Every day, around 11:00 am, Fabretto kitchens get ready with hundreds of plates to serve a nutritious school meal to children who are finishing, or about to start, their classes at Fabretto centers. But for one moment, imagine what it means to many of them that this meal is the only complete meal they will have in their day.

The almost two years of the pandemic have pushed about 163 million people worldwide into poverty (United Nations, 2021). And although for Nicaragua, the situation has been even more complex, there’s no doubt these numbers have been reflected in our students’ health and growth.

Since 2020, the average underemployment in Nicaragua reached 45.8%, decreasing the possibilities for many of our students’ families to meet their basic food needs. When classes began in February, more than 50% of the children in Cusmapa and Las Sabanas were underweight or malnourished.

Given this, the solution seemed simple–continue serving nutritious school lunches–but for Fabretto, supporting these children to lift themselves out of poverty and reach their full potential is a much bigger commitment. These have been 3 of our most important actions to reduce poverty in Nicaragua through nutrition:

1. Serve nutritious school meals

Can you imagine how many bellies we fill each day? Thanks to one of our key partners, Feed My Starving Children, this year, we have served more than 388,650 nutritious meals that give these children one more reason to attend school every day and have the energy they need to focus on their classes.

2. Promote agriculture

In the rural communities of Nicaragua, farming is the most important activity to support the livelihood of thousands of families. By involving our beneficiaries in school garden activities, we teach them techniques that allow them, together with their parents and grandparents, to improve their crops and thus have a safe and sustainable food source. In the future, as many of our rural SAT (Tutorial Learning System) students have already achieved, these crops can turn into innovative endeavors that improve the quality of life for their families.

Read Francisco’s story, the limitless entrepreneur.

3. Find more donors like you!

Donations, both cash, and food have a huge impact on the lives of the most disadvantaged families who count on Fabretto’s daily lunches to feed their children. With a minimum donation of $5, we can serve school meals to four of our students. But, can you imagine if today more people joined and donated the same or a bit more?

Today, on World Food Day, support our nutrition programs and change the lives of thousands of children through Fabretto school lunches. Give them the opportunity to continue school with a full belly.