FH Offers Relief to Families Affected by Hurricane Alma
May 31, 2008

On May 29th, Hurricane Alma (category 1) slammed into Nicaragua's Pacific Coast, dumping heavy rain on low-lying coastal areas and provoking flooding and infrastructural damage throughout the western region.

In El Limonal, one of the communities where Food for the Hungry (FH) has been working for more than 5 years, the damage was much more acute; families living in houses made of black plastic, cardboard, and scraps of wood or metal found themselves completely exposed to the elements. In addition to the houses which were destroyed, fallen plantain and avocado trees littered the ground, along with the remains of what formerly were the walls of the community latrines.

Within hours of the storm, local community leaders began visiting families and praying with them. The next day, FH Staff Mike and Maria Saeli, and Mike Coberley visited the community to assess damage and to help distribute 260 yards of black plastic and other emergency items to affected families. "The plastic was greatly needed," Mike Coberley observed. "We had about 4 large rolls and within an hour [local] Pastor Crespin had distributed one of them. But just as importantly, people needed to know that they were not alone and that we can help, if the need arises."

FPC Beaver Team Builds Relationships in El Limonal
April 5-12, 2008

Eleven men from First Presbyterian Church in Beaver, PA shared their hearts and their construction skills with the people of El Limonal in Chinandega from April 5-12th, 2008.

For years, the community's local feeding center was nothing more than a tin roof and a few wooden tables on a dirt floor. To provide the children a healthier and sturdier space in which to eat meals, this team worked alongside several men and youth of the community to help construct a new concrete floor, as well as a storage area for cooking utensils, non-perishable food, and other items frequently used by both the feeding center and the local school across the street. The final component of the project, cement tables, will be completed by the community itself.

The team also built relationships with the people of El Limonal through playing with the kids each day and evangelistic outreach activities, organized in collaboration with the local church. One member was able to share his testimony and another participated in a dramatic presentation of the gospel.

FH/Nicaragua staff Mike Coberley, who worked alongside the team, observed that, "It was more than a team performing an act of service, it was a group of God’s children loving each other".

He described how much the people look forward to their return. "The kids ask each time we go to El Limonal: 'They will be back next year, right?' Every time. Bonded in Christ."
                 Read more about El Limonal
 

FH Supports National Vaccination and Deparasiting Campaign
April 2008

In order to help improve the health of Nicaraguan children, Food for the Hungry donated 1.2 million tablets of mebendazol to the government Ministry of Health in support of its National Vaccination and Deparasiting Campaign (April 17-30th).

In addition to the medicine donation, FH staff organized a "parasite museum" this past week to educate more than 1,000 children in schools throughout Leon and Chinandega. The museum included samples of various kinds of parasites in jars as well as specimens that children could look at using microscopes. Visual presentations of the parasite life cycle and preventative measures to avoid infection were also part of the museum.  . Many children had never seen live samples of parasites and were very impacted by the learning experience made possible by FH in collaboration with the National University of Nicaragua in Managua.

Osh Kosh Meets Ojoche:
An FH Team Update
March 2008

From February 29th-March 8th, 10 members of St. Rafael's Catholic Church in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin worked alongside community members in El Ojoche to put their recently developed patio garden plans into action and provided medical consults/medicine to over 300 individuals in the surrounding area.

In El Ojoche, a small rural community near the Honduras border, some of the team members helped construct compost bins, irrigation systems, and implement soil hydration techniques that the community recently learned at an agricultural training farm. Others helped provide a full-day’s worth of check-ups in 3 communities (El Ojoche, San Miguelito, and La Carreta).  The local health committees organized the clinics by setting up private consult rooms and created a list of patients, with the most medically needy at the top of the list. 

Throughout the trip, FH team members and community members had numerous meaningful interaction opportunities as families shared their patio garden plans during personal home visits and got their hands dirty together with the team making pottery.

Said Pastor Mariano, "I loved the way we shared with them, the mutual learning. They didn't just watch--they came to participate." One of the women added, "I feel so thankful that they actually came to my little house to visit me and to learn how to make pottery like us."  
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