Hunger and Malnutrition
I have always had a heart for children and families that are affected by hunger and malnutrition. This is not a health topic that is a problem only in certain areas. Granted, it is worse in some areas than in others. I come into contact with children each and every day that are affected by hunger. I have had children share with me that they did not get to eat over the weekend or last evening. I am very passionate about this topic and will do whatever I can to help with this situation. No child should have to go to bed without something to eat.
When I went to Guatemala, I had the opportunity to be a part of creating a feeding center in one of the villages. Children ages 2 to 12 would come from all around the village and wait for several hours for the food to be prepared and served. These children all received a bowl of some sort of chicken either with spaghetti or just in a soup, a tortilla, and a cup of powdered milk. If they had anything left in their bowls, they would pour it in a type of plastic grocery bag and they would save it for later that evening. This absolutely melted my heart. Hunger and malnutrition is very evident in Guatemala. In Guatemala, the face of poverty and hunger is young, indigenous and rural. Guatemala, with the fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world and the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean, faces a serious challenge to reduce chronic undernutrition, currently at 49.8% among children under 5.
In the county where I teach, and through a partnership with Second Harvest food bank, we provide our students in need with a backpack of food. Each Friday, we send home a backpack that contains enough food to get them through the weekend. We also provide our students with free and reduced breakfast and lunch as well as share what resources we have regarding food pantries in the area with our families so that they can go and get things that they might need. I know that we cannot completely eradicate hunger and malnutrition, but with the right people and resources, we can make a difference.
Wow! That is so great what you do for your students. It would definitely tear my heart to know that my students go hungry. I actually get mad at my students for wasting food and not eating nutritionally. Your experience in Guatemala seems amazing and heart warming. Thank you for everything you do :)
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ReplyDeleteMy school also participates in the backpack program and I am so glad that children get to take food home for the weekend. It is heartbreaking when children tell you there is no food at their homes or they did not eat the night before. I enjoyed reading about your misson trip to Guatemala. I went to Nicaragua a few years ago and it was definitely a life changing experience!
Your experience in Guatemala touched my heart, and I love the pictures you posted. Amy that was such a great thing you did helping build feeding centers and the back pack program at school is awesome. You are right malnutrition is a problem everywhere and teachers deal with this a lot. As teacher I try to make sure that all of students have more than enough food. Sometimes they waste so much food and I wish we could offer the food to the homeless.
ReplyDeleteI love your food program that is a great idea for helping families. I know first hand the benefits of having free, reduced and/or food programs. I can remember when I was little there was a Summer Food program in the City of Atlanta, Ga. that would provide a trunk loaded with lunches. The truck would come to our neighborhoods and give out the lunches to whom ever needed them. I had friends who on my had that one full meal a day. Fortunately for my sisters and I, we only got the meals to blend in with the crowd, but fro my friends it blessed them. I pray that your program continues to thrive as you continue to hep families and children.
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