Hunger's Disguise

Before my last trip to the Dominican Republic, I ordered copies of Canada's Food Guide in French and Spanish.


The Dominican Republic does not frequently come to peoples minds when we think of malnutrition and hunger. Most of us have seen the devastating images during famines in Africa, the most recent being Somalia. Clearly visible ribs sticking out, protruding bellies, saggy skin, and orange tinted hair are all signs of severe malnutrition.


On my very first trip to Puerto Plata, I clearly remember thinking that malnutrition was not a problem, even among the poor. As a collective society, people are always sharing. When I first brought William ( a shoe shine boy) for lunch one day, he ate one-third of his meal packed one-third for his friend, and the other third to bring home to his baby brother. His friend and brother were no where near us, yet that didn't stop William from thinking about them. I have since seen this situation repeat itself over and over. While there is visible poverty, I did not think that hunger was one of the biggest problems that the poor, especially children, of this beautiful island were facing.

Ibelka, curious about her guests.

My view on the 'food situation' slowly started to change as I got to know the children and their families on a more personal level. When I had my purse stolen on the day I was suppose to leave(which had in it my passport and wallet)  I was in a very tough situation. There were three particular street boys who I had gotten to know very well, and I went to them first for help. When their step mother, who they live with, found out what had happened to my friend and I, she invited us to stay the night with them. Although we were initially hesitant, the hotel was no longer helpful and we decided to spend the night.


The night turned into a week, and while I am saddened mostly by my camera being stolen, I think there was a reason that I was made to stay. Living with a local family in a local barrio(Padre Granero), is most definitely the most eye-opening experience I have ever had. I plan on writing a post dedicated to this in the near future, as it brought up many different emotions including sadness, anger,  but most of all pure happiness. 


With this particular family, it was obvious that hunger was a direct link to their poverty. The step mom would take out a loan to buy a rice, beans, chicken, and seasoning. This would then be divided among her children, youth that were staying with her, and us. Being guests, she went out of her way and gave us a huge pile of food that we had trouble finishing. 


The next day, their was no money for food.  Everyone shared a small amount of sweet coffee and bread for lunch. I have soon learned that this hot-dog like bread is extremely popular. It is cheap and offers no real nutrients, but it is filling. Sugared coffee and bread was what everyone ate had, for the entire day.


According to the Canada Food Guide, children between the ages of 4 and 8 should eat the following everyday:


Fruits and Vegetables = 5 Servings
Grain Products= 4 Servings
Milk and Alternatives*= 2 Servings
Meat and Alternatives**1 Serving


*Alternatives include evaporated, dairy, and soy products.
** Alternatives include beans, eggs, tofu, peanut butter, 


From my observations, many children are not even meeting the half way mark of the food guide's requirements. This was also confirmed in a study which was recently published by the Observatory of the Rights of Children and Young People (ODNA), it says that 22.7% of children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition across the Dominican Republic.


Because of this, it is extremely important that the future students of  Collège Amélioration Jeunesse, be able to receive one nutritious meal everyday. We have chose that breakfast will be the meal the school serves, as it will be greatly beneficial to the students to be able to learn with a full stomach. While we will purchase most of the food locally, we are collecting peanut butters to bring down with us.


Peanut butter is full of protein and vitamins essential to a healthy diet. Two tablespoons of peanut butter equals one serving of "meat or alternative" in Canada's Food Guide.  In Haiti, they have developed a therapeutic food called "Medika Mamba" which translates into peanut butter medicine. It is simply fortified peanut butter, and is the reasons that many malnourished children are saved. It has been nicknamed the miracle cure.


Thanks to a response to my craigslist post, a generous woman gave me tons of peanut butters to bring to the Dominican Republic. I gave them out to children who I felt were most in need. 


One of the happy recipients was a two year old baby..Thank you Kimberly!

Making white bread more nutritious by adding in some delicious peanut butter...

Peanut butter lips! 

If you would like to donate peanut butter, please e-mail youthupliftment@hotmail.com.

We are also in need of donations to be able to start our breakfast program at the school. If you would like to make a donation towards providing the students with a nutritious breakfast, please consider making a donation! You can do so on the right hand side of this page.