Peru
| Improving Food Security in Peru |
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More than 70 percent of children younger than 5 in the Calca region of Peru are affected by chronic malnutrition, which can severely impact a child’s normal development. The goal of this project is to improve food security—as well as basic health and nutrition—for families with children younger than 5 within the Calca community development area. |
In Accha Alta, a settlement of some 550 people who live more than two miles above sea level, things don’t grow well. The soil is poor, and the growing season is short. Most families raise a few animals and grow just enough food in the summer months to sustain themselves over the long winter. Malnutrition, whether from a shortage of food or a prevalence of disease, is endemic. For children younger than 5, whose nutritional balance is critical to healthy development, the need for food security is paramount.
| In the lower elevations encompassed by World Vision’s Calca community development area, the challenges are not quite as great, but chronic malnutrition is no less a problem. Seven of every 10 children are at risk of developmental problems—simply from not getting adequate nutrients for their growing minds and bodies. A greater diversity of crops can be produced at the lower elevations—a mere mile or so above sea level. But translating agricultural potential into a healthy and adequate diet—or increased income for a family’s basic needs—will take a determined and sustained commitment by the entire community. Through the support of generous donors, World Vision’s field staff in Peru will work alongside members of the Calca community, local churches, and governmental agencies to ensure lasting improvements in food security in this impoverished region, especially for families with children younger than 5. |
| Goals for Improving Food Security in Rural Calca |
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This project seeks to improve food security for 3,410 people, including 289 children younger than 5, in 10 locations. The villages include Accha Alta (three sectors) in the highland area, Accha Baja and Llanchu in the middle area, and Arin, Llipllec, Chimpacalca, Unuraqui, and Urco in the lowland area. The specific objectives and activities for this project are as follows:
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