As 2019 comes to a close, families around the world are preparing for the upcoming holiday season. For many of the 200,000 children in Convoy of Hope’s Children’s Feeding program, the hope found in a warm bowl of food each day may be the only gift they receive. The support they receive from supporters like you is what makes the holidays so special.
Nine-year-old Olvin is one of the 11,000 children Convoy of Hope feeds in Honduras. When he’s not caring for his chickens or attending classes, he’s most likely playing soccer with his friends. But the thing he loves most about going to school?
“The food is good!” Olvin says. “Sometimes they give us soup. They give us rice and eggs, too.”
Through Convoy of Hope’s Children’s Feeding program, Olvin receives the nutritious meals he needs to stay healthy and focused. Since starting the program in Honduras in 2011, Convoy has partnered with more than 100 Honduran communities.
While many are preparing shopping lists and putting up Christmas trees, Olvin’s family is looking forward to their own holiday traditions.
Olvin lives at home with his parents and two younger brothers. His father works long hours, and his mother, Ivania, runs a small business that Convoy’s Women’s Empowerment program helped her start. For them, the added support they receive from Convoy has been the glimmer of hope they desperately needed.
“Normally, we can’t give the kids gifts for Christmas,” says Ivania. “But this year, we will be able to give them gifts.”
Like many families, Olvin’s is looking forward to the Christmas season, because everyone is together and they attend church as a family. Ivania loves to prepare the holiday menu, which includes chicken, rice, potatoes, and bread.
“This year is going to be different from other years, though,” Ivania says. “This year, they will get new clothes for Christmas, and I can add a little something to the menu.”
As Convoy of Hope looks back on the last 25 years, we are humbled to be a part of empowering so many families and their communities. While many struggle to keep food on the table this holiday season, Convoy of Hope continues to fight for the poor and suffering in hopes that families everywhere can “add a little something to the menu.”
