Kitchen Life in Proyecto

 For the past month I have been working with the women of "Tantakuna" and a group of nutritionist interns from (UMSS) Universidad Mayor de San Simon Cochabamba. Having a healthy, balanced diet is one of the base principles for leading a happy and productive life. Proyecto have placed high emphasis on insuring its service users have a high level of nutrition. The nutritionists have been involved in kitchen menu planning and have are also running an assessment on the children's nutritional status. In the pat month the school has began a health initiative, by offering the children of Proyecto the option of having a cooked lunch.

Last month each child's health status was measured, in six months the children will be measured again to analyse the impact of this health initiate. We recorded the height and weight of every child, some teachers came along out of interest to get measured also.

I have been working with them in the kitchen, for three mornings a week. The women now need extra help with vegetable preparation because of the increase in those for lunch. Working in the kitchen is always great fun, the two main cooks are great women with good sense of humour.



Lineth ( a nutritionist intern ) and myself helping the chefs.


Along with the students, Tantakuna feed the teachers of the school and the staff of Proyecto. Since introducing the option of lunch to the children the women are supposed to have changed the whole set up of their kitchen. However ife in the kitchen is relaxed and not too much has changed, with time things will get done.The women still cook food that they want, but it tastes good its healthy, and us volunteers are certainly not complaining at a lovely steaming bowl of chicken and vegetable soup with rice for 6 Bolivianos.