National Crusade Against Hunger (Mexico) facts for kids
The National Crusade Against Hunger (also called CNCH) was a special program by the Mexican government. Its main goal was to help people in Mexico who were hungry or living in poverty. It aimed to improve their lives and build better communities. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announced it on December 1, 2012. The program officially started on January 21, 2013, in Las Margaritas, Chiapas.
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Goals of the Crusade Against Hunger
This program had five main goals. They focused on ending hunger, growing more food, and getting communities involved.
Two goals were about hunger. They wanted to stop hunger in very poor areas. They also aimed to end serious malnutrition in children.
Two goals were about food. They wanted to reduce food waste after harvesting. They also aimed to waste less food during storage and delivery. Another goal was to help farmers grow more food and earn more money.
The last goal was to encourage people in communities to help achieve the other four goals.
The Secretariat of Social Development (SEDESOL) was in charge of this program. They planned to help 7.4 million Mexicans in 400 towns. This was done by working with many government programs. These included federal, state, and local efforts. For example, the PROCAMPO campaign by SAGARPA helped farmers. The online group sinhambre.org also joined in.
The Crusade also included fun activities. These were photography, short films, and mural painting. There were also music contests. April was even named the "Month of the Crusade."
Working Together: The Intersectoral Commission
A group called the Intersectoral Commission helped guide the Crusade. This group made sure all the different parts of the program worked well together. They helped reach the five main goals.
The commission included leaders from 16 government departments. It also had leaders from three national social groups. Rosario Robles Berlanga, who was the minister of SEDESOL, led this commission.
Partners and Supporters
Many different groups joined the program to help. These included universities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and big food companies.
Four important universities in Mexico worked with the program:
- The Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM)
- The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
- The Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM)
- The National Polytechnic Institute (IPN)
Students from these universities could do their social service in the communities. This meant they helped people as part of their studies. The UAM led a test program in the state of Guerrero. The UNAM focused on studying social issues related to hunger.
NGOs also helped. "A Kilo of Help" (Un kilo de Ayuda or UKA) focused on helping children. The Mexican Red Cross also joined in. They offered health education and nutrition lessons. They helped set up urban gardens and taught about healthy eating. The Red Cross also helped deliver food and supplies. They helped people after disasters and created a "Route against hunger" in 120 towns.
Big companies like Nestlé and PepsiCo also supported the Crusade. Nestlé offered 200,000 hours of nutrition training. They helped 15,000 families start small businesses. They also helped farmers who supplied them with milk and coffee. PepsiCo helped develop new food products. They also created projects to help poor communities. They donated products and helped during disasters.
Achievements and Progress
In April 2013, many agreements were signed. These were with the universities, NGOs, and big companies. An important agreement was also signed with the governor of Hidalgo. This helped connect existing programs with the Crusade's goals.
On April 19, the program officially started its work in Zinacantán, Chiapas. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was there for the event. This marked the start of groups going into communities. They gathered information about what people needed.
New programs were also set up. One was called "Observer Children." This program gave cameras to children. They used them to record changes happening in their communities. Another program was "The Crusades" Nutritional Orientation Networks. This program taught 500,000 women about good nutrition. They learned how important it was for children's growth and health.
The Crusade began its work on January 21, 2013. It started in two places in Guerrero state. These were the town of Mártir de Cuilapán and the Simón Bolivar neighborhood in Acapulco.
In Mártir de Cuilapán, they worked on getting clean water. They also planted new trees and created temporary jobs. People from the community were very involved. In Simón Bolivar, they held an oral health day. Dental students from the Autonomous University of Guerrero helped. A temporary job program also created 150 jobs. People worked with the Mexican Army to clean a river in the neighborhood.
See also
In Spanish: Cruzada nacional contra el hambre para niños
