A meal program satisfies hunger and hearts in Managua
This story was originally published in Servant Partners' 2020 Annual Report, which can be read here.
During a tutoring session, Servant Partners staff Beauty Ndoro noticed that Dominic's* sister was missing. "Where is she?" she asked Dominic. "She's napping. She's usually sleepy in the afternoons, after we have coffee." "What else did you all eat today?" Beauty asked. "Nothing." Dominic's situation is not uncommon in Managua, Nicaragua, where many live in extreme poverty. Between civil unrest, economic decline, and joblessness stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, families have fallen further into food insecurity. As parents forage for work, children are left to look over their siblings and homes—and their diet and education suffers.
Beauty and Philip Ndoro moved from Mexico City to Managua in 2015 and partnered with local leaders in starting a tutoring program, along with other ministries, to serve children in the neighborhood. After learning how children were affected by chronic food insecurity, they began including meals into the program. But when the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing needs, Beauty, Philip, and the team posed a larger question: can we implement the meal program on a communitywide scale? With funds from Servant Partners' COVID-19 Community Support Fund, they opened the program to all the children in the community. Since July, they feed up to 100 children each weekday. In December, they added the program on Sundays, so children attending Bible classes could leave with full hearts and bellies.
"Even with all that is happening, these children have the love of Christ in them," Beauty said. "They enjoy learning about his stories and presence in their lives. And they smile with such delight when they get their plates, join the line, and wait for their food. To them, it is an expression of love."
"They enjoy learning about his stories and presence in their lives. And they smile with such delight when they get their plates, join the line, and wait for their food. To them, it is an expression of love."
The whole community has been encouraged by this expression of love. Many are struck by the generosity of strangers who have given towards the fund. Some have responded by joining the team in serving the children. Yelena* is one such volunteer. Last year, she joined the team as a cook for the meal program. When the staff gave the local leaders a food basket as a thank-you gift in December, Yelena was overwhelmed. "I didn't have anything for Christmas; this gift is going to go a long way for my family," she said. Yelena’s four children were overjoyed when their mother arrived with the food basket.
While the team only planned to host the meal program for six months, the need has persisted. They have also distributed food bags to senior citizens, along with medical aid and masks. Now, they are praying, planning, and implementing new strategies to sustain the program in future months. "More than simply feeding our children, this program has become a light in our community," Beauty reflected. “God has helped us to find hope in hopeless situations.”
The whole community has been encouraged by this expression of love. Many are struck by the generosity of strangers who have given towards the fund. Some have responded by joining the team in serving the children. Yelena* is one such volunteer. Last year, she joined the team as a cook for the meal program. When the staff gave the local leaders a food basket as a thank-you gift in December, Yelena was overwhelmed. "I didn't have anything for Christmas; this gift is going to go a long way for my family," she said. Yelena’s four children were overjoyed when their mother arrived with the food basket.
While the team only planned to host the meal program for six months, the need has persisted. They have also distributed food bags to senior citizens, along with medical aid and masks. Now, they are praying, planning, and implementing new strategies to sustain the program in future months. "More than simply feeding our children, this program has become a light in our community," Beauty reflected. “God has helped us to find hope in hopeless situations.”
*Names have been changed for privacy and security reasons.
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