Rice, Oil, and Resilience
We recently carried out a relief mission to Nan PoLon Camp, where lives hang in the balance every single day. Simply put, this mission was possible because of you, our donors. Your generosity is not just a number or a gesture—it is the reason children ate this month, the reason mothers found a moment of hope in a sea of despair, and the reason life continues in a place where survival feels like a battle every hour of every day.
Nan PoLon Camp is not a place anyone should have to call home. It is a fragile refuge for families torn apart by war, for children whose laughter has been replaced by the quiet ache of hunger, for mothers who face each day with empty hands but an unbroken will to keep their children alive. Recent artillery strikes claimed lives here, as if the suffering was not already unbearable. Against this backdrop of loss and fear, your support brought light.
Your contributions reached 187 children from 117 households, children who fight against the slow, silent killer of malnutrition. Each child received 4 kilograms of rice—a lifeline, a small shield against the gnawing emptiness in their bellies. Families received cooking oil, a modest but vital resource to transform what little they have into sustenance. Two expectant mothers, who were already struggling to feed their other children, received cash assistance to cover delivery costs, offering them a fragile hope that their babies might arrive into a world where care is still possible.
Delivering this aid was not easy. Bombs fall indiscriminately in this region, and every trip to the camp feels like threading a needle through chaos. But we made it. We had to. Because these children, these mothers—they cannot wait. Hunger doesn’t wait. Fear doesn’t wait. And hope, when it flickers, must be tended quickly, or it will go out.
Still, the needs here are staggering. What we brought—rice, oil, a little cash—was precious and life-saving, but it was only a drop in an ocean of suffering. Malnutrition continues to hollow out these children. Families are still left wondering how they will eat next week, next month. There is no margin for survival here. Every bit of support matters. Every donation carries the potential to feed another child, to help another mother, to keep the fragile thread of life from snapping.
What you have done, what you are doing—it is everything. You are not just donors; you are hope-bearers, life-savers, silent heroes for people who may never know your names but whose lives have been touched forever by your compassion. The mothers in this camp, the children you have fed, they carry the weight of their survival every day—but today, they do not carry it alone. That is because of you.
For those who are willing to give to continue to support this mission, here is a breakdown of what your support can mean in tangible terms:
$25 USD: Provides 15 kilograms of rice for a child, enough to sustain them with essential nourishment for weeks.
$10 USD: Buys approximately 7 bottles of cooking oil for families to prepare their meals.
$20 USD: Contributes significantly to transportation costs, ensuring aid reaches the camp even under challenging conditions.
$50 USD: Helps cover operational support, such as volunteer efforts and logistics, to maintain the continuity of aid.
$100 USD: Feeds multiple families for weeks, offering them the hope and sustenance they desperately need.
Thank you for standing with them. Thank you for believing in their lives when the world has turned its back. The road ahead is long, the work is far from done, but with you by our side, we can keep going. We must keep going. Lives depend on it. And with your help, we will be there.
