Fazenda Nutrilite Multimix program, Ubajara
Fazenda Nutrilite began the Multimix program with their partner school in February 2006. The concept was created by the UN and the Catholic Church in Brazil and is widely practiced by schools in Brazil as a supplementation for the often meager meals supplied to children by the local authorities.
Staple plants such as pumpkin seeds and leaves, manioc leaves, sweet potato leaves, sesame, bran and peanuts, obtainable in the school gardens themselves, are the source of this mix of dehydrated and milled ingredients, which together form a nutritious and easy way of supplementing regular children meals. A teaspoon a day has shown to revert anemia and symptoms of undernourishment in as little as two months of usage.
The individual ingredients are brought from the vegetable gardens and dehydrated in the shade for two or three days. They are then milled manually or by means of small electrical mills, sieved and stored in jars and plastic bags. The mixtures are prepared every week so they are sure to be fresh, with no chance of becoming moldy or contaminated by fungi toxins.
The idea is that schools in developing countries install gardens that serve as a site for agriculture, biology, geometry and math classes for the students. The result of this cultivation is the plants or plant parts needed to produce the Multimix. Once a week, the children harvest the plant leaves and seeds and, together with the school cooks, prepare the mix for the entire week. The supplement is administered by the cooks directly in regular meals as seasoning, without great alterations in taste, and the effects are significant. This program not only addresses children’s nutritional needs, but shows them that they have the ability to improve their lives through their own efforts.
