Five-year-old Jalena loves going to Convoy of Hope’s Children’s Feeding programme in her village in Slovakia. This takes pressure off of Jalena’s mother, who struggles to provide food for herself and her 10 children.
Jalena, her mother, and her siblings all receive hot, nutritious meals every day through the feeding programme. Not only that, but the children also receive tutoring and the beautiful opportunity to be among a community that gives them hope.
To fully grasp the beauty of the Children’s Feeding programme in Slovakia, it’s important to understand the community. Jalena and her family are among the 87% of Roma who are at risk of poverty. They are kept on the outside of society, making it impossible to work and obtain a solid education beyond 11 years old. The Roma are severely looked down upon and denied the chance to exercise basic human rights.
Seeing where Jalena and her family come from helps paint the extraordinary picture of the change regular, nutritious meals can provide. The food fills the bellies of children and families, and groceries are no longer a stress for parents who cannot afford them. And communities are being changed from the inside out.
Transformation is happening — the people in these communities are no longer unseen. Convoy gets the privilege of hearing the dreams of these children. Jalena said, “I want to be a teacher!” At just 5 years old, she wants to teach others because she’s been given the opportunity to learn as well as receive consistent meals.
Providing food through Children’s Feeding is the open door to these communities in need, and it paves the way to show love to vulnerable people and teach people their inherent worth, regardless of what society has told them.
Thank you for helping Convoy provide hope to children and families in need — it is so much more than a meal.