Shaking with soy in Guatemala City

Tuesday – February 23, 2010

The day began with a quick shake. A 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook Guatemala City just before 5 am. It was quite a way to wake up, especially for those asleep on the 11th and 12th floors. An aftershock was felt during breakfast later that morning.

The team then visited a local handicraft market in Guatemala City. It was a wonderful place to experience some of the local artwork. The craftsmanship on display included wood carvings, woven items, and intensely, bright colored fabrics. The market trip was also an opportunity for the group to purchase unique local items to bring home as memories of the trip and as gifts to family and friends.

After the market we headed straight to the airport to catch our early afternoon flight to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The group enjoyed a lunch at the airport. A particular favorite was Pollo Campero, a local fast food restaurant featuring very tasty fried chicken.

The group then visited El Salvador for an exciting 10 minutes as we connected to our final flight. The flights to San Pedro Sula were short and uneventful. After clearing customs, the group was reunited with NSRL staff person Courtney Tamimie and the NSRL/WISHH local consultant, Emy Reyes.

The team had a little time to check into the hotel before a dinner with our local partners, Cepudo. The dinner was held in a Chicago-style pizza restaurant for a little taste of home.
Cepudo is a non-governmental organization in San Pedro Sula. They have accomplished incredible work with assisting people with housing, improved nutrition, day care centers, clothing, books, furniture, and job and skills training, among many other wonderful programs offered by the organization.

NSRL/WISHH has been partnering with Cepudo through the support of the Illinois Soybean Association and Cargill to improve the nutrition of the meals served in the day care centers supported by Cepudo. This work has been well received by the food preparation teams and the children at the day care centers. The kids have scored the meals including the TSP as well liked through the acceptability work done by NSRL/WISHH. The food preparation teams have reported that the TSP has been easy to work with and has fit well with their existing recipes. In addition to this, cost savings were also reported.

The team returned to the hotel after dinner and briefly discussed the schedule for tomorrow. NSRL/WISHH staff put the finishing touches on preparation for the next day and the beginning of the Nutrition Solutions for Central America Conference.

Please check back tomorrow for more information on the Conference.