Grenzeloos gezond
Een grenzeloos gezonde wereld #4
26.04.2012
'Grenzeloos Gezond' (in het Engels: Health Unlimited) staat voor duurzame gezondheidszorg in Nederland als bijdrage aan gezondheid wereldwijd. Dat is niet alleen in het belang van mensen ver weg, maar ook van onszelf. Maar hoe ziet een grenzeloos gezonde wereld eruit? Wat betekent Wemos' stelling dat gezondheid hier en elders samenhangt? De komende weken vindt u op onze site verhalen om dit te illustreren. Deze week deel 4, over het Boliviaanse gewas quinoa.
Sophie, a 40-year old Dutch mother of 2 is very conscious of what she gives her children to eat. She likes to buy healthy food. Sophie is very happy to find more and more products of her choice in her local supermarket. One of her favourites is quinoa. Used as a grain, quinoa is a seed that grows in the highlands of Bolivia. Quinoa was once called the Mother Grain of the Incas.
Carmelita, a mother in Bolivia, remembers that she used to eat quinoa and liked it as a child. She knows that it’s rich in nutrients. She really wants to give this indigenous nutritious food to her children, but she is not able to do so since she cannot afford it. With 27% Bolivian children being malnourished, putting quinoa on the table would be a welcome addition to their diet. The problem is that Carmelita does not have the money to pay the high prices on the market. A bag of rice is 5 times cheaper. Bolivia, once the world’s largest consumer of quinoa, is now the world’s largest exporter of it. Bolivia has made a commitment to reduce malnutrition levels of children, but is unable to use quinoa for its Zero Malnutrition Program. Due to the increased quinoa demand worldwide, Bolivian farmers only want to produce for the export market where the prices are high.
The well-being of Sophie’s and Carmelita’s families is connected. The Dutch mum can purchase quinoa, but the Bolivian mum cannot. The actions we take in the Netherlands may have an adverse effect elsewhere. We can change this! Let’s aim for a world where locally produced nutritious foods are available for local families, especially in food-insecure countries. Let’s aim for a world in which the way we operate in the Netherlands does not have a negative impact elsewhere.
Join Wemos to make a change. Join Wemos in #HealthUnlimited.
De personages zijn fictief, maar deze case is gebaseerd op bestaande voorbeelden.
Reageren? Stuur uw reactie naar redactie@wemos.nl.
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