History - Nicaraguan Christian Relief Ministries

Never rich in the first place, Nicaragua is striving to overcome the after effects of dictatorship, natural calamities and a long war. The Nicaraguan people were under communism for 20 years, and it left them and the country under the most atrocious and dreadful poverty and famine. Although this horrendous despotism ended more than 10 years ago, the country is still suffering from the impact of that totalitarianism regime.

I have been experiencing the life of the Nicaraguan people for the last 15 years, and I can testify that their poverty is worse than ever before. All these factors have made Nicaragua the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere (only Haiti is worse), and the poorest country in Latin America. Forth-six percent (46%) of the population live on less than $2 per day, which is below the poverty line. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the population are unable to feed and clothe themselves properly.

The poorest sectors of society, already finding it impossible to afford food to eat each day, now struggle to find money to pay for medicines, hospitals, and treatment. The children of Nicaragua live a miserable life. In fact, they really do not have a childhood. At the early age of five they are either working on the streets to make a living for their families, or running wild on the streets stealing or digging into garbage cans to find something to eat. They sleep on dirt floors, with no beds or sheets. These dreadful conditions have caused the Pan American Health Organization to name Nicaragua a priority country for assistance.

Our ministry began in 1993 from Amanda’s home. Father Mike Muhr, then Pastor of Christ the King Catholic Church, advised the ministry to incorporate as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. In 1997, Christ the King Church parishioner Dave Jeffries, a lawyer, incorporated the ministry and Nicaraguan Christian Relief Ministries was born. The Board of Directors is comprised of religious and business leaders and social workers with a passion for assisting the poor. Our Officers and Directors are as follows: Amanda Valle-Peters (President, Founder and Director); Cecilia Castillo (Treasurer and Director); Paul Higgins (Director and Accountant); Dave Jeffries (Director and Legal Counsel); Rev. Msg. Desmond Daly (Director), Annette Higgins (Director), Erika Blanco (Director) and Ashley Miller (Director). For the past 15 years we have tirelessly gathered donations of clothing, food and medical and educational supplies which I personally distribute to those less fortunate children of God and their families. Our donations come from across the community, but the majority come from Christ the King parishioners, who for years have dropped their donations off at our trailer at Christ the King. Currently, we collect donations at our new home on the corner of Morrison and Grady. For our donors convenience we have new working hours, Monday through Sundady, 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM. When we have four to five full trailer loads, we ship our containers to Nicaragua, where I unpack the donations and organize for distribution.

As you can see in the pictures, our Ministry visits and helps thousands of people in multiple ways:

Children living on the streets, children working and living in misery; families living under poverty conditions in shelters they made themselves out of any piece of cardboard, wood, metal, plastic or any kind of debris they could find.

We visit hundreds of communities in the countryside and deliver our donations, using any kind of transportation we can get. With a group of eight to ten underprivileged volunteers, we make our trips. We always stay at a Catholic Church in the city and people come down from their remote communities to get their donations.

We dress the children; give them toys and schools supplies for them to attend school. Oh yes! do not throw away the left over school supplies at the end of the year, we need them. Please bring them to our site.

Give the families clothes, blankets and furniture, (we are in bad need of beds), feed the hungry; donate wheel chairs to disabled children and adults to become independent (we desparately need wheel chairs).

Visit the sick; spread the Word of God.

We re-opened a Catholic Church that was destroyed by the hurricane Mitch thanks to Tampa Catholic High School, which donated their old chapel furniture.

Other churches and schools are helped with furniture and schools supplies; We’ve opened four computer labs.

Hospitals are also helped with hospital furniture, medical equipment and medical supplies. Our hospitals in Nicaragua operate under pathetic conditions, and indigent families have to bring their own medical supplies when they need treatment.

We brought help to thousands of victims that hurricane Mitch left behind. The northern part of the Country was devastated.

Parishioner’s parents and their children help us on our Clothing Drive day; they also help to load four to five containers when they are ready for shipment.

You are welcome to help. If you run into something that you do not want, do not throw it in the garbage. Please think of indigent people of Nicaragua, and bring it to us. Our Ministry is in accordance with Christ’s command: “I was naked and you dressed me; I was in need and you helped me; I was hungry and you fed me; I was sick and you visited me”.

In Nicaragua there are thousands and thousands of illiterate children in extreme poverty who will never have a chance to attend school. We are reaching out to good Christian families and asking them to open their hearts to change the lives of these underprivileged children. I am asking you today to join our “Adopt a Child” for a Catholic education program. For a donation of $325 per year, you will give a child the opportunity to be educated intellectually and in our Catholic Faith by learning, knowing, loving, and serving God. Our sponsorship program was launched two years ago and with the help of 50 wonderful families, we have now 50 children attending Catholic Elementary School and High School; and three are attending to College.