“My only reaction to my first visit to the dump was that I couldn’t wait for a chance to return... I met so many warriors who’se only sense of reality was the mounds of trash that surrounded the makeshift walls of their shanty homes- so many princesses who smiled through their dirt-caked faces. This was their life. They were born into this. They had no say in it all... It was the harshest form of human existence that I have ever experienced, read about, or even heard of. Yet there was joy in the eyes of the children there.” -Wade McMullen; Former MPI Nicaragua Program Director
In the city of Managua, Nicaragua, capital of the second poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, there is a place so destitute and hopeless that it stands out against the surrounding poverty of the country. Known as “La Chureca”, the Managua City Dump receives tons of trash on a daily basis, but unlike most other dumps it is home to hundreds of families who live amongst the mountains of burning garbage and compete alongside vultures, cows, pigs, and dogs to for their livelihood each day.
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1,500 People live in La Chureca, the Managua City Dump.
53% of the population is under the age of 18.
Children start working in the garbage as early as four years old.
Every day children battle malnutrition, skin disease, parasites, and lead poisoning, among other things.
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Life inside La Chureca is especially brutal for the children that are born within its confines and grow up amongst the rotting waste. They can be seen darting in and out of the trash filled roads that snake through the wasteland, barefoot, covered in muddy rags or completely naked. Besides severe malnutrition, children battle parasites, skin diseases, and lead poisoning from the filthy conditions in which they live.
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MPI’s Child Sponsorship program targets the clinically malnourished children in La Chureca.
Our focus is on children ages 0 to 7 years old.
Our Sponsorship Program provides monhtly milk, oatmeal, vitamins, and regular healthcare, as well as a yearly birthday and Christmas present.
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Manna Project International’s Child Sponsorship Program targets severely malnourished children in their most critical stages of development. By providing vitamin enriched milk and oatmeal for each child, we are able to stop these children from going hungry and allow their bodies to grow and receive the nourishment they need. They also receive regular Pediatrician visits as well as any necessary medications or blood work to treat their illnesses.
If you are interested in helping to fight malnutrition and sponsoring a child please email us at childsponsor@mannaproject.org and we will help get you started on this process. You can either choose one of the un-sponsored children from our website, or email and have us assign a child to you. It costs $20 dollars per month, or $240 dollars for the year.
Mailing Information:
The tax-refundable checks should be made out to Manna Project International and sent to:
Manna Project International
P.O. Box 121052
Nashville TN, 37212
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