November 1st 2013
I need your help to create a miracle this Thanksgiving season.
Within the next three months, economists predict a severe shortage of maize in Malawi.
Maize (corn) is the staple food in a Malawian diet. The dried kernels are ground into flour. The flour, with water, is turned into nsima, a dough-like substance providing nutrition and calories for families and children. Nsima is eaten at every meal.
A 100 lb. bag of maize feeds a family of 4 for a month—or 250 children in one of
UrbanPromise International’s AfterSchool Programs.
“It’s the only meal many of our children will eat during the course of a day,” shared Zamumtima Chijere, director of RiseMalawi. “We’re very concerned about the impending crisis.”
Prices of maize are expected to double in the coming months because of the drought. Malawi is an agrarian society that has to depend on its unpredictable weather. Plentiful rain during growing season translates into bountiful crops. When rains are scarce, crops are depleted. The basic forces of supply and demand kick in. Prices spike. Families cannot afford food. Children suffer.
But children don’t have to suffer if we act—if we participate in the miracle of maize this Thanksgiving season by purchasing bags of maize today, before there is a shortage.
Currently the cost of a 100 lb. sack of maize is $19.
To celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving, how about buying a bag of maize…or two?
By purchasing bags of maize today, you can ensure that children in our programs will eat nutritious meals in November, December, January, and February. Not only will the children in our programs get a nutritious meal, but they will continue to receive tutoring, recreation, and spiritual guidance in a loving Christian environment.
Thanksgiving for us here at home is a warm and generous time for sharing. And I know you will agree that there is no better way to share the gift of love and compassion than by feeding a hungry child.
My goal is to purchase 500 bags of maize by Thanksgiving. That translates to about 125,000 meals for children at the incredibly low cost of $9000. We can do it!
Bruce Main
PS. Double your efforts! To get us to our goal of 500 bags of maize, challenge a friend to save a $1 a day for 19 days and put it in the sack!