We had an incredibly successful year in 2018! As we embark on 2019, I can’t help but reflect upon the accomplishments that would not be possible without you. Your belief in our mission has made it possible for Nourish Every Child to sponsor children in Haiti by providing nutrition and education to slow the cycle of poverty. You have walked beside us in our belief that every child in the world deserves to be nourished in mind, body and soul; and we are so very grateful.
We are proud to report that the children in our program are thriving! In addition, this past year our program grew from 132 scholars to 155 scholars. Each student sponsorship provides registration fees, tuition to a government approved school, books, uniform and a meal at school each day. For most of the children, this is the only meal they receive each day. This simple meal, usually consisting of rice, beans and papaya, is their lifeline of nutrition. When I visit with the children in our program throughout the year, I get to see first-hand the benefit of our Nourish Every Child meal program and notice the signs of malnutrition begin to diminish in our scholars.
When children are referred to our program by our Haitian advisory board, our Nourish Every Child team completes a home visit and family interview. The families are so very gracious to invite us into their homes. Most live in one room homes with dirt floors, tin roofs, no electricity or plumbing of any kind. While many lack basic needs; including food and clean water, there is no shortage of love in these homes. The families are so very grateful for the significant opportunity you have provided their families through your kind donations.
In the coming year, we are excited to announce an extension of our current program. We will now be providing our sponsored children summer school with the continuation of the feeding program and a new supplemental feeding program throughout the summer! Many of our children were regressing with physical symptoms of malnutrition during the summer months due to their family's inability to provide food. As an organization, we will have our first ever fee increase from $300 to $400 per year to cover these additional costs, and we hope you will understand. Studies show that universally, most students lose some knowledge gained during the school year over the course of their summer vacation. There is profound academic regression during summer break for Haitian children because of their food deprivation. Nourish Every Child understands how vital it is to provide continued sustenance for our scholars during the summer months and we trust you will agree. The new fee increase is effective January 1st, 2019.
Please know that your support is making the difference in the life of a child, their family, and community. We hope you will continue to stay connected with the work of Nourish Every Child and continue your sponsorship year after year. You are an integral part of the Nourish family. We could not do the work we do without generous people like you! I am always proud to share our commitment and mission with other folks that might be interested; so, I humbly ask that if you are so inspired, please share our great work with your family and friends!
Cheers to a healthy and happy new year!
Jen Burns
Executive Director/ Founder