| Light underweight | 7% | 11% | 34% |
| Moderate underweight | 9% | 8% | 11% |
| Severe underweigh | 5% | 0% | 0% |
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