We are desperately in need of donations to help sustain our work with the children of the remote LaDalia district in the mountains of Nicaragua. These children live amidst the extreme poverty caused by the collapse of the Nicaraguan coffee market and the abandonment of many of the coffee plantations by their owners.

The children are hungry, always hungry. Many suffer from malnutrition that wastes their tiny bodies and leaves them prey to disease. Their homes are made of black plastic tarps and sticks scavenged from the countryside. Their water supply is hauled from a polluted well or stream and stored in a metal drum set outside the door of their shack, a breeding ground for internal parasites.

We are doing what we can. Since malnutrition is everywhere, first we establish meal programs. With the help of volunteers, 2700 of these children receive a hot, nutritious meal six days a week. Often it is the only meal a child receives that day.

We also help provide doctors and medicine. Two doctors now travel throughout the rural villages in LaDalia. Patients treated: 10,074. Most suffer from illnesses complicated by poor diet.

Schools, where they are present, are poorly equipped—no books, pencils, paper, or notebooks. School supplies are desperately needed, as are scholarships for high school students who must travel to the city where they will be charged tuition to attend high school.

Please help us bring hope to the children of LaDalia. The total cost to bring meal programs, medical assistance, education, and other programs to this district is $235,000 per year. Our goal is to help the children grow up to be productive, self-sufficient adults. We need your generous donation today to help us meet this goal. Please consider a monthly commitment of $100, $50, or $25 or a one-time gift of $500, $100, or more.