Year Joined MKLM: 1982 Country: El Salvador City: San Salvador Focus: Healthcare Project(s): Health through Nutrition Soy Project People Served: 8,500 People Project Goal(s): Provide Salvadoran families better nutrition and health through the use of soybeans

Personal Data
Ann Greig is a U.C. Davis-trained dietician who joined Maryknoll Lay Missioners in 1982. She came to MKLM from Chula Vista, CA, part of the Diocese of San Diego. Her first placement was in Peru, where she served for 9 years. She has served in El Salvador since 1993.

Current Ministry
Working in coordination with different parishes, communities and the National University of San Salvador, Ann was a founder of this project designed to improve the health of poor Salvadorans, especially pregnant women and malnourished children. The project began in 2002 as a response to the impact of earthquakes that devastated the economically poor. Initially, the project was in only one community. Given its success, the Archdiocese invited Ann to extend the project to 10 other communities!

The major emphasis of the first ten years of Ann’s work in El Salvador has been in the area of nutrition, health education and cooking. All of this has emphasized the integration of high protein soy products into the diet for Salvadorans of limited economic means. Ann is a founding member of a Salvadoran Foundation that works with donors in the U.S. to distribute food to over 150,000 beneficiaries across El Salvador. In addition, she formed a team of medical and childcare specialists to train these beneficiaries in health and nutrition.

In 2007, Ann registered Health through Nutrition as the legally recognized Nutravida de Association (or, Nurture Life Association), allowing her to import her own soybeans and to develop a variety of soy products. One product in particular, (a recipe of toasted sorghum flour, toasted soy flour, cinnamon and sugar), can be taken as a cold or hot beverage, or used for baking. This product became available for consumer purchase in February, 2010 and its profits are reinvested in the long-term sustainability of the soy project.