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.
