LSU AgCenter Madison Parish 4-H agent Karol Osborne, 4-H youth and family development program leader Mark Tassin and International Programs coordinator Susan Karimiha in the Presidential Palace of Honduras during the Working Conference for Rural Youth Engagement to Combat Poverty and Hunger that was held in February 2015. (Photo provided by Susan Karimiha)
News Release Distributed 03/06/15
BATON ROUGE, La. – An LSU AgCenter youth nutrition program could provide a model to reduce poverty and hunger in Honduras.
The AgCenter’s Smart Bodies program, which uses interactive exhibits and lessons to educate children about their bodies and nutrition, is included in a proposal presented to the Honduran government by participants of the recent Working Conference for Rural Youth Engagement to Combat Poverty and Hunger.
AgCenter International Programs coordinator Susan Karimiha, 4-H youth and family development program leader Mark Tassin and Madison Parish 4-H agent Karol Osborne attended the conference, which was held Feb. 9-13. Several universities from the U.S. and Latin America participated to write a plan to improve Honduras’ economy and quality of life, focusing on young people in rural areas.
The Honduran government has been working to combat hunger and improve education for young people, especially in the rural Dry Corridor region, which sees little rainfall and has high poverty and unemployment rates, Karimiha said.
“The AgCenter has the research-based programs and expertise to contribute to the human development and well-being of communities in Honduras,” Karimiha said. “Our Smart Bodies program was identified as a strong potential program to address health, nutrition and quality of life in youth.”
Smart Bodies deals with childhood obesity in Louisiana, but the opposite problem — malnutrition — is a concern in Honduras, Tassin said. The program will need to be tailored to account for a different set of problems, including low access to nutritious foods and a lack of economic opportunities.
The Honduran government is now examining proposals that were developed at the conference.
Olivia McClure