When fourth-grade teacher, Nafi Espana, from St. Simons Elementary located in St. Simons, Georgia wanted to conduct a school fundraiser with MAP to help survivors of Hurricane Dorian, we enthusiastically said yes. Moved by the images of destruction and devastation across Grand Bahama and Abaco islands, the students wanted to help those who lost everything. Dorian narrowly missed the Georgia coast and St. Simons Island; residents knew they had dodged a bullet.
Soon the student’s allowance money and dollars received for “extra chores” began pouring in. Ms. Espana was moved to help her students find an organization that was providing direct relief to people whose lives were devastated by Dorian. MAP’s immediate assistance to the people of the Bahamas was the ideal fit.
What started as a coin drive became a fundraiser where nearly $2,000 was raised to help provide Disaster Health Kits (DHK) to affected residents. Because of their generosity, 200 additional Disaster Health Kits were shipped to the Bahamas. Each kit contains basic hygiene items to help prevent the spread of illness and disease for one person for one week.
But the elementary students gave more than their money; they showed a level of compassion and caring equal to adults. They proved even the youngest are moved by people who lost everything. God is truly visible everywhere and through everyone.
In addition to the 200 DHKs these children helped send to the Bahamas, MAP has provided:
- Nearly 14,000 DHKs to the survivors of Grand Bahama and Abaco islands
- Three Interagency Emergency Health Kits for Project Hope in the Bahamas. These three kits combined will provide enough medicines/supplies to meet the basic medical needs of 30,000 people for 90 days
- 400 Sawyers filters and 84 Uzima backpack filters were sent with partners Sol Relief and World Hope International due to the growing need for water filtration in the Bahamas.
Thank you for your support of our efforts to help the people of the Bahamas. Together, we can continue to provide more medicines, relief aid, and Disaster Health Kits to those who still desperately need help.
