Help Fight Child Malnutrition
We are well into winter, and in many parts of Canada the temperature is dropping while the snow is rising! Unfortunately, the snow is not the only thing rising–so is the cost of living, especially food prices. We certainly live in uncertain times, with political and economic changes affecting our daily lives.
While we face financial pressures here, the burden is even heavier for families in developing countries who are struggling just to put food on the table. Soaring global food prices have made it nearly impossible for millions of parents to provide even one nutritious meal a day for their children.
That’s why we’ve launched our Help Fight Child Malnutrition campaign in Haiti, Kenya, Nicaragua, Dominican and Malawi. I would like to share three touching stories that represent thousands of families that need your support to help feed their children.
Home Delivery Package Program
I want to share the story of Gertrude who I met on a recent visit to Kenya. She is a widow raising her two granddaughters, Christian (8) and Vivienne (2), living in a mud house with a small plot of land that can barely sustain them. The children’s parents left months ago to find work in another part of the country and have not returned.
On the day I visited they were hungry and had no food. I was able to give one of our food packages, but we need support in this region to help provide regular food for widows like Gertrude who has two children to feed.
School Feeding Programs
A child should never have to learn on an empty stomach. Speroway’s School Feeding Programs provide one nutritious meal per day to children in school. In the countries where we serve, this meal is often the only food a child will receive all day.
On a recent trip to the Dominican Republic, I visited a new feeding program in a town called New Jerusalem. We’ve been working in this town for a year and have helped build a small kitchen for a school of 100 children. Most of their parents struggle to find day labour jobs, making it extremely difficult to provide meals for their children.
After visiting the school feeding program, I went to meet some of the parents at their homes. When I got to Casandra’s (10) and brother Oscar’s (7) home, the house was empty —both parents were out looking for work, and there was no food in the home. The meal they received at school that day was likely the only full meal they would have. With your support, we can continue to provide meals for children like Casandra and Oscar, ensuring they have the nourishment they need to grow, learn, and thrive.
Community and Church Feeding Programs
For many struggling families, local Church Feeding Programs serve as a lifeline, providing food, community, and spiritual encouragement. These programs, led by local pastors and/or community leaders, offer meals to those who have nowhere else to turn.
In Haiti, I met Jeanette, a single mother whose husband was tragically killed in gang violence. She fled with her two-year-old son to the rural town of Pignon, where Speroway programs continue to run, free from the violence in the cities. She tries to find work, but opportunities are scarce, especially with a small child to care for. Many days, she struggles to provide even one small meal.That’s why the Church Feeding Program is so important. On the days it runs, Jeanette and her child receive a full meal. She often helps prepare food alongside other mothers, grateful to be part of a caring community. This program offers more than food—it provides hope, dignity, and the strength to keep going.
The Need is Urgent – An estimated 45 million of the world’s children suffer from malnutrition, making it one of the leading causes of child mortality. Severe malnutrition contributes to nearly half of all child deaths under the age of five but despite these heartbreaking realities, there is hope.
With your support, you can be part of the solution. Your gift can provide meals, hope, and a future for these precious children.