Hope Notes 31

STORIES OF HOPE FROM AROUND THE WORLD

ISSUE 31 FALL 2022

FROM THE PRESIDENT

The unprecedented challenges of a two-year pandemic and ensuing cost of living crisis make it easy to get discouraged. That’s why you should pause right now, turn these pages, and feast on the joys and victories happening all over the world.

There is good news! Communities in Guatemala banding together to bring water into their homes; youth in Cambodia working to enrich their communities; mothers in Uganda healing their families. Not to mention international recipes and art as well as opportunities to connect with the people behind these life-changing stories. And don’t forget—this good news wouldn’t be happening without supporters like you. So take heart! Your generosity is breathing life and hope into a weary and frightened world. Thank you!

With Gratitude,

Shawn Plummer President & CEO

More Than a Cup of Coffee

Page 3

A Peek Inside a Burundian Kitchen Page 6

Becoming Brave Page 10

Infographic: How Sponsorship Works Page 12

Youth Art, Cambodia Page 14

Turning on the Tap Page 16

Passionate About Pigs

Page 20

Becoming Brave: A Youth Hero of Transformation Page 10

Sarah Heals Her Family Page 22

ISSUE 31

Fall 2022

Food for the Hungry (FH) Canada’s seasonal publication, celebrating stories of hope from partner communities around the world.

Editorial: Eryn Austin-Bergen, Sarah Harrington, Colton Martin, and Michael Prins

Design: Mark Stewart

Contributors: Hayley Bartsch, Eryn Austin-Bergen, Lonh Chamroeun, Ingrid Delgado, Robyn Ferreira, Mike Janz, Colton Martin, Markit, Edith Nsaguye, Michael Prins, Mizanur Rahman, Sophann, Len Thiessen, Vit, and Silav Yea.

Food for the Hungry (FH) Canada is a Christian, not-for-profit organization dedicated to facilitating sustainable, community development in order to bring about long-term transformation for those stuck in poverty. Through project development, Child Sponsorship, and emergency relief, FH Canada strives to alleviate all forms of poverty—physical, spiritual, social, and personal.

Our Purpose:

To end poverty—one community at a time.

Our Promise: To graduate communities out of poverty in 10 years.

83.9% Building Sustainable Communities

10.6% Invested to Generate Income

5.5% Admin. & Running Costs

As a Certified Member of the Canadian Council for Christian Charities, FH Canada meets the stringent standards set by the CCCC for accountability and organizational integrity.

CHARITABLE REGISTRATION NUMBER: 132152893RR0001

FH Canada National Office

1-31741 Peardonville Road, Abbotsford, BC V2T 1L2

T 604 853 4262

TF 1 800 667 0605 info@fhcanada.org

F 604 853 4332 fhcanada.org

@foodforthehungrycanada

@fhcanada

@fh-canada

@fhcanada blog.fhcanada.org

More Than a Cup of Coffee

Brewing Sustainable Livelihoods in Guatemala and Ethiopia

Written by Mike Janz

When you brew your morning coffee is there a face, a person, a family that comes to mind? There is a good chance that the beans you used were grown on a small farm tended by a family that has cultivated coffee for a few generations. There’s also a good chance that the family experiences the daily struggles of poverty. With approximately 75 per cent of Canadians drinking coffee every day, our coffee habits have a significant global impact.

Ana Marroquín Rodríguez (pictured above), a 37-year-old Guatemalan mother of four, is one of these coffee farmers. Along with other growers in the area, she earns an average net income from coffee of just $900 CAD a year. With annual food costs for a Guatemalan family-of-five estimated at $6,000 a year (Instituto Nacional de Estadística Guatemala), simple math tells you this equation is not sustainable!

Coffee is an incredibly lucrative global business, however, coffee farmers rarely feel the benefits. The majority of coffee is grown in countries experiencing

chronic poverty. In addition, transportation and farm expenses continue to skyrocket; crops fail due to climate change impacts; and the low prices paid to smallholder farmers are unsustainable.

With a coffee supply chain that sees most of the profits being realized by the importers and roasters, nearly half of the world’s smallholder coffee farmers live in poverty, and almost a quarter of those farmers live in extreme poverty. Because Food for the Hungry (FH) is committed to walking with vulnerable families, it only makes sense for FH to invest time, training, equipment, and finances toward a sustainable future for coffee farmers in FH partner communities.

That’s why FH recently initiated two exciting coffee projects: Better Coffee, Better Lives in Guatemala and Coffee Seeds of Hope in Ethiopia. Both of these projects are focused on improving the livelihoods and quality of life for smallholder coffee growers and their families within the unique contexts of each region.

Better Coffee, Better Lives strengthens the livelihoods of vulnerable households in San Juan Cotzal, Guatemala. Through building up the technical capacities of 100 smallholder coffee producers in the communities of Chichel and Santa Avalina, FH can help coffee growers sustainably increase their income and food security, directly impacting a total of 600 people!

Ana’s experience in Guatemala reveals that these projects are about more than coffee. They are about flourishing in all aspects of life. “I feel very happy about the arrival of FH in our community because it has changed our way of thinking; it has transformed it for our good and the good of our family and that is something very important,” Ana shares. “Now we can sell our coffee to a cooperative, raise our chickens, produce our organic fertilizer, and improve our coffee production.”

In addition to helping families with their coffee production, FH also works with participating households to implement family vegetable gardens, make organic fertilizers, raise livestock and keep bees to diversify their sources of income, and build connections with local coffee cooperatives.

The cooperative Ana refers to is called the Maya Ixil Coffee Cooperative. Connecting smallholder coffee farmers to cooperatives is a key piece of raising the leveraging power of individual farmers so they can receive a fairer price. Because smallholder farmers grow a relatively small harvest compared to the demand for coffee and because they have no other way to sell their beans, “coyotes” (middlemen or local small business people who buy and sell coffee) can name their price, and often undercut the farmer to make a profit. The Cooperative provides technical training for farmers and the opportunity to collectively bring coffee to market.

In Ethiopia, Coffee Seeds of Hope is accomplishing similar gains. Coffee is an integral part of Ethiopian culture, from hospitality to economics. The

Now we can sell our coffee to a cooperative, raise our chickens, produce our organic fertilizer, and improve our coffee production.

— Ana Marroquín Rodriguez

production and sale of coffee is a primary means of income—an activity dramatically affected by fluctuations in international coffee prices, unpredictable weather and climate issues, and the high costs of growing new seedlings. By providing farming families with training, seeds for coffee production, and multipurpose tree saplings, Coffee Seeds of Hope is not only impacting future income for farmers in Sasiga, Ethiopia, it’s also helping to improve the surrounding ecosystem that has been damaged by deforestation.

While Better Coffee, Better Lives and Coffee Seeds of Hope won’t solve all of the issues related to poverty in coffee, they will empower families at the grassroots level to make it possible to grow a living from coffee. By equipping farmers with technological improvements and economic development, FH partnerships are laying the groundwork for coffeegrowing families to earn a living and overcome chronic food insecurity.

Prior to the start of the Better Coffee, Better Lives project in Santa Avelina, Ana Rodríguez and her neighbours no longer wanted to plant more coffee because of the negative effects of climate change and the lack of technical knowledge about crop management affecting production. Ana shares, “Thanks to the support of FH Guatemala, we are now determined to continue growing coffee

because the knowledge they impart to us is of the utmost importance to us and in this way we increase our production. In addition, we can diversify our sources of income and market our products at a fair price in the cooperative.”

As the names and faces behind our morning cups of coffee become clearer, we coffee drinkers find ourselves faced with some uncomfortable realities. By unknowingly participating in unjust supply chains and indirectly neglecting the harsh realities faced by coffee growers, the majority of coffee drinkers in Canada end up treating the farmers the same way we treat coffee—as a replaceable commodity instead of people just like us who are of inestimable worth in the heart of our Creator.

So, we have to make some hard choices. Will we ignore the uncomfortable truth about where our morning cup comes from and the families working so hard to supply it? Or will we choose to challenge the system that ignores the struggle of the most vulnerable people in the value chain, and find ways to support farmers like Ana?

Do you want to walk with farmers or just learn more about these coffee projects? Contact Mike at mike.janz@fhcanada.org or 902-818-5989.

Our coffee habits have a significant global impact.

A PEEK INSIDE A BURUNDIAN KITCHEN

HEalThy haSH

Submitted by Edith Nsaguye, Kabarore, Burundi

Cooking in a kitchen like Edith’s looks quite different to cooking in a Canadian kitchen—for starters, it’s outside! No prep sink, electric elements, or four walls and a roof to protect the chef from sun, rain, and wind. Gathering ingredients is also a very different experience. Instead of wheeling through the aisles of a big-box grocery store, a home cook in Burundi would likely pop outside to the garden to pick fresh veggies, or walk to the local market to pick up some salt or oil.

We thought you might appreciate a peek inside an authentic Burundian kitchen to see how moms like Edith get the job done every single day to feed their families. This particular recipe is a staple family meal every kid across Kabarore loves to eat. And it’s loaded with nutrition. That’s why Edith chose to share it with you— it’s as local to her family as hilltops and hospitality! So, pull up a seat to watch how Edith puts this meal on the table compared to how you’d make it at home in your Canadian kitchen.

Direct from edith’s kitchen

iNGREdieNtS

• 1.75kg French beans

• 3 kgs potatoes (peeled)

• 500g pumpkin leaves (“Umusomasoma”)

• 3 tomatoes

• 3 red onions

• 1 ladle palm oil

• 1 tbsp salt

iNsTrUctIONS

1. Gather ingredients. Harvest beans, potatoes, tomatoes, and pumpkin leaves fresh from the garden.

2. Prepare the kitchen. While preparing ingredients, start the fire. A fire with deep, hot embers is preferred (not large flames). Clean the cooking pan.

3. Prepare the ingredients and gradually add. Pull the beans from their pods, wash, and add to the cooking pan. Cook alone for 30 mins. Then, peel the potatoes, wash, and add. Strip the pumpkin leaves from the stalk, chop coarsely, wash, and add. Cook for an hour over a low fire.

4. Finish the dish. Wash and slice tomatoes. Wash and dice red onions. Add tomatoes, onions, palm oil, and salt. Cover pan and cook for 25 mins. Remove from fire and let sit covered for another 15 mins before serving. Enjoy with a smile!

INGREDIENTS

FROM OUR CANADIAN KITCHEN INSTRUCTIONS

• 1 tbsp oil

• 3 cups peas (frozen)

• 5 potatoes (washed, unpeeled)

• 3 red onions

• 4 tomatoes

• 1 bunch spinach or chard (250g)

• salt and pepper

1. Cube the potatoes, add to a medium saucepan of water, and bring to a boil until soft but not completely cooked through. Drain water and set aside. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients by dicing the tomatoes and chopping the onions into 1 cm pieces. Roughly chop the spinach. Set aside.

2. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Once heated up, add the onions and fry for 7-8 mins till translucent. Then add the boiled potatoes and cook for 5-6 mins. Add the tomatoes and spinach and cook until the spinach begins to wilt. To top it off, add the frozen peas and fry for about 1 minute.

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot!

Bangladeshi Payesh Cardamom Rice Pudding

Submitted by Mizanur Rahman, Program Director, FH Bangladesh

Rice Payesh is a traditional sweet dish enjoyed by families during holiday seasons and celebrations. It’s an affordable and easy-to-make treat that highlights Bangladesh’s rich spice flavours.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 litre milk

• 2 bay leaves

• 4 cardamom pods

• 1/3 cup basmati rice

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 2 tsp ghee butter

• Cashews or pistachios (chopped)

• Dates (dried, chopped)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pour milk into a large pot and bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. When it reaches a rolling boil and milk begins to thicken, add bay leaves and slightly crushed cardamom pods.

2. Rinse uncooked rice and add it to the milk. Allow the rice to boil over low heat until cooked but still firm. Stir frequently to keep the rice from sticking or burning, and add small amounts of water as needed.

3. When the rice is almost cooked, remove the bay leaves and stir in sugar. Mix well and allow to gently simmer until the mixture thickens slightly.

4. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon and ghee. Garnish with nuts and dates. Allow to cool and serve, or refrigerate and serve slightly chilled.

Food is a tasteful way to celebrate the people and cultures FH Canada works with on your behalf. Enjoy these and more recipes at fhcanada.org/recipes.

Cambodian Num Korm Coconut Steamed Rice Cakes

Submitted by Silav Yea, Administrative Manager, FH Cambodia

Bite-size morsels are essential nutrition in the bustling streets of Cambodian communities, and the delight of anyone new to Southeast Asian cuisine. Num—sticky rice—cakes are common during festivals, particularly around Khmer New Year. Because of their simple ingredients, these cakes do not keep long, which won’t be a problem with how quickly these nummy tidbits get eaten up!

INGREDIENTS

Filling:

• 2 cups shredded coconut

• 2 tbsp white sesame seeds

• 1 cup palm sugar*

• ¼ tsp salt

• ½ cup water

Dough:

• 3 ¼ cup glutinous rice flour**

• ½ cup water

• ½ cup coconut milk

• ½ cup palm sugar*

Wraps:

• 24 banana leaf circles***

• coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare banana leaf wraps by cutting into circles, about 6 inches in diameter. Set aside.

2. Prepare the coconut filling. In a frying pan on medium heat, combine water, palm sugar, and salt until evenly mixed. Add shredded coconut and sesame seeds. Cook for 5 mins, until fragrant and is sticking together. Set aside.

3. Prepare the dough. In a large bowl, mix sugar and coconut milk. Add the rice flour until mixture binds together.

4. Form cakes. Pinch off about a tablespoon of the dough mixture. Flatten into a circle, and spoon 2 teaspoons of filling onto the circle. Wrap filling in dough and roll into a ball. Lightly oil banana leaves.

5. Take a round banana leaf wrap and fold the bottom third up and towards you. Tuck a ball of dough into the fold. Wrap into a mini pyramid by flipping the right and left sides of the circle inwards, and fold the top flap down and around to tuck into the gap created by the other folds.

6. Steam for 20-30 minutes, until dough is translucent with even texture throughout. Serve warm.

*substitute brown sugar

**a rice variety common in Asian cuisine—does NOT contain gluten. ***available in the frozen section of most Asian markets. May require hand-cutting.

BECOMING BRAVE

Written by Lonh Chamroeun (FH Cambodia Life Skills Facilitator, Boeing Mealea) and Eryn Austin-Bergen

There’s no doubt Sakkada Village is a breathtakingly beautiful place to live. Poverty, however, has laid a heavy burden on its families.

For many years, parents didn’t have the income or headspace to support their children’s education. Students’ grades went down while dropout rates rose. At home, families didn’t have clean water and sanitation was limited, so children were often sick. The stress of extreme poverty drove many parents to violence. In the community, the village’s main road repeatedly washed away from heavy rains, making it hard for children to get to school and for farmers to transport goods to market.

In such an environment, you might think youth would have little power to make a change. But it turns out, even teens can transform their communities.

Take Sokhim Horn, a 15-year-old girl who calls Sakkada home. She describes her struggles when she was little: “I was not courageous to talk with others; that’s why I had only a few friends. I rarely had the opportunity to explore the outside world. I was not good at learning. I kept myself isolated from others and was busy with farming to support my family.”

But when FH staff showed confidence in Sokhim’s abilities to be a youth leader, she courageously stepped out of her comfort zone to start tutoring younger kids at FH’s kids clubs.

Since turning her focus outward and helping raise up the next generation, Sokhim’s outlook has dramatically changed. “I am very happy to gain new knowledge to develop myself and other children so that I am able to help build my community through offering chances for them to engage, share their

CAMBODIA

BRAVE

ideas, and interact with other young people in the communities. It made me braver.”

Her confidence continues to grow as she leans into her role as a volunteer teacher. In addition to teaching at kids clubs, Sokhim has begun applying herself to her own studies and is soaring at school! Her community is changing, too. Families come together for community activities now, like village clean-up days. Sokhim hears them sharing their goals, dreams, and plans for the future.

Parents are supporting their children’s education and domestic violence is on the decline. More homes have clean water and sanitation so children are healthier. Even the main road is being fixed, allowing more agricultural products to be moved to market, raising family incomes.

As they work together, Sakkada is beginning to thrive, thanks in no small part to brave teens like Sokhim.

“I am more courageous in expressing my ideas with others, sharing what I’ve got from FH staff to distribute with other children, and am becoming more sociable in the community.”

— Sokhim

Sokhim’s family is growing closer as they work to transform their community.

CHILD SPONSORSHIP

Transforming a child & their community

It does more than you think

With a gift of $38 a month, you bring hope and practical help to a child and their family. Child sponsorship support enables Food for the Hungry to help communities grow their food security, improve education, establish clean water, care for their children, and so much more! The lifechanging friendship developed through an exchange of letters, stories, and photos between a sponsor and sponsor child will change both lives, for good!

$38

MONTHLY

EDUCATION

SAVINGS

LIVELIHOODS HEALTH FARMING NUTRITION

& LOANS

CASCADE GROUPS MENTOR

FHCANADA.ORG/CHILD 13 ISSUE 31

FROM CAMBODIA YOUTH ART

Youth in Cambodia seem to have a special knack for art. We were blown away by these drawings the youth in our partner communities shared with us—we wish we had room to show them all to you! Not only are they gifted in pencil drawing, they’re also gifted in perspective. The way they see their world is definitely not through the lens of poverty! In this art, they show us the true beauty and wonder that is their home. With each stroke, you can see these youth understand they are wealthy beyond compare.

Markit age 15

age 13

Child Sponsorship

If you would like to sponsor a child in Cambodia (or in any of our partner countries!) and gain the privilege of seeing the world through their eyes, reach out today.

1.800.667.0605 sponsorship@fhcanada.org

fhcanada.org/child

TURNING ON THE TAP IN XONCA, GUATEMALA

Written by Eryn Austin-Bergen and Ingrid Delgado

Waiting for Water

The community of Xonca is nestled in the valleys of north-western Guatemala in the Quiché region. Its mountainous and foggy, pine-forested slopes are home to a predominantly Indigenous population. Families celebrate their culture through intricately woven clothing, love of traditional music, spicy foods laden with chilies, and a distinct language—Ixil.

When the community of Xonca was first established, they never imagined it would grow so fast, or so big. As it expanded from one district to two, then three

and four, the water spring they’d bought to support just 15 households wasn’t nearly enough. One district’s households were never even connected to the spring. For years, they were forced to walk to communal water sources in neighbouring communities and hand-carry their water home. This consumed hours every day and was physically exhausting—water is heavy! In addition, collecting, transporting, and storing all their water in various open containers increased opportunities for it to become contaminated with parasites that lead to sickness.

We all need access to water for drinking, cooking, hygiene, and sanitation. Imagine not being able to wash your clothes, your dishes, or your hands? Without enough water, families in Xonca often suffered recurring illnesses from intestinal parasites and various skin diseases. When their drinking water was contaminated by animal waste, run-off debris, or breeding larvae, it was impossible to stay healthy.

Xonca community leaders strove to bring water to their people. They contacted several charities to ask for support, but every time, they were turned down. The vast scope and expense of the project was too much, they were told. They also appealed to their local municipality for help. But the mayor always said no.

The Power of Partnership

Xonca began a partnership with Food for the Hungry (FH) in 2009. From the beginning, Vernon Alliance Church (VAC) in British Columbia walked with the families of Xonca through prayers, financial gifts, community visits, child sponsorships, and special projects. Knowing their pressing need for water, VAC was ready to be the ones to say “Yes!” and help make clean water at home a reality for every family in Xonca.

Len Thiessen, a church member who’s been involved with Xonca for over a decade, explains: “Xonca has been a big part of my life since 2011. My son, Jacob, and I wanted to do a mission trip, so when VAC confirmed the partnership, we jumped on board the first working team trip! I immediately fell in love with the people, the community, and the country. For the next eight years, I led teams from VAC. On each trip, the same question came up—when will we have clean water? Then along came the COVID-19 pandemic and the trips stopped. But, thankfully, the plan for a quality water system happened anyway!”

With full funding in place, it was finally time to put a plan into action to pipe water from an additional spring to each of the 203 households in the fourth district.

To date, 109 people from Vernon Alliance Church have visited Xonca

Getting the Job Done

FH Guatemala and Xonca leaders put together an aggressive plan to get the job done as quickly as possible. Vernon Alliance backed them up with funding, prayers, and cheers for their success. FH and the community contracted an expert to oversee all the moving pieces of the project. They brought in Diego Ramirez Cobo, a member of Engineers Without Borders who had more than 23 years experience working with water systems. His expertise was a real game changer, leading to key tweaks in the plan that created a strong design and cut project costs.

When the plan, funding, and supplies were all in place, the community threw their full energy into the project. Men and women alike volunteered hours of unpaid labour to handcarry heavy building materials for the catchment tank from the delivery trucks to the actual construction site—a gruelling 20 minute walk up treacherously steep hills. Led by Diego, they joined the effort to clear the pipeline area, manually dig the ditches to lay the water pipes, and then help install the piping network. To get all this accomplished and still keep up with their own responsibilities at home and at work, the community organized rotating, eight hour shifts every day for each volunteer. The shifts started at 3 AM! And didn’t wrap up until 11 AM.

More Help Arrives

“We all have worked and spent some money for transportation and spent time. The community, too. When we started carrying the rocks and sand, I saw that they were sweating and I ask them: ‘Do you know why they are doing this?’ [They answered] “This is for us, not for anyone else.”

- Gasper, President and legal representative of the Xonca Water Committee

When the municipality saw what was happening in Xonca, the mayor decided to get on board. After years of saying no, the municipality showed up with free construction materials! This contribution had a powerful knock-on effect. It allowed FH Canada and Vernon Alliance to invest not only in building the catchment, distribution, and chlorination system, but also to purchase pipes for the pipeline running from the catchment to the distribution tank. These pipes were initially going to be bought with community money. With these funds freed up, the community was able to invest their money to set up the distribution network to bring water directly to homes. Initially, this network was scheduled in a “Phase 2” of the project to be executed much further down the road. No one imagined it could get done so soon!

Turning on the Tap

In addition to all these sacrifices, the households waiting for water contributed their own money to support the project. Their voluntary contributions are an example to us all and a strong sign that when their graduation from FH programming comes in 2023, they’ll be ready!

The community of Xonca persevered through years of being told “no.” Because of their exemplary determination, enthusiasm, hard work, and sacrifice, the water project was completed within budget, ahead of schedule, and extended beyond the scope of the original plan. Within just five months, the community constructed the catchment and distribution tanks, together with the chlorination system and distribution network. To ensure the sustainability of this precious resource, they set up a water committee responsible for maintenance and oversight.

“I am so proud of the people of Xonca and the hard

Xonca families can be proud of the expert system they built together.

A massive distribution tank collects spring water from the mountain.

It was tricky work to lay piping in these steep hills.

work they did to make it happen in such a short period of time,” Len shares. “After seeing their struggles with water in the past, I am incredibly happy that they now have a clean, reliable water supply to live healthier lives. I am also a little sad that I didn’t get a chance to put my own sweat into the project and share in the celebration of their huge accomplishment when the first water poured out in homes. A part of my heart is still in Xonca.”

“I am very happy because we now have water! For a long time, we did not have water and it was difficult going to the well to collect it. Now that I have water in my home... Thank you for helping us and for your support. May God bless you because water is very important for us. Thank you!”

- Jacinta

The families in Xonca sacrificed time, sweat equity, and hard-earned money to ensure they not only had a communal source of water, but that each individual home could have clean, flowing water right out of their own taps. This will save significant time and back-breaking labour as well as improve family health.

Lives Changed

Are you interested in partnering with a community like Xonca to help get the job done? If so, contact Rhonda to hear more about Step Into Impact partnership opportunities.

fhcanada.org/partner

rhonda.davison@fhcanada.org

604-992-1923

Tomas Bernal Terraza Treasurer of the Xonca Water Committee Sector 4, Xonca

Tomas and Juana have lived in Xonca for 18 years. They have never had water in their home. Since Tomas works weekdays, Juana collects all the water they need for drinking, cooking, handwashing, bathing, and washing dishes. Every day, two or three times a day, she carries plastic containers to a distant water source to gather water. On laundry days, she hauls their clothes down to the river and either waits for them to dry there or carries them home soaking and heavy. When it rains, they collect runoff from their roof which becomes easily contaminated, breeding larvae as it sits uncovered. All the families in Sector 4 shared their story—until now. Thanks to the joint effort between FH, their Canadian partners, the municipality, and the people of Xonca, Juana no longer trudges long distances to collect water. Today, clean water flows from the tap in their home!

Tomas, Wife Juana and two children—Cecilia and Jacinto

Girls no longer have to waste school hours to collect water!

This water committee will make sure their new system keeps flowing for years to come.

Passionate About Pigs Gifts For Change

Written by Colton Martin

hen was the last time you gave a gift? Maybe it was flowers for Mother’s Day or a kitchen appliance for a friend’s wedding. Either way, you probably gave some thought to whether or not your mom likes white flowers or pink, or whether your friends needed a slow cooker or a coffee maker. When we give gifts, our focus is often on how the gift will benefit, change, or delight the recipient. So it’s easy to forget what giving does to us.

What do you imagine happens to YOU when you give generously?

For those who give to the FH Canada Gifts for Change Gift Guide, it’s a mutual transformation. As you walk with and support FH partner communities and they begin to change, you also change. Every time you give generously, there’s a selflessness and an openness that becomes part of who you are.

Ron and Denise

Ron and Denise are a couple who regularly give the Portly Pig from the Gift Guide. “We have given pigs as gifts for many years already. In our Western society, we really don’t need much in the line of gifts. Giving to someone in a FH partner community benefits them, their families, and their community. We love kids, and we love pigs! We are very passionate about giving pigs,” Ron explains.

Ron and Denise are aware of the life-changing impact these pigs have on a community. “Pigs

produce more pigs. More pigs produce more pig manure. Pig manure helps produce garden produce. Garden produce, along with pigs, provide for not only families but also for entire communities,” Ron summarizes. When asked what motivates them to make Gift Guide purchases an integral part of their Christmas giving, they reply, “Knowing that we can have a very small part in helping a family and community thrive and have a better life.”

Their choice has made a real impact.

On the other side of the world in the rural community of Busekera, Rwanda, Augustin was struggling as a farmer. “We were affected both physically and emotionally; in the community there was no hope for the future and we were always ashamed. This situation had a negative impact on my family, and this affected us in our beliefs in God, especially during prayer.”

Augustin

Thanks to generous Canadians like Ron and Denise, Agustin received two pigs. Not only have his pigs given birth to piglets (pictured) but the manure he’s gotten from his pigs has also helped his garden along.

Augustin says, “FH is not a partner, but a good companion of life. You have helped my family to grow up, especially my children.”

Have you ever wondered what giving generously might do to you? To find out, go to fhcanada.org/gifts for a selection of ways you can help transform a community—and yourself!

Sarah Heals Her Family

Written by Eryn Austin-Bergen

Have you ever heard of the neem tree? Neem trees are a type of mahogany (Azadirachta indica) that spread from southern Asia around the world and now flourish across Asia, South and Central America, the Caribbean, and Africa. Neem is a hardy, fast-growing evergreen with deep roots that can weather extreme heat, resist drought, spring up out of pure sand, survive salt water, and stem desertification. Not only can neem withstand the shocks of climate change, it also helps heal humans.

For generations, the neem tree has served as a sort of “community pharmacy”. Neem remedies are made from every part of the tree—bark, fresh wood, leaves, flowers, fruit—and can be administered in many forms including capsules, powder, oil, tinctures, cream, or mouthwash. Neem is said to cure everything from fungal and bacterial infections to anxiety and depression. Some use the oil on their skin to treat issues like dandruff or acne, while others ingest the leaf extract to heal stomach ulcers. In parts of South Asia and Africa, it’s common to see neem sticks used as disposable toothbrushes. Why? Neem contains antiseptic ingredients that can help maintain healthy teeth and gums, and even prevent gingivitis!

It is truly a miracle tree. But it’s the neem tree’s anti-inflammatory properties that interested Sarah the most.

Sarah lives in the rural village of Kitindya in Bushiangi Community, Uganda. She’s married with three children—Hellen (12), Stacia (9), and Jordan (5)—and farms two acres of land to help feed her family. But when she began experiencing intense back pain, it became almost impossible for her to complete even the simplest tasks.

For nine excruciating months, Sarah spent every spare penny searching for relief. At the same time, she was powering through FH Uganda agricultural workshops, in spite of her severe pain. A unique part of the training included medicinal plants—how to grow and administer them to treat common family ailments. This piqued Sarah’s curiosity. Could neem help her back pain? It was worth a try!

“I had back pain that had lasted for over nine months and I had tried treating it with all kinds of medicine but all was in vain. Not until FH trained us on nutrition-dense kitchen gardening was I able to acquire knowledge on medicinal plants, some of which were neem and aloe vera. These helped me to heal and I no longer feel any pain,” Sarah rejoices.

Neem provides safe, low-cost pain relief for families living where it’s hard to get to a pharmacy and hard to pay for medicine. By using these plants and increasing her family’s vegetable consumption, Sarah’s been able to boost her family’s immunity so that they rarely get coughs or flus anymore. And when they do get sick, Sarah knows how to heal them with her medicinal plants.

She also learned to keep her vegetable garden healthy by making organic pesticides and fertilizers from neem instead of buying synthetic ones. This helps save money, grow healthier food, and protect non-pest insects and animals. Neem oil is safe for birds and helpful insects like bees, butterflies, ladybugs, and earthworms.

Sarah no longer spends money on medicine for her back pain or on expensive fertilizers and pesticides. She’s also increased her vegetable sales and income. These changes mean she can invest more funds in her Savings and Loans Group to help cover emergencies at home and plan future developments.

But she doesn’t keep all this goodness to herself! Sarah is a deeply Christian woman whose love for God overflows in her generosity to neighbours and friends—she grows her own seedlings and freely shares them.

But, perhaps, best of all, Sarah no longer has back pain. With this heavy burden lifted, she says she is genuinely happy.

“I [was] able to acquire knowledge on medicinal plants, some of which were neem and aloe vera. These helped me to heal and I no longer feel any pain.”

— Sarah

Aloe vera is used to heal skin maladies and improve digestion.