Unlike the USA, public school in Honduras is very expensive (not only tuition, but also desk rentals, uniforms, etc), something that the 80 children from Talanga who attend school at Manuelito Project cannot afford. Many of the children walk several miles each day to Manuelito Project because it's their only possible chance for an education.
While on a mission trip to Manuelito Project in 2014, Broadway members noticed that the Talanga children weren't eating during the school's lunch break. At that time, the Project had funding to only educate those 80 children, but since then, Broadway members have been raising funds to feed them lunch and a snack each day during school (at nearly $30,000 per year).
For most (if not all) of these children, it's the most nutritious meal they receive each day. When possible, the Project sends extra snacks home with the children on Fridays, and several of those students return the following Monday saying it's the only food they had for the weekend.
The School Meal program not only is important for their health, but the teachers say that the students are now more attentive, better behaved and are performing better in the classroom.
School Meals for Talanga
In Honduras, about 60% of people live on less than $5 per day, and poverty is most extreme in rural areas like Talanga.
