With increasing unemployment and rising food costs caused by COVID-19, many families in Nepal are struggling to feed their children. Nutrition Kitchens provide hot meals free-of-charge to children in locked-down communities, and NYF's Lito for Life program prepares and distributes packets of Lito (a "super flour" made of roasted and ground corn, wheat, and soybeans) to Nepalese families living in urban communities.
The economic impacts of COVID-19 on families in Nepal are intensifying. Over half of Nepal's population relies on wages earned day-to-day or week-to-week for labor done outside of social distanced environments. The countrywide lockdown, border closures, global recession, and uncertainty about the future are hitting these workers and their families especially hard. With food costs also rising, families are struggling to put food on the table -- putting many children at risk of malnutrition.
This project keeps children living in urban communities safe from malnutrition. Hot meals designed by a nutritionist will be distributed at school centers. Packets of Lito, containing all the nutrients necessary to sustain good health, will be distributed to families. One packet only costs $2 to prepare, and can keep an entire family safe from malnutrition for two days. This project will significantly ease the economic strain put on families struggling to provide enough food on the table.
By providing nutritious meals and resources -- full of the vitamins children need to stay healthy, strong, and happy --- free-of-charge to families in Nepal, families will be able to overcome the nation's hunger crisis caused by COVID-19, and persevere through the global pandemic with strength and resilience.
