Meals4Hope looks to raise funds for projects that help communities feed their kids in some of the poorest areas in Venezuela. Venezuela is currently suffering a Humanitarian Crisis. A crisis that affects the daily lives of millions of people in the country, who are struggling to feed themselves and their children and facing malnutrition. Massive inflation, one of the highest in the world, multipli
es the price of products hundreds of times and only keeps on growing. There are shortages of food and basic provisions. What little there is, is too expensive for people in poverty to afford. In the poorest areas of the country, over 1 in 3 children are seriously malnourished; many families can barely afford one meal per day. More and more we hear of children fainting in class or simply not going to school because they are too weak; they have not eaten. Many more abandon school to help earn money for their families. We hear of mothers filling their babies’ bottles with water and rice or cassava to ‘cheat hunger’; they cannot find milk. We hear of parents crying in the evenings because they couldn’t feed their children. People looking for food in garbage bins is now a common and heartbreaking image in Venezuelan cities. Adults and children are rapidly losing weight, children are dying of malnutrition or illnesses associated with it. Hunger has entered many homes and now dwells there. Meals4hope is working to support three projects where people struggling to meet their most basic needs organise themselves and work together to feed their children, bringing meals, hope and a healthier future.
“Una papilla que salva vidas (Baby food that saves lives)”
Parroquia San Martín de Porres, Ciudad Guayana – led by volunteers from the parish and members of a local, non-profit health group, SAPAGUA
A group of volunteers in the community, supported by a doctor, monitor the weight and size of young kids of the community in danger of malnutrition aiming to treat those in need. With our help we want the team to be able to monitor 200 children a month; install a production line for a specially designed nutritious baby porridge, developed by a local chemist, and provide it for kids who are detected to be malnourished – an estimated 40 children per month.
“Donde comen 40, comen 80 (where 40 eat, 80 will too)”
Barrio Brisas del Sur, Ciudad Guayana – led by community volunteers, supported by the “Me diste de comer” Foundation
A school canteen was set up in a provisional room of the parish venue two years ago, prompted by the very high school desertion caused by hunger and fatigue. With our help we want to double the amount of kids who can eat at the canteen attending 40 new children in need; guarantee a nutritious menu for all, based on recipes designed by two volunteer chefs and start a community garden to grow food for the canteen and local families.
“Abonando Esperanza (Nurturing Hope)”
Barrio Villa Esperanza, Barcelona – led by Punto Ecologico
This project is a direct response to the critical situation of a community suffering from extreme poverty, by providing bags of food to families with children in the area. The bags ensure balance between proteins, fats and carbohydrates, guaranteeing nutritious meals, sourced from local contacts, lowering costs. Community and family gardens will be started and training will be provided so people produce compost and grow some of their own food.
