Manisha can concentrate on her studies

Dear Natasha, James and Julie, Kandace, Marc, Ray and Lael, Ted and Pam, Thomas, Tom, Trish, and Lesley,

At age 10, Manisha is the oldest of the five children in her family. Her parents trade old clothes and cloth, and if they are lucky make about Rs. 2,500 ($55) per month. Since this amount is not enough to feed the family, her mother is often forced to beg on the streets to ensure that her family gets to eat at least one meal a day. On most days, Manisha’s mother can only scrape together enough money to feed her children one small meal per day. This poor nutrition was taking its toll on Manisha, and she was not able to concentrate on her studies.

Manisha is enrolled at the Educational Outreach Centre run by Ashraya Initiative for Children, and she gets breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack everyday. The food served is healthy, fresh and nutritious, and Manisha’s health has greatly improved since she started receiving the supplementary food. She and her mother no longer have to worry about where her next meal will come from, and since she falls sick less often, her attendance has improved dramatically. Manisha is currently enrolled in grade 3 at a private English medium school in Pune. She is a good student, and has consistently maintained her spot among the top students in her class.

Thank you, Lesley (x2), Trish, Tom, Thomas, Ted and Pam, Ray and Lael (x2), Marc,Kandace, James and Julie, and Natasha, for coming together to provide one full year of meals for Manisha. With your support, she can continue to dream of going to college on day, and eventually moving herself, her family and her community out of poverty.