Austin Samaritans recently received an email from Deanna Ford, director of NICA Hope Project that oversees the Escolar Publico Elemental Acahualinca. Deanna reports good news: more children are enrolling in school if also fed. Here's an excerpt:
Dear Dr. Doty,
I wanted to give you an update to let you know that school enrollment was higher at the Acahualinca school this year than any year in recent history! This is despite the fact that school enrollment all over Nicaragua is lower than usual. We attribute much of this high enrollment to the feeding program, which was introduced last year and has created an extra incentive for kids to enroll in school. Many of these kids would not be able to go to school if there was not a daily meal provided.
It is exciting to see that so many of these children who were working and had dropped out of school are now back in the classroom!
Deanna's efforts are working. More children are attending school and getting an education. Kids who dropped out are coming back.
But with the increase in enrollment comes an increase in costs. Contributions to Austin Samaritans can allow us to support Deanna's efforts and others like hers in God's Larger World.
