Poverty is a brutal enemy — it saps the health, strength, and dignity of human beings. In Tegucigalpa, poverty is all too common and often is the source of serious issues that plague the city, with disease and violence. The Baxter Clinic welcomes struggling families. The Nutrition Program is designed to help raise them up from poverty and give them an opportunity to flourish.
The Nutrition Program has the direct goal of giving suffering children the nutrients which are necessary for healthy development. The entire family is a part of the program. In this way the Nutrition Program truly combats poverty with a combination of nutrition, education, health, and spiritual healing – giving these families a genuine opportunity to succeed and break the cycle of poverty.
Feeding the Hungry
The principal recipients of the Nutrition Program are malnourished children. Clinics and hospitals refer underweight children to the Baxter Clinic, and if they are admitted to the program, the family receives a host of benefits. The family receives food staples including rice, oatmeal, powdered milk, spaghetti, corn meal, oil, sugar, and beans. This food is given every 10 days, preceded by a devotional led by the program director, Eistey Mejía, and a snack for the mothers and children. Occasionally, the clinic also provides educational programs that teach the mothers how to identify unhealthy relationships, how to operate a water filter, how to save money, and other resourceful tips.
Meeting the Needs
In addition to food, the children and their families are provided excellent medical and dental care for free. Mothers often come to the clinic for vitamins, cold medicine, and routine check-ups all of which would not be accessible or affordable to them otherwise.
Vocational Training
A key component of the program is providing vocational classes to families in the program. Monday through Thursday, the participants come and take classes in either sewing or beautician skills. The beautician class is frequently invited to join the clinic’s medical brigades, where they travel to rural villages and volunteer their time and skills to wash and cut hair for the rural poor.
Many of the families in the program are parented by single mothers. Having a skill that can support their family is a source of pride as well as a therapeutic practice for those who have struggled for stability. Upon completion of the program, the mothers are honored with a graduation ceremony, which is a momentous occasion for all.
How You Can Help
The cost to support a child in the nutrition program is $45 a month. This small sum covers the food, medical and dental care, vocational classes, and other activities provided to the families. The program generally has between 50-60 families enrolled. However, Tegucigalpa has no shortage of families seeking help, and the limiting factor for enrollment is sponsors.
If you are interested in learning more about the Nutrition Program, contact us. We would love for you to partner with us