“Creciendo Bien” provides its first aid to more than 200 children in the country

Almacenes Tía and CrezcoNut Foundation carried out a pilot programme that included children from Atahualpa, in Santa Elena, and Alausí, in the province of Chimborazo. More than 200 children between 6 months and 5 years of age with Chronic Child Malnutrition were directly benefited. 100% of the children attended all the brigades, followed the treatment and no longer suffer from child malnutrition. Tía plans to reduce the prevalence of maternal and child malnutrition in the country’s most vulnerable groups.

Guayaquil, August 21st, 2023.- Tía, the supermarket network with the widest nationwide coverage, implemented “Creciendo Bien por una ñiñez sin desnutrición” (Growing Well for a Childhood without Malnutrition) programme, which has directly benefited more than 200 children in the communities of Atahualpa (Santa Elena) and Alausí (Chimborazo). The programme consisted of 3 phases: In the first phase, medical and sociodemographic interviews, anthropometric measurements and laboratory tests were carried out; in the second phase, deworming and vitamin supplements were performed; and in the third phase, new laboratory tests and a long term follow-up were conducted to compare the programme results. The criteria used for evaluating children who suffer from chronic child malnutrition were: height, weight, measurement of mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), history of anaemia and short height. Since the program began, education talks, medical brigades and recreational activities have been held every 15 days. Between March 19th and June 11th of this year, deworming brigades were organised and medical nutritional supplements were delivered to families. The programme outcome was extremely successful, as evidenced by new medical tests; i.e., 7 out of 10 children have normal sized red blood cells and 100% of the children who attended all the brigades and followed the treatment no longer suffer from Chronic Child Malnutrition, being infants with adequate height for their age, concentrated in their school activities and active during recreational time. On average, Atahualpa community gained 5 lb of weight per child and Alausí, an average of 9 lb of weight per child (i.e., more than 1,100 lb in weight and 1,600 cm in height). “As a company we are going that extra mile to eradicate Chronic Child Malnutrition, one of the main problems faced by the country in terms of health and education, we call on the private sector to join with similar programmes and ensure that Ecuador’s children have an adequate growth and a healthy childhood.” Sustained Isabel Correa, Tía Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability.