Children are the future.”
Many people echo this sentiment, from former U.S. president John F. Kennedy to the famous R&B and pop singer Whitney Houston — children are the future.
And yet, 73 million children attend school hungry. A child dies every 10 seconds from malnutrition. And the days, months, or years a child spends without proper nutrition create problems that last a lifetime.
That’s why Convoy of Hope feeds children all over the world. In 36 countries and in more than 4,000 program centers, Convoy of Hope is currently feeding over 571,000 children every school day. And we’re not done growing that number.
In March, Convoy of Hope launched our Children’s Feeding initiative in two program centers in Slovakia. After class, children walked the short distance from school to the program centers, where staff and volunteers were waiting with hot meals for every one of them.
The launch was planned to feed 250 children, but no child was turned away as long as there was food to feed them. By the end of the day, more than 300 children received hot, nutritious meals. That was just Day 1.
In Slovakia, Convoy primarily serves the Roma — a marginalized group that make up around 9% of the population. The Roma have been in Europe for more than 800 years, but they are often overlooked and treated as outcasts.
Forced to live in slums and segregated from the rest of society, many Roma do not have access to health care, education, or other necessities.
“I would hear from families that before [Convoy started the Children’s Feeding initiative], children used to come and knock on our doors,” said Convoy partner Pastor Rinaldo. “But after you started feeding them, they stopped coming. These children are fed. And this is something that changed the culture of this whole community.”
When you feed kids, the whole community is transformed. When communities are transformed, the way entire societies function can change for the better. You are taking hope to those who have none in the form of a meal. And a daily portion of hope can change everything.
