Ready, Set, Fast!

This past Thursday and Friday the Manna Project volunteers and staff from all three sites participated in a 30-hour famine.  Yes that does mean each and everyone of us went thirty hours with only the consumption of water and juice, and I'll be the first to admit that it was not easy. It began on Thursday at one in the afternoon and ended the following night at seven in the evening.  World Vision developed the 30-hour famine as a fundraiser to help raise money and awareness toward its global effects to end hunger, and so we thought it would be something unique and enlightening to do as a team.  According to the World Vision website, more than 1 billion people go hungry everyday, and so for thirty hours we experienced a little bit of what about a third of the population battles with on a daily basis. Even though this event was a test to our physical and mental strength, I think we would all agree that we were grateful to have participated and for experience and insight we acquired because of it. To break the fast one of Amira's friends Kathryn, who works for the Canadian Red Cross, came to the house and gave us a brief presentation on some current nutrition issues here in Nicaragua and the work that she is specifically involved in.  She presented us with a lot of awesome resources and information, some of which the Child Sponsorship team might use.  And then after we had a feast of spaghetti and ice cream. Delicious!!

Also this past week Steph and Matt worked with Amanda Gutierrez, a local missionary here in Nicaragua, to help give out backpacks to kids who passed their last year of school.  In order to receive a backpack, the child had to bring their report card as evidence of their completion.  Inside of the backpacks were various school supplies for the upcoming year, such as notebooks, rulers, and pens and pencils.  The kids were definitely excited for their new things, and lets hope even more excited for the upcoming school year, which begins February 15th!

Steph and Alba signing people in.

All of the backpacks sorted by grade level.

Some of the boys excited to show off their new supplies!