When the 18-wheeler arrived at its destination in Nicaragua, people were already standing around, waiting for what was inside.
“They came in trucks, cars, buses, and horse carts,” our partner said. “The need is so huge.”
So, what was it these people were so desperate to get their hands on? It’s something you probably see every time you visit the grocery store — rice.
Nicaragua has been an impoverished country for years and is currently in a “downward spiral.” After more than a year of unrest, riots, protests, and violence, the nation’s economy is floundering, and people are starving to death.
Much like the situation in Venezuela, Nicaraguans are forced to go without food every day. They can’t afford it. And with the constant threat of violence, people are often afraid to leave their houses and search for what little food is available.
Malnutrition is rampant, especially among the nation’s children. And kids who don’t receive enough healthy food when they are young may experience permanent health problems, organ damage, or stunted growth for the rest of their lives.
Many Nicaraguan parents have packed up their families and left the country, choosing to become refugees rather than watch their children starve. But for those who remain in the country, life is challenging.
It’s so challenging, in fact, that when rice and other food shipped by World Help donors arrived in Nicaragua, it was all distributed in less than 72 hours! That’s 1,260 boxes of food — 272,000 meals — unloaded and rushed back to starving families’ homes as quickly as possible.
Soon, the only thing left was the empty shell of the shipping container the food had arrived in.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Josh Brewer, World Help’s director of humanitarian aid. “Nowhere else has food been distributed as fast. It really speaks to the desperation. The whole container was distributed in two to three days. That’s how hard the situation is.”
The families who received this food will ration it as long as they can. Parents will likely skip meals themselves so their children can have a few more bites to eat. But before long, their pantries will once again be as bare as the inside of the emptied-out shipping container. Without help, Nicaraguan children will starve.
But you can feed one child starving in Nicaragua or another impoverished country. Your gift of just $40 will provide enough food for an entire year.
The Lord is opening incredible doors for World Help to get food into starving countries like Nicaragua. Because of how efficiently our partners distributed the food to the needy communities in just three days’ time, they received an invitation from two very important individuals.“The presidential adviser who communicates with me told me, ‘What does your organization need to establish themselves in Nicaragua?’”
The government wants to help clear the way for more food to be delivered into Nicaragua … but it can’t happen without you!
Will you give just $40 today — less than you probably spend on a week’s worth of groceries — to feed a starving child for an entire year?
Your gift will literally help save the life of a boy or girl in Nicaragua, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, or another food-insecure nation.
Although the causes of starvation in these countries may be complicated — things like violence, poverty, and droughts — the solution is simple.
A starving child needs food to survive. And YOU can provide it for him.