beginning of her path out of hunger and
toward food security. The Paisano program
takes a holistic approach to combat hunger and
child malnutrition, with training on savings,
hygiene, food preparation, and farming. These
training sessions are helping families improve
their economic productivity; reduce chronic
malnutrition among pregnant and lactating
women and children under 2; and increase
resilience to natural disasters. For Catarina,
the training she is receiving will enable her to
provide a better life for her children.
“I am very grateful to the program,” she
says. “I feel happier now, more content.”
Catarina and her children are proof of the
good that U.S. food aid does in meeting the
needs of hungry people. Still, while U.S. food
aid saves millions of lives each year, smart
reforms can make it even stronger and make it
easier for more people like Catarina to escape
poverty and feed their children.
U.S. food-aid products provide muchneeded calories but often fall short in
addressing the nutritional needs of children like Alexander and Sheili. Improved nutritional
quality would help more children escape the scourge of malnutrition. The practice of obtaining
food close to the source of need, called local and regional purchases (LRP), would also bolster food
aid, allowing better quality food aid to reach those in need more quickly.
As a nation, we are going to great lengt