The Problem:

Less than 10% of our school student population bring any food with them for lunch. Those that do, typically bring a few plain tortillas.

• Students cannot thrive in school, or learn, if they are hungry.

The Solution:

In partnership with The Fabretto Children’s Foundation, the Q’eqchi’ Association Xch’ool Ixim is receiving cases of “Manna Packs.”  The Manna Pack Mix is a supplemental fortified soy food product used to address malnutrition by providing calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Each bag provides 12 portions.

A Two-Part Solution.

Part 1:  Manna Pack Food Distribution

What We Are Doing:

We have initiated a Food Program that supports schools and communities by providing food to ensure students’ healthy growth and proper nutrition. The program works in two ways; the first part is the Manna Pack Food Distribution Program.

With support from the Fabretto Childrens’ Foundation and Talita Kumi, the Xch’ool Ixim staff and teachers learned how to prepare the Manna Pack mix and to sample different recipes. Some of the recipes that can be cooked are: ripe plantain empanadas, eggs with soy, spaghetti with soy, soy patties, and vegetable meat stew. It can also be cooked with beans and tortillas.

First Step:

Xch’ool Ixim hosted the teachers and leaders from the 43 rural communities at our secondary school, IMaCK, to teach everyone how to prepare recipes and to gather community support for the nutritional Manna Pack Food Distribution Program.

Second Step:

Manna Pack cases were distributed to the communities. With the support of the teachers, the Manna Pack Mix was distributed to all the rural Q’eqchi’ communities in Alta Verapaz, reaching 2,700 school children. So far, in 2025:

100 boxes (4,800 bags), equivalent to 57,600 food portions, were delivered to the 43 primary schools and to our secondary school (IMaCK).

Part 2: Corn Production

The Problem:

In our agreement to The Fabretto Children’s Foundation, Xch’ool Ixim promised to supplement the Manna Pack mix with corn to provide a complete nutritional supplement for a meal. The problem is that there was not sufficient corn production to fulfill this commitment.

The Solution:

Once again, the Fabretto Children’s Foundation offered the solution to our food crisis. Through an agricultural program, they are providing Xch’ool Ixim communities with seeds, organic fertilizer, and herbicides (for those farmers who are not growing organic crops). Organic farmers will receive some compensation toward the necessary corn cleaning process. Currently, the Corn Production Program is coordinated by a teacher in the school/community.

• Six communities/schools are participating in the Corn Production Program: 5 primary schools and our secondary school, IMaCK.
• The six communities planted 6 manzanas of corn (42,336 m²), producing between 18,000 and 21,000 pounds of corn for students’ consumption (an average of 3,000 – 3,500 pounds of corn per community).
• These crops will be donated to each school to supplement the nutritional Manna Pack Food Program for the students.

At IMaCK, the secondary boarding students oversee the program and they have completed the planting.

• They began cleaning the area in May and planted the corn. Due to an unexpected late rainfall, the seeds were destroyed, but the students replanted the seeds in June and it began to rain. Now, the IMaCK students are expecting a good crop and will be prepared to start picking corn in October, 2025.
• Both students and parents are actively engaged in the Corn Production Program and it is great to see the increased parent engagement to insure the successful production of corn.

Both of these critical initiatives for Food Distribution and Food Production are funded with the support of the @Fabretto Children’s Foundation to strengthen food security in the Alta Verapaz region of Guatemala