We are at risk of losing our San Jorge Elderly & Kids in Critical Need Feeding Center. Nearly 60 elderly and 15 kids without primary caregivers rely on the center for daily nutritious meals in a safe, nurturing environment. Without this center, these elderly and children will become even more vulnerable to malnutrition and other health dangers. By gaining the building, we can continue our feeding programs and expand to include other educational and community development programs.
Guatemala has the fourth-highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world; most families live on less than $1/day. Our San Jorge Feeding Center provides neglected elderly and abandoned children in critical need - populations most at risk for malnutrition - with a nutritious meal in a safe, nurturing environment every day. Without this center, 57 elderly and 15 kids in critical need will go hungry; the elderly's health will continue to deteriorate and children's growth will be stunted.
Now that we have purchased the building and established the San Jorge Feeding Center, we would like to expand our foothold in this rural village by creating a community center. Renovating the building will enable us to continue to feed elderly and kids in critical need who rely on the center for what for many will be their only meal of the day, and provide us with a base to bring many of our other sustainable development initiatives to the people who need them the most.
We will not only continue our feeding program, we will enhance it to implement more community assistance and development programs to address the many needs of the village. We will take advantage of the central location and use it for after-school tutoring programs, medical clinics, maternal health workshops, and much more. It will allow us to continue to educate, feed, shelter, and heal the impoverished population of San Jorge, Guatemala.
