Please, call now. For the children youve seen today, time is running out. Every minute, they become more malnourished. Sickness, starvation, and death will surely follow if we dont get them food and medicine soon. Every one of these little ones is precious in gods sight. Wont you help save them by picking up the phone or going online now . It takes so little to do so much. Just two weeks ago, carla almost died of starvation. At five years old, she weighed just 19 pounds, less than half the average for a girl her age. But she is slowly being nursed back to health at this Nutritional Center in san juan, guatemala. Carlas family is very poor and lives in a remote village. Her desperate parents carried her to a small local clinic, but her condition was so Critical Health workers brought her here. Like most children who come here, carla suffers from severe malnutrition. Most of her muscle mass has wasted away, and her skin is scarred and peeling from protein deficiency. Shes weak and listless and rarely speaks. Shes still too weak to play with the other children, or even stand, so she spends most of her day resting. Luz, her caregiver, tends to carlas needs every day. Including her bath. And though carla says nothing, her sad eyes follow luzs every move. She handles this fragile child with special care. [doctor speaking quietly] before lunch, carla is examined by dr. Brenda, one of the resident physicians at the center. [speaking tenderly in spanish] dr. Brenda is very gentle and speaks softly. [translator] children get to this point because people dont get help in time. They dont have any money to go to a doctor. They dont have a clinic nearby. They have to walk a very long way. There are many Different Reasons why children get this way. Its a big problem in this country, and she. Is one of those cases. [ladd] in fact, malnutrition is so widespread in guatemala that half of the children under age five suffer from stunted growth, one of the highest rates in the world. But here at the center, these children have a warm bed to sleep in, nutritious meals, and most importantly, lots of love. [speaking tenderly] they get very attached to their caregivers. Finally, carla is placed on the scale. Today she weighs 20. 3 pounds, up merely a pound in two weeks. Carla literally has no fat on her body, and chills easily. Dr. Brenda dresses her in layers to keep her warm. These are probably the first decent clothes carla has ever owned. Its time for lunch, and carla is ready. The doctors started her on a diet of clear broth. It was all her system could take. Now shes being introduced to solids with a few noodles and some vegetables in her soup. She cant get it down fast enough. Hunger has become such a part of her life that eating is an act of desperation. After lunch, all 72 children at the center settle down for a nap. [luz whispering softly] most of them are out almost immediately. But not carla. [carla crying loudly] instead, she cries for her parents. [carla] mami papa [ladd] until, exhausted. [crying wearily]. She finally closes her eyes. [whining] if carla hadnt made it here, she certainly would have died. Her life was saved. But there are thousands of other children just like carla who wont survive without your help. No child should ever go hungry like this. Clinics and hospitals in the countries that food for the poor serves are flooded with malnourished and gravely ill children. For children on the brink of starvation, your support will be an answer to prayer. You can show them gods unconditional love with your call, your help, today. Cinco . [aloma] my children and grandchildren would stand in front of a refrigerator that is full of food and say we have nothing to eat. When we see children who truly have nothing, who have no furniture in their little hut, have no food and no water, those are the ones who truly have nothing, and that nothingness does not just cause a mild discomfort. That nothingness causes illness and death. A bag of rice, a pound of beans can make the difference between life and death for a hungry child. Thats why we desperately need your help now. All the food and medicine to save lives is ready and waiting to be shipped and delivered. And remember, your monthly gifts will go 10 times as far, thanks to the donated goods. It really is a miracle waiting to happen. So dont wait. Call now and become an angel of the poor. Your support, your love, will be a godsend to waiting children. [ ] this little handmade kite is fiveyearold luvencis only toy. He made it from sticks and an old plastic bag. He tries his best, but it doesnt fly very well. Still, its an escape from his desperate reality, even if its just for a little while. He lives in an urban slum filled with rotting garbage. Rusty metal. Empty bottles. Pigs. And animal and human waste. This might look like a dump, but for luvenci, this is his playground and home. This is the only place his mother, shedeline, can afford to live. In one of the many slappedtogether shacks alongside a river flowing with sewage. Shedeline was orphaned as a young girl and came here to the city looking for a better life. She married at 14, but her husband abandoned her. Now she struggles to raise these children on her own. Their oneroom home is held together with some wood planks, cardboard, and whatever else she can find. Luvencis twoyearold sister is so malnourished she hasnt started walking yet. Her face is covered with a painful rash. Theres no money for medicine, or even food. [translator] there are many days they have no food at all. I just try to get them to sleep so they dont feel the pain. God gave me these two children, and i cant take care of them. That makes me feel so bad. [ladd] shedeline is doing the best she can for her children, but from morning to night, she fears for their lives. Last year, luvenci got very sick with a high fever, probably from typhoid, and he nearly died. Most of the time, he is still too weak to even play. He has constant diarrhea from worms and parasites. And today, hes running another high fever. He has no shoes, and his feet are full of painful cuts and open sores. His tummy hurts from hunger. His breathing is labored. All he can do is try and go to sleep so he wont feel the pain. It breaks shedelines heart to watch her children suffer. Today she begged a kind neighbor to give her some bread and a little sugar. Their first meal in days. The children dip the bread in sugar water to satisfy their hunger pains. This will have to do for today. And maybe tomorrow. The only escape for shedeline is to pray for help. [translator] i am 100 leaning on god to help me get out of here. I simply cannot do it alone on my own strength. My biggest fear is that they will be in this garbage dump forever. [ladd] every day, luvenci is surrounded by sickness and danger. Every moment that passes without help is a moment closer to death for this little boy. If nobody steps in, what kind of future will there be for luvenci . Imagine waking up every morning in fear, afraid your child is going to die because you couldnt feed her. Thats the heartache of so many parents. These families are fighting for survival every day. Please pick up the phone or go online now. Be an answer to their prayers and help save their lives. [announcer] right now, you have the power to save the lives of children who may die from starvation and disease. Call now and become an angel of the poor for just 19 a month. Youll provide lifesaving food and medicines to rescue suffering children. Food for the poor receives millions of dollars worth of food, medicine, and other donated goods every month from major corporations and government agencies, but we need your help to ship and deliver this perishable, lifesaving aid before its too late. Thanks to these donations, every dollar you give multiplies more than 10 times. That means your monthly gift of 19 will ship more than 190 worth of food and medicine each month to help bring relief to children who are suffering from starvation or disease. With so little, you can do so much to save lives. Its important that you call right now so we can get this food and medicine to children whose lives are at risk. I feel the children suffer the most. God is a god who has a special place in his heart for those who are the weak, you know, the widowed, the orphaned, those who cannot help themselves. Someone will be taken care of because of what . A small gift i have given, and that just warms my heart. The amount doesnt matter that much. Its the action of giving, the action of being concerned. So i was moved to want to do what i can to help because god had blessed me, and i wanted to share those blessings. [announcer] as an angel of the poor, every month, youll receive stories of the children your donations are helping. Youll also receive food for the poor newsletters. We invite you to join us in praying for these children, and you can also send us your prayer requests, and we will pray for you. You can be confident that your dollars will be used wisely. Food for the poor has been saving lives and transforming communities for nearly 30 years, and meets the highest standards of americas leading charity evaluators. More than 96 of all donations go directly to programs that help the poor. I checked them out and i really liked what i saw and i was just really touched by the heart that they have for the work that they do. They have feet on the ground in all these different countries, they know the people, they know the needy areas, and theyre able to get food to those who need it on a regular basis. [announcer] call right now to help bring the miracle of food and medicine to children in need before its too late. Children are waiting for your help today. Please, call now. When you reach out to the poor, the hungry, the weak. Youre touching the heart of god. By giving unconditionally to help children who have no way to survive, you are answering his call, and that call has never been more urgent. Its Early Morning in this Tiny Mountain village, but carmelina has been up and working for hours. This is the first chance shes had to rest. Shes only 11, but everything that has to be done for her family is on her shoulders. Her mother, elizabeth, is nearly deaf and suffered brain damage in an accident that left her mentally disabled. She has no source of income and is incapable of providing for her four children, so carmelina has to take care of her younger brothers and sister. This little girl is doing the best she can, but theyre barely hanging on. Their home is two small rickety shacks of rusted metal, cardboard, and plastic. Theres rarely any food. Today, carmelina and her sister chew on a little sugarcane, but the pain of hunger remains. And theyre constantly sick. [translator] my stomach hurts, and at night, my ear hurts. All my life, my ear hurts at night. [ladd] to make matters worse, there isnt any source of water near their home, so carmelina gets her fiveyearold sister, aracely, ready for a difficult trip. The girls climb half a mile down the mountain along a muddy and treacherous path. If they lose their footing and fall, its over 100 feet down. At the bottom of the path is a small hole about three feet wide. Carmelina and aracely barely fit through. The tunnel extends deep into the rock, and is full of snakes. Aracely is terrified, even though people from the village have placed candles to light the way. Finally, they come to a dead end and a cloudy spring where they get their water. This is the only water source for miles, so, scared or not, these girls have to do this every single day. As difficult as it is climbing down the mountain, the return trip is even worse. Now carmelinahas to balance a heavy water jug on her head. It was on this very trail that their mother fell and hit her head on a rock. Carrying the water is an arduous task, and even little aracely has to learn to do this, so carmelina gives her a small bowl to carry. She tries really hard not to spill. But its just too much for her. This is a dangerous job for these young girls, and they struggle to make their way up the slippery trail. Its late in the afternoon, and the family still hasnt eaten any real food. So carmelina has to beg from the neighbors. [translator] i ask them, do you have a tamale you could give me, because im hungry and we have nothing to eat . Sometimes they say we dont have anything, and i come home with nothing. [ladd] everyone here is very poor and they have little to spare, but today, carmelina receives a couple of small tortillas. Its not much, but it will keep starvation at bay for now. All of the children are severely malnourished. Not a day goes by that they dont suffer from stomach pains and fever. Then, as it often does, the rain comes. The family tries to keep dry, but water comes in everywhere, and the house fills with rivers of mud. Without food to ease their hunger, medicine to heal their sickness, and shelter to protect them, carmelina and her family will keep on suffering, and this miserable cycle of poverty will continue. Carmelinas childhood is slipping through her fingers. All this brave little girl has left. Is hope. One morsel of food a day. Or nothing at all. This is the plight of thousands of starving children right now. Its tragic, and its unacceptable, especially when we have so much. You can help put an end to the desperation and fear. Join us and become an angel of the poor today. Your monthly gifts will help ensure that we can rush food and medicine to those who need it most. Please. Make that call now. [aloma] we walked into a home once where there was a little child eating a handful of rice, and his little brother, who was about four years old, was standing there, looking very woefully at his little brother, who was eating, and we asked him, why are you not eating also . And he said, today its not my turn to eat. Imagine the pain and agony of a mother who has to tell her child whos crying of hunger, today its not your turn. If we do not get help right now, if we do not get help today, there are a number of children who will definitely lose their lives. The ones that we help, we see the sparkle in their eyes, we see the energy that comes from being able to have some food and clean water, but its the ones that we havent reached yet, because those are the ones that even tomorrow might be too late. Food for the poor feeds two Million People every day, but we cant rest while even one child is crying from hunger. Please, help us shine gods love on the helpless, the innocent, the weak. Become an angel of the poor today. Your monthly gifts will go ten times as far to provide healthy food and lifesaving medicines. That means youll help feed and care for children every month. The need is so great. These families have no one else, and every day without food is one day closer to starvation. Its been another horrific night for little nacheline. Her mother, linda, has been up all night trying to comfort her as she cried in agony. Nacheline is five years old. But shes about the weight of a normal twoyearold child. Her body is emaciated from chronic malnutrition, and shes terribly sick with intestinal worms, diarrhea, and excruciating pain. Malnutrition is literally eating away at nachelines muscles and tissue, leaving her skeletonlike. Shes also running a high fever. Without help. This little girl could die. [voice of translator] last night, i cried because it hurt so much. It was very painful. [ladd] during the day, nacheline is weak from exhaustion and fatigue, but still, she soldiers on. The latest deadly disease to attack her frail body is typhoid, a killer in this area. And this river is the source of the disease. Its the only water for miles, and its filled with waste from animals and humans alike. A weeks worth of antibiotics could cure her. But theres no money for medicine. Every day, nacheline wakes up not knowing if shell have something to eat. Many times, she goes days without any food at all. Only a week ago, nacheline became so weak and sick, her mother, linda, was terrified she would die. [translator] i thought she was dead. I cried and cried. I felt like i was going to go crazy. I was so afraid. I am anxious because she is sick and suffering, and there is nothing i can do to help her. [ladd] linda has no choice but to walk house to house in the surrounding area and beg for rice. Luckily, shes managed to get enough for a meal today, but she doesnt have anything nutritious to mix with it. All she can do is pick leaves from a nearby tree. As nacheline waits for her only meal of the day, fever and hunger catch up with her, and she collapses. She has no stamina left. [praying quietly] [ladd] before bedtime, nacheline prays that she can be courageous. [continues praying]. That she can endure the pain that is sure to come in the night. [translator] on the days that there is no food and i am hungry and it hurts, i just pray. [quietly singing her prayers] [ladd] after her prayers, nacheline tries to go to sleep. Her only escape from hunger and sickness is in her dreams. She is in grave danger. Unless someone helps, she will not survive much longer. Children like nacheline need an angel. Someone like you who will reach out and help right now. This is a critical situation. Children are dying, and all that it takes to save them is the food and medicine you can provide when you become an angel of the poor. So, please. Look into your heart today. Consider the enormous blessings you can bring for such a small amount each month. Think about the children who need your help today. Dont hesitate. Make that call. [announcer] right now, you have the power to save the lives of children who may die from starvation and disease. Call now and become an angel of the poor for just 19 a month. Youll provide lifesaving food and medicines to rescue suffering children. Food for the poor receives millions of dollars worth of food, medicine, and other donated goods every month from major corporations and government agencies, but we need your help to ship and deliver this perishable, lifesaving aid before its too late. Thanks to these donations, every dollar you give multiplies more than 10 times. That means your monthly gift of 19 will ship more than 190 worth of food and medicine each month to help bring relief to children who are suffering from starvation or disease. With so little, you can do so much to save lives. Its important that you call right now so we can get this food and medicine to children whose lives are at risk. You dont want them to go hungry for another year. You dont want them to feel that pain for another year. You can help immediately. I feel like, when i give,