For the last several years, Madre Oliva Association has worked closely with vulnerable families in the rural hamlet of Nuevo Mocupe, just outside Zaña.
They have attended to the needs of children and adults with developmental disabilities and others who are finding it increasingly difficult to feed themselves and their families because of rising prices.
In the wake of COVID-19, Madre Oliva Association also started an afterschool program for children to help address the educational and nutritional gaps exacerbated by two years of school closures and limits on travel (which reduced employment opportunities).
Six days a week, they provide 35 children with reinforcement in reading, numeracy, art and social skills as well as a nutritional snack. Therapists offer workshops every two months to the children’s parents on topics such as mental health, how to detect learning disabilities, COVID-19, and parent-child relationships.