AgroAmerica

Donación de 7 mil bananos

AgroAmerica Donates 7000 Bananas To Rural Schools

AgroAmerica Donates 7000 Bananas To Rural Schools.

Guatemala, February 2013. Agroamerica donated seven thousand bananas for schools refreshments snacks, for the rural communities of San Jose Mogollon and El Jabali in Nueva Concepcion, Escuintla. Over one thousand students were benefited from this donation.

This donation was made possible through the food security program -Happy Families- (Familas Felices); the objective of this program is to strengthen nutrition in children. Bananas contain high nutritional value, helping children to enhance school performance. Teachers serve bananas to children with honey, milk or prepare banana pancakes. The bananas were delivered with the support of the local Community Council for Development (Comite Comunitario de Desarrollo -COCODE.)

The president of the Community Council of Mogollon, Jesus Lopez, stated: “This donation brings not only happiness, but health to children because of the vitamins that Bananas contain and helps to prevent diseases. The community Council and its neighbors are very thankful with Agroamerica.”

Blanca Merida, principal of one of the schools stated: “In our school we have many children with severe malnutrition and these bananas received will help them to eat healthier and improve their learning skills.”

Jackeline Mechua, 5th grade teacher added: “This is of great help because many children come to school on an empty stomach. Tehy are dreaming of tortillas and are unable to concentrate in class. Having a full stomach makes a difference!”Guatemala, February 2013. Agroamerica donated seven thousand bananas for schools refreshments snacks, for the rural communities of San Jose Mogollon and El Jabali in Nueva Concepcion, Escuintla. Over one thousand students were benefited from this donation.

This donation was made possible through the food security program -Happy Families- (Familas Felices); the objective of this program is to strengthen nutrition in children. Bananas contain high nutritional value, helping children to enhance school performance. Teachers serve bananas to children with honey, milk or prepare banana pancakes. The bananas were delivered with the support of the local Community Council for Development (Comite Comunitario de Desarrollo -COCODE.)

The president of the Community Council of Mogollon, Jesus Lopez, stated: “This donation brings not only happiness, but health to children because of the vitamins that Bananas contain and helps to prevent diseases. The community Council and its neighbors are very thankful with Agroamerica.”

Blanca Merida, principal of one of the schools stated: “In our school we have many children with severe malnutrition and these bananas received will help them to eat healthier and improve their learning skills.”

Jackeline Mechua, 5th grade teacher added: “This is of great help because many children come to school on an empty stomach. Tehy are dreaming of tortillas and are unable to concentrate in class. Having a full stomach makes a difference!”

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Banco de Alimentos

AgroAmerica Fights Poverty And Malnutrition In Guatemala Through The Food Bank

AgroAmerica Fights Poverty And Malnutrition In Guatemala Through The Food Bank

Guatemala, January, 2013. Agroamerica as part of its Social Corporate Responsibility Program has joined the Food Bank of Guatemala -BAG-(for its initials in Spanish) to distribute food in the Department of Quetzaltenango and other areas of the country, which have been given priority because of its high rates of poverty and malnutrition.

For several years, Agroamerica has had food security programs in the communities close to their operations, such as “Familias Felices”, Nutritional Reinforcement with Bananas, medical event days, and others, to fight poverty and hunger in the South West Coast of Guatemala. This year, Agroamerica, became member of the Food Bank of Guatemala -BAG- and donated ten thousand dollars that will be used to buy food bags to be distributed in Quetzaltenango and other departments of the country.

“Contributing to BAG, we help make a positive impact in the communities close to our operations and achieve two of the Millennium Development Goals: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, and reduce infant mortality”, stated Bernardo Roehrs, Corporate Director of Agroamerica.

BAG is a nonprofit institution that collects food since 2006, with the support of the food industry companies, in order to distribute them in communities of extreme poverty, that are organized and don’t have the necessary resources to have adequate food.

Edgar Estrada, Executive Director of BAG, comments that it is important for private companies to support this type of associations and to care about social issues that help improve the living standards of rural communities in need, because “food and education are the key components to the development of a country”, points Estrada.

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Cooperativa de ahorro y crédito “Mi Gente” AgroAmérica

The AgroAmerica Credit Union “Mi Gente” Benefits From The Visit Of The Credit And Savings Union San Jose Obrero

The AgroAmerica Credit Union “Mi Gente” Benefits From The Visit Of The Credit And Savings Union San Jose Obrero

Guatemala, January, 2013. The Agroamerica Savings and Credit Union “Mi Gente”, promotes the welfare and improvement of living conditions of the associated workers and their families on the south coast of the country. Among the benefits it gives, is the ease of acquiring very low cost financing for housing, land, cars, appliances and others. It also has a savings program and posthumous assistance.

In order to improve services, union practices, and exchange Corporate Social Responsibility-CSR- experiences, the representatives of the Savings and Integral Credit Union San Jose Obrero-COOSAJO- experts in innovative financial solutions, through a professional and personalized service, were invited.

The group made a tour through the banana packing plant to see the banana process and visited the community of San José Mogollon, to be acquainted with Agroamerica’s CSR programs and dialogue with community leaders.

Antonio Aldana, General Manager of COOSAJO thanked Bernardo Roehrs, Corporate Director of Agroamerica, for the opportunity of this mutually beneficial exchange: “Thank you for sharing with us these good CSR practices, you are an exemplary company and we know that we will learn a lot with this activity”, commented Aldana.

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Prevenir la desnutrición

AgroAmerica Benefited More Than 20,000 Malnourished Families

AgroAmerica Benefited More Than 20,000 Malnourished Families.

Guatemala, January 2013. Agroamerica, in partnership with the Guatemalan Secretariat for Food Security and Nutrition -SESAN- (for its initials in Spanish), carried out the “Nutritional Reinforcement with Bananas” Project to prevent acute malnutrition in ten municipalities of San Marcos and one of Quetzaltenango, which have been given priority by the government because of their high rates of malnutrition. The communities benefited were: Sibinal, San Pablo, Malacatán, Nuevo Progreso, San José Ojetenam, San Rafael Pie de la Cuesta, Comitancillo, San Marcos, San Pedro Sacatepéquez, El Quetzal, and Coatepeque.

Agroamerica donated 650,000 bananas to more than 20,000 families, the School Boards of 220 public schools for the food snack program, 3 Nutritional Recovery Centers and 23 community homes. Also 250 q were donated to people in shelters affected by the earthquake.

SESAN trained the beneficiaries on the different forms for preparing and consuming the banana and its nutritional properties.

Luis Enrique Monterroso, secretary of SESAN, Luis Rivera, departmental governor of San Marcos, Bernardo Roehrs, corporate director of Agroamerica, and municipal and communal authorities participated in the delivery of the fruit during the last three months.

Bernardo Roehrs stated: “The productive sector has always wanted to promote initiatives such as these. One of the pillars in Agroamerica is empowerment and community development, and with this project focused on reducing malnutrition, we helped the benefited communities.”

Yanira Fuentes del Valle, housewife of Sibinal, said: “This is a good project because the banana is a very nutritious fruit. The trainings helped us learn make different recipes with the bananas”.

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Prevención del Cáncer de Mama

Be Aware Of B6: Banana Nutrient Linked To Lower Breast Cancer Rates

Be Aware Of B6: Banana Nutrient Linked To Lower Breast Cancer Rates.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month -a time to promote education about the healthy habits that can help women lower their risk and overcome the disease.

Ample research backs the protective potential of produce consumption in general, but we were especially encouraged by one particular study which singled out vitamin B6 -found in bananas, potatoes, turkey breast and wild salmon.

Agroamerica, through the project “Nutritional Reinforcement with Bananas” in alliance with the Food Security Secretariat- SESAN [for its initials in Spanish], is training women and rural mothers in three municipalities of San Marcos Guatemala, on the nutritional value of bananas and its impact on breast cancer prevention, while the company donated 150.000 bananas to each municipality.

In a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology, researchers compared dietary habits to rates of breast cancer incidence among 1,173 Taiwanese women. Researchers discovered that premenopausal women (under age 52) had 53% better odds of not getting breast cancer if their vitamin B6 intake was above a mere 30% of daily value -the amount found in an extra large banana.

What’s behind the power of B6? The vitamin is involved in metabolizing estrogen -which is why previous research found lower levels of B6 among those on hormonal birth control. Too little B6 could mean more estrogen, which in turn could increase the risk of estrogen related tumors. The B vitamin also plays a role in DNA repair, thus potentially helping to prevent genetic mutations that might lead to cancer.

How to make sure you?re getting enough B6?

Here’s a checklist:
– In addition to the sources listed above, you?ll find B6 in Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and cauliflower.
– Watch alcohol intake and don’t smoke -both booze and butts deplete the body’s B6 levels (not surprisingly, both are also linked to higher breast cancer rates).

Don’t reach for the supplement shelf: Not only are B6 pills less effective in protecting DNA, excessive supplementation led to nerve damage in the arms and legs, in one basic study.

By Dole

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Reconstrucción De Dos Escuelas En San Marcos AgroAmérica

Agroamerica Contributes To The Reconstruction Of Two Schools In San Marcos, After Last Week Earthquake

Agroamerica Contributes To The Reconstruction Of Two Schools In San Marcos, After Last Week Earthquake

Guatemala, November 2012. On November 7, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Guatemala, killing 52 people, 40 in the department of San Marcos and 11 in the department of Quetzaltenango, region where a large part of the operations of Agroamerica are located and a large number of its employees live. Also one million and a half people were affected, more than 12,000 houses damaged, schools and buildings destroyed and more than eight thousand people are in shelters.

Agroamerica donated 20,000 blocks to help rebuilt the Institute of Commercial Science in San Pedro Sacatepéquez and Central de Párvulos School in San Marcos. Agroamerica also donated bananas for the people in the shelters in several municipalities of San Marcos.

Jose Galvez, president of Agroamerica, stated: “We regret this tragedy that has affected our country and the families of our employees. We sympathize with the victims, mainly with the inhabitants of San Marcos and Quetzaltenango and hope that with our grain of sand we can alleviate some of the pain of thousands of Guatemalans.”

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Curso sobre Respuesta y Evacuación AgroAmérica

AgroAmerica Trains Central Office Personnel To Respond And Evacuate In Case Of Earthquake Or Fire

AgroAmerica Trains Central Office Personnel To Respond And Evacuate In Case Of Earthquake Or Fire.

Guatemala, November 2012. Last Friday, in the central office of Agroamérica, a course on how to respond and evacuate in case of earthquake or fires was given to a group of employees that will work as leaders in charge of training the rest of their colleagues and guide them in case of emergencies.

The workshop was given by the director of the Technical Training School of the Municipal Firefighters with the support of Seguros Validat, with the aim of training the staff to act correctly, prevent injuries during earthquakes or fires, and to know how to react and evacuate the building.

The next step is for the leaders of each level to train the rest of their colleagues, according to what they learned in the course.

Some of the recommendations that must be followed in case of an earthquake or fire are the following:

FIRE

  • Do not wait but begin evacuation immediately.
  • To walk crouched to inhale less smoke.
  • Touch doors carefully before opening because they could be very hot.
  • Call the firefighters immediately.
  • Use the stairs, do not use the elevators.
  • Make sure that everyone is out and headed to a meeting point to count all personnel.

EARTHQUAKE

  • Stay calm.
  • During the earthquake, you must not walk or run out and when it ends, you must proceed to evacuate through the established routes.
  • Keep away from glass.
  • Protect yourself in a safe place until the earthquake stops and then follow the instructions that the group leader will give.
  • The theory of the triangle of life was explained.

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Creación de Centro de Desarrollo Humano

AGROAMERICA WILL CREATE A HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CENTER IN THE AREA OF THE TRIFINIO, SOUTHWESTERN PART OF GUATEMALA

AGROAMERICA WILL CREATE A HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CENTER IN THE AREA OF THE TRIFINIO, SOUTHWESTERN PART OF GUATEMALA

Guatemala, November 2012. Agroamérica has begun the process of creating a Human Development Center-CDH- (for its initials in Spanish) in the southwestern part of Guatemala, region where a high number of the companies? workers live. Through health and education centers this center will contribute to improve the standard of living of the inhabitants of the communities located in the trifinio (point where three territorial divisions converge) of Retalhuleu, San Marcos and Quetzaltenango, specially for the workers of Agroamérica and their families.

The project comes to life due to the food security program- Happy Families- that has been implemented during the last four years in five communities, giving benefits to more than 400 participating mothers and their families and more than 500 children.

In order to improve the program and have a greater impact, Agroamérica made a partnership with the hospital of the University of Colorado-Colorado Children’s Hospital-, with whom they signed a Memorandum of Understanding to make the best of their experience on the public health topic and in programs for mothers in the rural areas, such as the program Colorado Bright Beginnings.

The mission of the CDH will be to grant opportunities for the integral development of low-income people, families and communities located in the southwestern trifinio of the country, to achieve their wellbeing, improve their standard of living and contribute to eradicate poverty in the area.

Agroamerica seeks to teach and implement self-management models for integrated rural development generating wealth and competitive development, through human and technical education and comprehensive health services, among the families of the trifinio.

The CDH will offer basic health and education services to more than 25 communities located in the southwestern trifinio, where more than 6,000 families live. This translates in benefits to more than 30 thousand people.

Progress

In the area of education, Escuela Fernando Bolaños, was founded 2 years ago with pre-elementary and elementary school. In the health area, a group of doctors of the University of Colorado visited the communities, made a diagnosis of the situation and a baseline study. In the area of infrastructure, students of architecture of the same university visited the zone, designed a health center, a research and training center, and proposed to build a housing development with local alternative materials and a community construction company.

At this time, a team from the University of Colorado is training the staff of “Happy Families” in a registry system; plans are being made for the medical clinics and the hostels for the doctors and a second phase for Escuela Fernando Bolaños is being built.

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Responsabilidad Social Corporativa

AGROAMERICA PARTICIPATED IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “TOWARDS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ALONG SUPPLY CHAINS”, IN PRAGUE

AGROAMERICA PARTICIPATED IN THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “TOWARDS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ALONG SUPPLY CHAINS”, IN PRAGUE

Guatemala, November 2012. Bernardo Roehrs, director of Agroamerica’s Corporate Affairs, participated in the conference “Towards Corporate Social Responsibility along the supply chain: How and why should companies behave responsibly” which took place in Prague, Czech Republic, last month.

This conference was held on International Day of the Eradication of Poverty and the participants included civil society organizations, corporate actors, union members, public and academic sector, policy designers and representatives of workers and small producers in the Caribbean, Africa and Latin America. The objective was to discuss the role of companies along the supply chain, the working conditions of the workers, their communities and the diversity and sustainability of the environment in which they live.

Topics such as the impact of the corporate behavior at the wage level and gender rights were approached, using examples of supply chains of tropical fruits; identifying where and how progress is possible. The participants, among them, representatives of the fruit companies, suppliers, union members and persons of the civil society of all of Europe, had the opportunity to share their experiences firsthand on the problems and their possible solutions.

Bernardo Roehrs, representing Agroamérica, said the company was invited to present the issue of a dignified wage (living wage) because they are pioneers in the region and to show that in Guatemala, workers are well paid because it is a highly productive country.

The conference was organized by Frutas Justas! A consortium of European NGO’s: Banana Fair (Germany), Banana Link (United Kingdom), NaZemi Czech Republic and Peuple Solidaire (France) as part of the project, “Moving support for the fair and sustainable supply chains of bananas and pineapples” co-funded by the European Union.

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Capacitación en Respuesta y Evacuación de Desastres Naturales

AGROAMERICA WORKERS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS FROM ESCUINTLA ARE BEING TRAINED TO “RESPOND TO NATURAL DISASTERS”

AGROAMERICA WORKERS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS FROM ESCUINTLA ARE BEING TRAINED TO “RESPOND TO NATURAL DISASTERS”

Guatemala, November 2012. Together, 35 employees of the Agroamerica farms and more than one hundred leaders of the neighboring communities received training for “response and evacuation in case of natural disasters”, a course given by the National Coordinator for the Reduction of Disasters-CONRED-.

Following up on the Local Coordinators-COLRED-formed two years ago in the farms and communities to respond and prepare in case of natural disasters, this training was coordinated and information on the new structure of COLRED was given, for a smooth operation at action time.

The group of 35 trained employees formed a new COLRED in Agroamerica’s farms, which means that they are accredited to lead actions in cases of emergency and prevention.

Lucia Carrillo, community leader from El Jabalí, stated, “I learned several things that I didn?t know and now feel more able to help and organize my people in the community”.

Rudy Hernández, in charge of the storeroom, added, “This training will help us know what our role will be when we have to guide people during emergencies. We learned we have to help everyone no matter who they are.”

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