FUEGOS - ECUADOR
FUEGOS (Food for Change) works in one of the most deprived parts of Ecuador to improve health outcomes, strengthen communities and sustain ecosystems by drawing on the wisdom of local culinary traditions.
Like many countries in Latin America, Ecuador has suffered a deterioration in dietary standards in recent decades, "passing from the consumption of diets high in complex carbohydrates and fibre, to consuming diets rich in fats, saturated fats and simple sugars", according to Ecuador's Ministry of Health. The results are increasing incidences of diseases like diabetes, cancers and heart problems. In addition, 61.4% of the population is overweight and obese.
In 2016, the Northern Manabí province suffered a devastating earthquake, and it was also hit by the country's highest COVID fatality rates. 70% of the population live below the poverty line. However Manabi is an area with a traditional culture of family food gardens, called “heras”.
FUEGOS is the Fundación para los Emprendimientos Gastronómicos y las Oportunidades Sostenibles, (Foundation for Culinary Enterprises and Sustainable Opportunities), and their slogan is 'Food for Change'. The original project directors, Michelle O'Fried and Martin Dickler, were passionate about utilising the indigenous food culture as a means to bring about wide-reaching social improvement in diet, environmental care and economic change.
FUEGOS draws on local culinary and agricultural practices, and builds community capability to grow and prepare food according to traditional methods. FUEGOS aims to promote healthy eating habits and responsible consumption, as well as encourage sustainable production practices, conserve biodiversity, and promote culinary entrepreneurship. They strive to stimulate local economies and contribute to social inclusion, and to strengthen the local population’s cultural identity by recovering the value of regional cuisine.
Linked to a successful restaurant business called Iche, FUEGOS is the social foundation set up to support local young people to gain skills in cooking and catering, and the related businesses, with a view to developing their own enterprises to improve the local economy of Manabi. SD Britain, along with other SD Nationals, has provided valuable funding over several years to help establish the project that received major funding from external sources but needed specific additional support for the young people who would otherwise not have been able to afford the training courses. SD Britian offered support for counselling and group sessions to establish healthy team collaboration through self-reflection and learning. Since establishing, there have been several cohorts of young people who have now benefitted from the four-month training courses and gone on to setting themselves up in employment or enterprise.
More recently we supported FUEGOS in establishing and strengthening the traditional family food-growing gardens (heras) embedded in the local community
