Amaneceres Program

Manta, September 10, 2025.

With the purpose of preventing chronic child malnutrition (CCM) and adolescent pregnancy from their structural causes, Fundación REDNI and DYA, in alliance with La Fabril, Moderna Alimentos, Corporación Superior, and Ales, presented in Manta the Amaneceres Program, an unprecedented collaboration in Manabí.

In Manabí, nearly 23% of children under 2 years of age suffer from CCM, one of the highest rates in the country. In 2023, Manta recorded 298 adolescent births, double from 2022. The program will be implemented for 18 months in the Eloy Alfaro parish with two axes:

• CCM Prevention: More than 60 mothers will receive continuous support through prenatal, pediatric, and nutritional consultations; group workshops on food counseling; delivery of kits with high-protein foods; and home visits.
• Prevention of adolescent pregnancy: More than 350 young people will participate in Learning Circles, a methodology that promotes comprehensive education implemented by DYA.

"Amaneceres is a collective effort that articulates technical expertise and corporate commitment. Each well-nourished child represents a new dawn for the country," highlighted Fundación REDNI.

Juan Samaniego, Executive Director of DYA, noted: "Our institutional and methodological view of Learning Circles starts with the young people and their contexts."

In its first stage, Amaneceres will directly benefit more than 700 people and approximately 4,000 indirectly.

Photo caption: (left to right) Alejandro Maldonado, La Fabril; Jacqueline Calvachi, Moderna Alimentos; Marie-Claude Vergara, Corporación Superior; and Ana Córdova, Industrias Ales.