Missionaries of the Precious Blood Nutrition Program in La Labor, Guatemala, Central America
Our pre-Lenten goal was to collect $4500 to feed 30 families each month, for one year, in one of the 15 “chapel” communities of Sangre de Cristo Church in La Labor, Guatemala
BUT WE RAISED nearly $18,000…and consequently will help nourish 120 families in 4 faith communities throughout Sangre de Cristo Church!!
The parish serves 40,000 people in a 30-square-mile area. The smaller communities are not far apart geographically—in fact they may be only a few miles apart—but poor roads and mountainous terrain make travel difficult. Few people have private autos and bus travel can be expensive. They would rather worship in small local chapels than make the difficult trip to the central parish.
WHAT EACH FAMILY RECEIVES FROM THE NUTRITION PROGRAM:
- Each family receives two pounds of dried black beans, two pounds of rice, two pounds of sugar (sugar in Guatemala is fortified with vitamin A), two pounds of corn meal, two ponds of mosh (an oatmeal-based beverage), 2.5 dozen eggs and a bottle of cooking oil. Jose Luis and volunteers deliver the packages of food to families.
- The cost of the program is $15 per family per month, or $375 per month per community.
- The goal is to expand the program to each of the 15 faith communities
SOME BACKGROUND ON GUATEMALA & ITS SOCIOECONOMIC CHALLENGES:
- Two-thirds of the population lives on less than $2/day
- One in two children in Guatemala suffers from malnutrition
- Guatemala leads this hemisphere in malnutrition
- Above facts from UNICEF website