“At least 273 people have died and 2,000 have been injured in the unrest that’s rocked Nicaragua since April, according to the human rights arm of the Organization of American States (OAS). … in a series of violent clashes that started in April when the Nicaraguan government announced changes to the social security system regarding pensions. President Daniel Ortega, who is been in power for 11 years, backed down a few days later, but the government’s heavy-handed repression of the protests and the rising death toll ignited a national movement demanding Ortega’s resignation.”

-CNN as of 7/15/18

With no clear road to resolution, Supply Hope is making strategic adjustments in order to continue serving through this crisis for as long as it lasts. This includes:

-sending our staff home before dark

-reassessing security precautions

-reducing deliveries from three to two times a week

-eliminating under-performing products and stocking up on those in high demand

-pausing our new on-the-go pilot to keep micro-franchisees off the streets and focusing instead on recruiting additional at-home store-operators

We are trying to raise $25,000 to continue our work through what advisors believe could be at least six months of unrest and instability. We don’t often engage in relief work; our focus is on development. So our response to this crisis is aligned with what we do best. Your financial support will help to sustain our staff as we adjust to operational challenges. As more businesses close and transit becomes more challenging, we see the potential for our stores to become a stronghold within their communities and for our employment opportunities to serve a growing need. Your gift will help to stock our stores with more products and launch new Mercado Fresco franchises in neighborhoods with rapidly diminishing food sources. With no support to fall back on, the poor suffer the most in times of crisis. You will help provide jobs – purpose, stability and dignity – to low-income parents of children in need.

For more details on the fund, email samanthabeach@supplyhope.org.

For more info on Supply Hope, go to www.supplyhope.org.