el salvador

“Nutri-Mission” is a new form of mission helping children who are in danger due to lack of nutrition. 

After participating in the 2018 Megamission in Miramundo, Chalatenango and seeing mal-nourished children, Members of the Family Missions in El Salvador initiated the project called Nutri-Mission (Nutri-Misión in Spanish). During Holy Week, they learned about Marcos Isaías, a one-year-old child who suffered from severe malnutrition to the point that his life was in danger due to his family’s poverty and the delicate state of young children’s health. 

Nutri-Mission is an apostolate that fulfills the work of mercy: “Feed the hungry,” with the intention of improving the quality of life of children and returning hope to their families. 

Since then, six health and nutrition brigades have happened.  Pediatricians, nutritionists and volunteers generously donate their time to care for the neediest through this program.  Each brigade benefits, on average, 50 children. For each child, the missionaries provide a food ration consisting of milk, oats, incaparina (a native vegetable protein), beans, rice with soy, oil and sugar. They are sure to match World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) standards for children recovering from some degree of malnutrition. 

On August 26, 2018, a brigade went out. The brigade helped 49 malnourished children, gave pediatric consultation to 35 children, and offered medical consultation to 17 adults.  All the participants were given spiritual support and the mothers were given a talk about the education of their children and forgiveness. They were given the ration of food for nutritional recovery, as well as vitamins and medicines for their treatment. The missionaries also provided additional materials such as clothes, balls and mats. 

Thanks to the generosity of people and companies that donated the supplies, it was possible to bring all this help to the population of the community of Miramundo, as well as to the volunteers who served these children in need with great joy. There was the spiritual support of Fr. Néstor Fonseca, LC, who celebrated the Holy Mass for the people of the community, volunteers and members of Family Missions. 

Some members of the brigade noted the teachings of Mother Theresa. They said “We know that what we do is only a drop in the sea, in view of the nutritional deficit problems of the area, but as Saint Teresa of Calcutta taught us, ‘What would the sea be, if it lacked that drop.’” 

You can read the original on SomosRC, the site of Regnum Christi in Mexico.