Intelligent Breakfast

Adding an orchard improves  feeding and learning  of boys and girls in two schools of Piura. 

Piura, Peru - Vegetables for breakfast, and school breakfast also. That don't excite around many boys and girls but that ingestion could balance the first meal of the day what is traditionally formed by carbohydrates and some protein.

At 20136 School in Bernal(Sechura), 17 students have vegetables  as a complement to the breakfast provided by Qali Warma (Strong Child in English) programme, administered by the Peru's Ministry of Social Development and Inclusion (MIDIS as in Spanish). In Piura Department, the programme covers 281668 cboys and girls at 4067 public schools.

Qali Warma breakfast are usually formed by milky products or oat plus some portion of carbohydrate as bread or egg in the best case.  It is not enough so enriching it can follow depending on government relief, or an extra effort  of parents and school despite.

That's why in Bernal they started to make an 1,5-hectare or 3,5-acre school orchard , helped by the World Food Programme, which assigned to Food Supply and Nutritional Promotion Project (Prosan as in Spanish) in Sechura, that brought technical assistance, tools and seeds. The cropped products are broccoli, beet, carrot, tomato, and beans among others.

Bernal is rimming Sechura Desert, 39 km or 24 miles away the south of Piura City and 16 km or 10 miles away the northeast of Sechura City. 20136's principal and School Feeding Committee (CAE as in Spanish( president Vilma Gallo Vásquez  is pretty satisfied: "The communitarian work done by the parents have allowed  the children can improve  their feeding, and that contributed to improve their learning."

Prosan's coordinator Víctor Hugo Farfán  Reyes  told to FACTORTIERRA that along Sechura Province, child's chronicle malnutrition  meant 26,4% of kids in 2015 , reducing it to 19,4% in 2016. Meanwhile, anemia meant 73,1%  in 2015 reducing it to 46,5% in 2016.  "In anemia case, it's about a short-term work," he clarified.

Because of the orchard, the school in Bernal has been recognized by Sechura's educational Management Unit (UGEL as in Spanish), distinction that allowed it to participate at CAE Regional Summit in Piura City, on July 13th and 14th, 2017, next to another one what also will represent the whole region at  CAE National Summit because of a bio-orchard implementation, solid residues management by recycling and good hygiene practice.

In fact, 235 km or 146 miles away the east and almost  1960 meters or 6430 feet above, the same experience repeats at 14408 Virgen de las Mercedes School in Huancabamba City. They are 459 students, 364 in elementary and 65 in kindergarten, who consume their food plus the orchard crop daily. Among the crops we find leek, lettuce, coriander, spring onion,  avocado, carrot, tomato, beet, cucumber,  and even medicinal plants.

The school's principal and CAE president  Elizabeth Gómez Benites mentioned they have though convenient to reinforce Qali Warma feeding, strengthening healthy diets for the students to take advantage of food to the best. The teacher also affirms that the combination has improved the learning of the students. Actually, the schools assures having got the best educational achievements in elementary and kindergarten across Huancabamba's ugel.

Significant triumphs those whoever opens up the apetite.  So what do you think? Vegetables for your breakfast?

© 2017 Asociación Civil Factor Tierra. All Rights Reserved. Look at more photos.

Photo provided by Qali Warma (Piura)