Manna From Heaven

Distributing food to the poor has become more difficult with the raising food and energy costs. Food is three times more expensive than it was one year ago. The poor consume argyles, or mud cookies to satisfy the burning in their stomachs. Rice is up to $60 for a 1 kilo bag. One bag can be divided between 10 people. We purchase 150 bags of rice which previously cost $3,000. Now it is $9,000. Areas for food distribution, mostly in the slums, are rotated throughout the year once a month. We estimate there are 100,000 beneficiaries per year.

Water is Life...

Water is so basic, it's hard to imagine that people don't have it.

It is terrible to see people so desperate for water that long lines can lead to impatience and even fights. Maybe one day the worlds wars will be over water, as our planet becomes more devasted and the globe warms.

Many people in the developing world have access to only 5 liters of water per day, whereas the average American uses 80 times that amount. Slums in the capital have NO sanitation or potable water.

Due to the lack of water, even for drinking, 21,000 gallons are delivered daily in a truck donated from Piccolo Fratello and Fondazione Mediolanum. It fills its water tank at the municipal city service station for $25. The truck then drives into the slums and parks while people form a line, holding their buckets. Once the valve is opened, it takes about one hour to empty. The water services 2,500 families per day, 1,400 loads a year, which equates to 4,320,000 gallons per year. Two very capable employees (one ex-pequeño) work to distribute the water and perform crowd control when fights break out. Fights are expected; people are so desperate for water that fights break out almost every delivery.

The water for life program is able to continue thanks in part to the Italian foundations: Piccolo Fratello and Fondazione Mediolanum.

Let's pray for the day that everyone on earth has access to clean water.