Nicaragua (FH/MNN) ― Floods have wreaked havoc throughout Central America this month. Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega declared a state of emergency in the wake of Tropical Storm Matthew.
66 people have died in Nicaragua after the storm struck the region in early October. According to the United Nations, 133,858 people have been affected by the heavy rains, mainly in the north and the Pacific coastal areas. Now, there are reports of H1N1 viral infections, prompting a note of concern from the World Health Organization.
Continued rains have caused flooding and evacuations. Approximately 10,000 people are displaced throughout Nicaragua and in need of emergency aid.
Food for the Hungry (FH) is providing food rations and personal hygiene products to more than 700 families in Ocotillo, Nicaragua. This is a great opportunity for FH staff to minister to these hurting people.
Recovering and response is particularly difficult since Nicaragua is the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. That's why FH developed the following strategy as a response to the greatest barriers to the transformation of targeted areas, education, health, and economic development.
Through the local church, the team has been in the region working to improve access to an improved education system, which means there is a higher percentage of children completing secondary education.
FH Nicaragua also focuses its strategy on two complementary areas: health and economic development. They work to build an understanding of the importance of personal and public health, improving nutrition and hygiene practices, and reducing illness so children can develop to their greatest physical and psychological potential.
However, without improved resource management and income generation capabilities of the family, it is difficult for children to attend school. Through these programs, families have the resources necessary to send children to school, instead of sending children to work to provide for the basic needs of the family (food, shelter and clothing). Other areas include food security, sustainable agricultural development, and disaster relief responses.
In doing so, the team develops relationships with the families and leaders in the community. By embracing God's call to end physical and spiritual hungers worldwide, the people they help are attracted to the hope that motivates FH.
These relationships allow them to share the love of God and the hope of the Gospel. As people see God's transforming grace, they respond. Click here for more about FH's work in Nicaragua.
