Food for the Hungry provides food aid to earthquake
victims in Nicaragua.
(Photo provided by FH.org).
Nicaragua (MNN) — If an earthquake hit the United States damaging hundreds of homes and affecting thousands of people, it would make international news. However, when it hits a country like Nicaragua it goes almost unreported. That’s what happened a few weeks ago.
Beth Allen with Food for the Hungry says, “On the 10th of April there was a very, very large earthquake–6.2 on the Richter scale–that occurred, and after that: many aftershocks. The last number I saw was 400 and some aftershocks, which left 1,800 some families without homes. 24,000 people…were affected by the earthquake.”
The Nicaragua earthquake originated in Lake Managua, in the southwestern region of the municipality of La Paz Centro.
Water and electrical services have been interrupted.
Allen says, “We have been partnering with the government, as a matter of fact, in helping with food distribution with some of the families who have been left homeless.”
FH is sending approximately 275,000 meals from Seattle, Washington to Nicaragua for those affected by the earthquakes. Students from Whitworth University packed the meals.
FH has also made available 466 cartons of high-nutrition dehydrated soup to respond to the needs of the persons displaced by the recent earthquakes. This donation will provide more than 46,500 meals.
“Our soup will feed hundreds of homeless left without a roof by the continuing earthquakes,” said Ervin Leiva, FH/Nicaragua Country Director. “We’ll be helping the poorest, who lived under poorly-constructed homes.”
FH started working in Nicaragua in 1972 in response to a devastating earthquake. In 1994, FH started long-term development work with the poor in multiple areas. With a focus on education, FH programs in Nicaragua have helped thousands of children to stay in school to reach their potential. They also offer child sponsorship as a way to help the needs of these families.
Did the earthquake put the programs on hold? Allen says, “It didn’t put the program on hold. It did send them to a different direction having to do assessments on the quake, but praise God we had no children injured or affected by this, or their families.”
FH is providing this physical assistance as a way to share the Gospel. “You do get questions when you go into these situations from people who say, ‘Why do you care about me? Nobody cares about me. Why do you care about me?’ And that gives us an opportunity to talk about that.”
We ask you to join FH in responding to the needs of those affected by recent earthquakes and continuing aftershocks in Nicaragua. FH field staff is on the ground conducting damage, loss, and needs assessments in 43 communities as well as assisting with food distribution.
Click on the above links to help.
