2020 has not been a normal year for Nicaragua.
After being hit by two Category 4 hurricanes amid the COVID-19 pandemic and a sociopolitical and economic crisis, Nicaragua needs health and hope now more than ever. We are still assessing the full extent of the devastation done by Hurricanes Eta and Iota. But we know the needs will be vast, and they will be ongoing.
We know that many families have lost their homes. In overcrowded emergency shelters, many are worried about staying protected from COVID-19 without social distancing, masks, or access to clean water.
We know that many families now face starvation. Many families in rural areas rely on subsistence farming to feed themselves. Their annual harvest was scheduled for the end of this month, but as a result of heavy rains and flooding, many families have lost their crops, their source of food for an entire year.
Today, we ask you to make the impact of #GivingTuesday happen earlier – and more often – for Nicaraguan families in desperate need of continued support.
Thanks to a generous AMOS supporter, if you start a monthly donation now through December 31st, your gift will be matched EVERY MONTH for an entire year! This will multiply your impact on the lives of vulnerable people who are worried about providing for their children in the months to come.
Your sustaining support will be crucial to help us address current damages from the hurricanes and develop further response efforts as more needs arise. Right now, AMOS is working with local partners and the communities we serve to do the following:
- Provide nutritious food to poor families who have lost their crops and are at risk of starvation.
- Distribute hygiene kits with cloth masks, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and hand sanitizer to protect families from COVID-19 and other diseases.
- Donate medical equipment to partners like the government health system (MINSA) to help them respond to emergency situations in vulnerable areas.
- Work with community volunteers to educate families on good personal and home hygiene practices and ways to make water safe to drink.
- Stay in close communication with local leaders to make sure their communities have access to needed medicines, supplies, and support to get through this emergency.
With one crisis on top of another and another, the people of Nicaragua need the hope you are able to give!
We hope you consider taking advantage of this special matching opportunity and becoming a monthly donor to help address the outstanding needs of vulnerable families.
All gifts make a difference! If you are not ready to become a monthly donor, please consider making your most generous one-time gift so poor families in Nicaragua know they are not alone.
Keep Nicaragua in Your Prayers
As of now, we have not heard reports of lost lives in the communities AMOS serves. However, we have heard reports of losses of crops and damages to houses and latrines. And families in some communities are isolated because it is not safe to cross rivers yet.
Please pray for the health and safety of vulnerable people in the midst of these catastrophic damages. Pray for comfort for families mourning the loss of or looking for missing loved ones. And please pray for all of Nicaragua and Central America as we face the aftermath of these two catastrophic hurricanes.