Page 25 - 80 YEARS OF VOLUNTEER IMPACT WITH FAO

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Beatriz García

SKETCHING SOLUTIONS TO

MALNUTRITION IN GUATEMALA

As a graphic designer, Beatriz García Gutiérrez had worked
with advertising firms for commercial products. But when
she joined FAO and WFP as an Online Volunteer, she applied
her skills to something she had never done before: a project
aimed at fighting hunger and malnutrition in Guatemala.

The two-year initiative supported smallholder farmers
in some of the country’s poorest regions, helping them
improve maize production, adopt better agricultural
practices, and strengthen their access to markets. Beatriz’s 21
task was to design a set of manuals for farmers: clear,
accessible guides promoting techniques like greywater
filtering, living fences and bokashi composting. She also
created an almost 50-page summary of lessons learned
around seed capital support for farmers.

It was a far cry from her usual work, but one that deeply
resonated. “This project particularly interested me for
two reasons. First, it focused on eradicating one of the
great problems of our world—hunger and malnutrition.
Second, as a project focused on a Latin American country, it
increased my interest in being a part of it,” she said.

For Beatriz, it was a chance to use design not just to
communicate, but to empower, transforming technical
knowledge into tools for food security and self-reliance.

Beatriz García Gutiérrez served as Online Volunteer with FAO and WFP. [UNV, 2012]