After hearing some murmuring that moms might be selling the milk, we as a Manna team decided that we needed to change some of our practices. Therefore, this month (at the end of our field trips) we gave out the milk with the label removed and the date written on the jar. If moms do not bring back those specific containers next month, then we have a pretty good idea that they're selling.
On Tuesday, while Geoff and Marcela were giving tours to some of our friends from Cedro Galan, I went around to visit families. The moms were excited to see me, saying that it had been a long time since I had visited (I've been sick and infrequent in my Chureca visits lately). I always felt welcomed in-- Hector's grandmother showed me his report card (excellent scores) and Milton's mom asked me some questions about the antibiotics he had been given for his teeth. After chatting for a bit, they were all more than willing to show me the milk and vitamins that they have left. Some even made the comment that they were glad we had decided to do this because they don't think it's right for some mothers to sell. One mom put it this way: "you've given us a gift. I'm going to follow whatever rules you make because I know you care about our children and you're doing this for them."
Although there were one or two moments in the morning where I could perceive some annoyance, that mothers' words seemed to be the general consensus. It felt good to know that the mothers can see our commitment to their children and that they want to work with us in improving their health.
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