Sigue Recorriendo Quetzaltenango para Hacer Trueque: Libros por Incaparina
Keep Traveling Quetzaltenango to Barter: Books for Incaparina
Feb 3, 2021
With information from apnews.com.
44-year-old Bonifaz Díaz cycled through the city of Quetzaltenango to deliver a sociology book to a local teacher's home, then pedaled away with four brightly colored bags of Incaparina, a popular cereal mix crucial to fight child hunger.
Díaz has cycled more than 2,000 kilometers, with his saddlebags full of donated books and Incaparina for a local NGO that feeds almost 400 children.
People choose a book they want from a list of donated titles and, in return, give several bags of Incaparina. It's a books-for-food barter program.
For Diaz it is a way to combat the hunger crisis, as many people stay home as much as possible to avoid contracting or spreading the virus.
“People want to be supportive, but… 'staying home' has become very strong,” said Díaz, an actor by profession and a cyclist. Sometimes he tows a small cart to carry up to 125 pounds (57 kilograms) and has traveled up to 60 kilometers for a delivery.
A 1-pound bag of Incaparina is out of reach for families served by 32 Volcanes, a nonprofit organization, said co-founder Dr. Carmen Benítez, with 97% of those households surviving on less than that per day.
On visits to rural homes that get help from 32 Volcanes' nutrition programs, Benítez says she often sees little food on the shelves other than a bright red bag of Incaparina, some salt, and corn for the tamales. Or cheap processed foods that do nothing to prevent stunting but rather increase diabetes, as well as learning and behavioral disabilities.
"Bartering is food security," Benítez said. "The idea is that before the age of 5, children will no longer be chronically malnourished."
The coronavirus has exacerbated child malnutrition in Guatemala.
Keep Traveling Quetzaltenango to Barter: Books for Incaparina
Feb 3, 2021
With information from apnews.com.
44-year-old Bonifaz Díaz cycled through the city of Quetzaltenango to deliver a sociology book to a local teacher's home, then pedaled away with four brightly colored bags of Incaparina, a popular cereal mix crucial to fight child hunger.
Díaz has cycled more than 2,000 kilometers, with his saddlebags full of donated books and Incaparina for a local NGO that feeds almost 400 children.
People choose a book they want from a list of donated titles and, in return, give several bags of Incaparina. It's a books-for-food barter program.
For Diaz it is a way to combat the hunger crisis, as many people stay home as much as possible to avoid contracting or spreading the virus.
“People want to be supportive, but… 'staying home' has become very strong,” said Díaz, an actor by profession and a cyclist. Sometimes he tows a small cart to carry up to 125 pounds (57 kilograms) and has traveled up to 60 kilometers for a delivery.
A 1-pound bag of Incaparina is out of reach for families served by 32 Volcanes, a nonprofit organization, said co-founder Dr. Carmen Benítez, with 97% of those households surviving on less than that per day.
On visits to rural homes that get help from 32 Volcanes' nutrition programs, Benítez says she often sees little food on the shelves other than a bright red bag of Incaparina, some salt, and corn for the tamales. Or cheap processed foods that do nothing to prevent stunting but rather increase diabetes, as well as learning and behavioral disabilities.
"Bartering is food security," Benítez said. "The idea is that before the age of 5, children will no longer be chronically malnourished."
The coronavirus has exacerbated child malnutrition in Guatemala.
