Written by Karen Edwards (KCE Public Affairs Associates, LLC & WSF Advisor)… Were it not for our 4 a.m. departure to Washington Dulles Airport, I would have seen my July 28 Washington Post and its headline:  “Will Rise in Deportations Deter Migrants?” Unlike the Central American families in the article, I was voluntarily taking my 14-year-old son, Will, to Guatemala.

Two prior trips to Guatemala with the World Soy Foundation (WSF) had prompted soul searching. What would I do if I were raising my own beloved children in this Central American country that is home to the fourth highest rate of malnutrition in the world? What if I didn’t have enough food for my still-growing boy who towered over the teens and even teachers involved in the WSF pilot project that was the reason for the 2014 trip? What if gangs came to our home and gave us no choice but for Will to join them instead of soccer teams and Boy Scouts that currently fill his life?

On this last Monday of July, I was prepared to implement the WSF pilot project The Youth We Feed Can Lead in partnership with Guatemalan-based Mission Impact. We were ready to see whether youth near my Will’s age would learn key nutrition information for their lives as well as nutrition leadership skills. As a result of this training, we wanted the children to be able to make better choices for their own health and be agents of change for their communities. WSF’s approach was to train the youth so they could produce short documentary videos about nutrition, including soy, and its availability in their communities.

The WSF’s Youth We Feed Can Lead participant children rallied around a commitment for healthy nutrition choices. The children, WSF representative and school leaders recited “Mi Promesa” (My Promise) each day of the training program as a reminder of the focus for all. Mission Impact used some of the WSF funding to create a banner for the school wall so youth and adults could participate in a signing ceremony and where family members, the local mayor and others who enter the school can see and contemplate for themselves. The English translation of My Promise is: I believe in a healthy mind and body, What I eat counts, I am a leader for my community and country, I Choose!