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Cotacachi Democracy in Action: Choosing Good Health
| When
the people of Cotacachi, Ecuador, spoke, Jorge Pazmino was
listening. Democracy in Cotacachi is very participatory. At the Nov 2007 community meeting, locals made it known that greater action regarding nutrition, especially for pregnant women and children, should be high on the agenda. Jorge is the director of nutritional programming at Sol de Vida, a health and rehabilitation clinic in Cotacachi. (Sol de Vida has moved to a new location on Diez de Agosto near the produce market and has been re-named Cruz Andina. They continue to offer energy healing treatments at a very small cost.) With a degree in nutrition, and a wife who is also a nutritionist, Jorge has been intently focused on the health of the people of Cotacachi for some time. Phase I of the rehabilitation clinic’s nutritional awareness program began a year ago.  At the direction of the community, Jorge and Pamela wrote the 30-second to one-minute radio ads, raising public awareness about the role of good nutrition in living a healthy life. They also worked with 3 theater groups--16 people in all--writing skits and presenting them to different groups—schools, barrios, towns and special interest organizations. The skits began in September, 2007, and will continue through January, 2008. They are all different, written to appeal to people who live in the Andes, the subtropics and in cities and are presented in Spanish and also Quechua. |
Lack of Money and Education
Equals Poor Nutrition
“People in Ecuador often do not have adequate vitamins and minerals in their diet,” says Jorge. “In rural areas there is a lack of money and a lack of knowledge about proper nutrition. The basic diet is monotonous and high in starches and carbohydrates--usually corn, potatoes, beans, rice and some meat and vegetables.” |
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| In cities other conditions exist. The
population is also
uneducated about general nutrition. The intake of fast foods,
snacks, packaged sweets, carbonated drinks, even by small children, is
increasing. According to Jorge, “Numerous television ads for junk foods greatly impact the culture and influence eating habits. The community realized that there is not enough information about the value of nutritious, high-quality foods.” Jorge and Pamela have a big job, because the canton of Cotacachi is the largest canton in the province, which includes Zona Andina, Zona Urbana, and Zona Subtropical (Intag). A Three-Part Plan for Better
Nutrition
Now they are hard at work on Phase 2 of their nutritional program, which has the following goals: 1. Continue programs of nutritional education, also emphasizing the importance of organic foods. 2. Identify school children who have health problems and work with their teachers to get help for these children. 3. Work with doctors to write dietary manuals, suggesting specific foods that can help alleviate certain health problems. They will begin in the Intag and later spread throughout the entire canton. The democratic process is alive and well in the village of Cotacachi! The inhabitants of Cotacachi take an active part in discussing and deciding what they want as a group. Then it is the job of their leaders to make certain that these wishes are carried out in a timely manner. |
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