Women's Nutritional Program

Project Overview:

Women’s Nutritional Program (El Cercado, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC) is an initiative in El Cercado which will give local women an employment opportunity in a women’s cooperative. The women will produce nutritional products to be readily available to low-income or undernourished community members.  The area has long struggled with poverty and lack of adequate social services. Poverty, particularly in remote areas, has been accompanied by environmental degradation as poor farmers have to struggle to earn a living and feed their families from increasingly depleted soils.  The cooperative is partnering with local agriculture community cooperatives to package milk based nutritional products for malnourished children and pregnant women.  Additionally, to supplement the income, the women will also produce specialty items such as canned fruits and marmalades for potential export. Members of the cooperative will receive training and expertise from a local bread cooperative which has developed successfully over the past five years.