Dear ADRA Family,

Spring is blossoming all around us as we near the end of the school season. For many around the world, this school year looks remarkably different from any we have known before. Who could have guessed that most buildings would be shut down and classes moved to the virtual world?

Though traditional access to education is limited, many of us are blessed to continue learning from home. That is not always the case for children in developing countries, whether or not there is a pandemic. 

In Mozambique, for example, many children are unable to go to school just because they don’t have enough food. Either they have to stay home to work the fields, or they are too hungry to learn in a classroom. 

Thanks to the help of donors like you, ADRA has been able to change that. Our School Feeding Initiative feeds more than 50,000 students in five countries in Southern Africa, a project that incentivizes learning for children too hungry to leave the house. By providing a nutritious hot lunch each day, ADRA encourages children to recognize school as a place to feed the body and the mind. 

Just ask 12-year-old Elison from Mozambique. The sixth-grade student can finally sit in a classroom and focus on the lesson, instead of the gnawing hunger in his stomach. 

“We don’t always have food at home,” Elison said. “My parents don’t have work, so I don’t bring food to school.”

Because of the persistent droughts where he lives, there isn’t always much for Elison to eat. But thanks to the rice-soy fortified meal offered at his school, he doesn’t have to worry about finding his next meal: he knows exactly where and when he will be fed. 

Many of us have had to adapt during this global health crisis, but at least there is often food to be found. We may feel afraid, but I know that God has a plan for us all during this time of emergency, just as He does with 12-year-old Elison.

Stay safe this week and remain cautious, and don’t forget to thank God for the many blessings we still have.

May God bless you all.