There’s an African proverb that says, “A hungry stomach has no ears,” and that became abundantly clear to us early in our experience at the school in Ravine. These children were perhaps even more underfed than those in other villages, and this had a significant impact on their ability to learn.
So Starfish Ministries instituted a feeding program at the school in October, 2001. The results were dramatic. Under-nourished, despondent children became happy, energetic, eager-to-learn students. The program was so successful that in February, 2002, it became standard at every Starfish Ministries school. We currently give a hot meal to every child in our school program four days per week.
We are often asked, “How do you pay for food for so many school children?” The answer to that question is one of the richest blessings of working with the children in Haiti. God simply provides! We see God feeding His children through obedient people. People from small children sharing part of their allowance, teenagers giving from earnings from a part time job, others sacrificially doing without so they can give, and still others giving from their abundance. Some of these people we’ve never met face to face, others we’ve shared with just once in passing, some have heard from friends. But each heart God Himself has touched. He chooses to use obedient hearts to supply for His children.