Improving the health of rural communities in Oaxaca, Mexico

"Puente's trainers gave good explanations that were well prepared and very clear. I'm going to use this information to teach my students about amaranth's nutritional value and how to cook with amaranth."

- Socorro Zárate Ramírez, Cooking Instructor, ICAPET (Institute for Worker's Training and Productivity)

Amazing Amaranth Promoter

In order to expand Puente's reach and spread the word about amaranth in more rural villages, Puente created the Training Trainers project. In this project, 150 staff and volunteers from local development NGOs and government organizations are given the tools and training to promote amaranth in the villages where they work.

I would like to share with you the vision and hard work of Victoria Rodriguez, who was trained by Puente in June to promote amaranth. (Pictured right: Victoria and co-workers participate in Puente's training.) After attending our training, Victoria became convinced that amaranth is a good source of nutrition and is now preparing amaranth workshops to conduct with various groups in her church. Victoria's workshops will share information about amaranth's nutritional value, how to incorporate amaranth into meals, how to plant and care for amaranth, and the economic benefits that amaranth brings.

Victoria also attended Puente's training looking for an alternative source of income that would improve her family's well-being. Since then, Victoria has incorporated amaranth into her family's diet, and she also bakes amaranth products to sell. She makes a weekly trip to Puente’s office to purchase amaranth flour and cereal to use in her cooking.

Puente continues to offer Victoria assistance in her amaranth promotion endeavors. Thank you to Victoria who is volunteering her time to teach others about amaranth!

-Liliana Mendoza Mafara, Training Trainers Project Coordinator

	On September 13, Puente received our first-ever Mexican-funded grant. The Fundación Alfredo Harp Helú and Home Runs Banamex donated $50,000 pesos ($4,545 USD) to Puente's 2007 Healthy Families project, which teaches rural women how to include amaranth in their daily meals and family gardens. Pictured left: Puente's Executive Director Katherine Lorenz accepts a check from foundation trustees Alfredo Harp Helú and his wife Isabel.	Puente's website gets a facelift! Check out the NEW and IMPROVED webpage at www.puentemexico.org

Thank you Volunteers! This past summer Puente benefited from the enthusiasm and dedication of several volunteers. Joining Puente in June, Stephanie Morton recently moved to Oaxaca from Ontario, Canada where she completed her Master's degree in Rural Planning and Development. Prior to that, Stephanie worked as a consultant to World Vision Canada in Sri Lanka and with the U.S. Peace Corps in Ghana, West Africa. While at Puente, Stephanie has donated more than 25 hours per week on grant research and writing. Grace Meng took a four-month break from her job as an immigration lawyer in New York City to visit Oaxaca and volunteer with Puente. Grace's passion for cooking was a huge asset for Puente. She spent a several hours per day in the kitchen trying out new amaranth recipes. We have already begun to teach these recipes to program participants with great success. Doctoral student Jennifer Rogers from Santa Barbara, California, volunteered with Puente in the spring and has returned to Oaxaca for several months this fall. While she finishes research for her dissertation, which focuses on the movement to protect the biodiversity of corn in Mexico, Jennifer helps Puente with office work and other non-academic tasks. A HUGE THANK YOU TO THESE AMAZING VOLUNTEERS! To learn more about volunteering with Puente, visit our website.
GET INVOLVED!! October 15 - World Rural Women's Day October 16 - World Food Day October 17 - International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
Puente is a registered US 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to the eradication of malnutrition in rural Mexico. For more information about Puente's work, e-mail us at info@puentemexico.org. We'd love to hear from you! Forward this newsletter to a friend.