“This week, I didn’t have anything to feed my children”
Guatemala’s malnutrition rate is the highest in Central America and the fourth highest in the world. The hunger crisis has reached such a dramatic threshold that the government is unable to meet the needs of its own people.
In 2021, National Geographic published a story with statistics that show the rise in food insecurity in Guatemala from minimal to crisis between February 2020 and June 2021, with the majority of Guatemala in “stressed” or “crisis” levels following the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the article, Juan Francisco Mérida, president of the congressional Food and Nutritional Security Commission stated that “if malnutrition continues at its current rate, Guatemala will face ‘total collapse.’”
GRACES meets the needs of students and families who suffer from malnutrition and who survive the hunger crisis on a daily basis.
When Escuela Integrada was founded in 2003, students received lunch every day to not only combat malnutrition, but to help them succeed in their academics. Hungry students are unable to focus and unable to advance in their studies.
In 2016, GRACES added breakfast to the Meal Support program, which resulted in a significant impact on pass rates and graduation rates.
Last week, Fabiola came to the school to pick up a food bag from Escuela Integrada.
“This week, I didn’t have anything to feed my children,” she said. “They called me from the school to come for this food bag, and I was very happy.”
With the support of the 2023 Meal Support campaign, we were able to provide food bags for families during the months of November and December when the students were not in school.
Our hope for 2024 is to provide the same level of nutrition support for students—breakfast and lunch every day and supplemental food bags for families during times of crisis and times of need.
Will you help us make this hope a reality?
All donations received between now and December 31 go directly to subsidizing GRACES’ Meal Support program. To provide food for every child for a year costs our organization more than $100,000. Our year-end campaign goal is to raise at least $40,000 for the Meal Support program.
One hundred percent of your tax-deductible donation goes directly to food for children in Guatemala.
Will you give today?
At press time, our campaign was only 16% funded. We cannot continue this mission without your support, and we thank you in advance for your generosity.
May God bless you this holiday season and bring you and your loved ones a joyous Christmas.
In solidarity,
Hannah Nadeau Girón
Executive Director of GRACES