Community Service

Three specific issues that bother me the most are child abuse, homelessness, and starving people. One issue that I have put a lot of time and effort into helping is starving people in Mozambique. In the past couple of years they have gone through a civil war where most of their male population was wiped out. The women and children have continued to suffer in the years that have followed. The women are working in the community along with running the homes. Children are working and have no schools to attend. Disease is spreading at alarming rates. One of their biggest issues is their diet. They lack nutrition of any kind in their diets.

My high school is attempting to make a difference to these people. We have started a non-for-profit organization called Grains For Hope. Grains For Hope’s goal is to build a factory in Mozambique to produce fortified rice for the people of Mozambique to have at all times. Right now we are at the point where we are getting ingredients donated by local businesses, having the rice extruded at K-State, and having it shipped over by freight. At this point we are only able to provide for one small community instead of all of Mozambique. It is a very slow process but every little bit helps. The people of Mozambique said that before they received this rice, they had no food to give their children. We are in need of anything that is offered to us. We have many contacts who donate ingredients and money. We even have some people working to get a factory built. But we will never be satisfied until all of Mozambique is being fed.

The information on Mozambique was taken from www.wikipedia.com. Information on Grains For Hope can be found at www.grainsforhope.org.