Combating malnutrition isn’t always about quantity, sometimes it’s all about quality. It’s true that many impoverished communities are faced with a shortage of food sources, but while we work on providing them with stability, we also work to share knowledge for how to get the most out of a little.
The community of Shihrot in Gilgit, Pakistan is largely dependent on subsistence farming, which just barely meets the dietary needs of the local families.
We’ve implemented a few projects to assist them in increasing their earnings and productivity to get more resources, but we wanted to address ways to hone in on the things already available…
We decided to arrange lectures by expert nutritionists, offering them advice on cooking healthier and more nutritious meals. The community consumes fresh farm and livestock produce, which is a healthier option, and informative nutritional advice on top of it can complement it further.
A lecture was arranged in the local community garden, where all the women of the community assembled and listened to Mrs. Mehr, expert nutritionist and social worker, who has been giving such sessions for a few decades now.
The whole session was highly interactive, where Mehr taught them small techniques to preserve the nutritional value of food, and offered them insight on how to maintain a balanced diet.
“It’s almost unbelievable how much impact these small sessions can have on the choices of communities,” Mehr told us privately. “You don’t need to add extra items to have more nutritious and tasteful meals. You can do that by being smart about it.”
Meet Zain! 
Hello Hello! I work for Alight Pakistan with the Program Development Team as an Associate. I have a deep interest in poverty alleviation and empowerment programs that can help lift people up, and I was so pleased to be able to help compelte some of these wonderful projects in Gilgit as part of Changemakers team. I am very excited to share these stories and the beauty of Gilgit with you!
