FH Hope Notes - Fall/Winter 2013

Stories of hope from around the world

FALL/WINTER 2013 THE OFFI CI AL PUBLI CATI ON OF FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY (FH) CANADA

A Mile In Their Shoes Meet four families as they open up about their day-to-day PAGE 3 International Flavours

Health In Haiti

Cows & Goats

Recipes from those who cook them everyday PAGES 4-6

Canadian Autoworkers combat poverty with Haitian families PAGE 13

Livestock deliver innovative impact PAGE 10

3

10

13

15

FALL/WINTER 2013 FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY (FH) CANADA’S SEASONAL PUBLICATION

A Mile In Their Shoes

Mobile Clinic Report

Four families from partner communities share their lives PAGE 3

Canadian Autoworkers fund critical health program PAGE 13

Recipes From Around the World

Crossword!

Lentils, Fries, and Tamales PAGE 4-6

How “development” savvy are you? PAGE 14

What Does Our Global Family Look Like?

Celebrating Water You did it! Water initiatives funded PAGE 15

Content and editorial contributions from Beth Allen, Kristin Kawa Brooks, Ashley Chapman, Carline Dorvil, Ben Hoogendoorn, April Klassen, Mark Petzold, Michael Prins, Darlene Rowlandson, Jennifer Willock, Carissa Youssef, and other valued FH staff and friends.

Statistics on life around the world PAGE 8-9

What’s Happening Now: Uganda & Haiti

FH CANADA is a registered non-profit organization dedicated to providing long-term relief to those stuck in poverty through sustainable community development. As part of the global Food for the Hungry (FH) network, we currently work in ten countries around the world.

Updates from the field PAGE 10

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Everybody gets stuck.

Through project development, child sponsorship, emergency relief, and medical equipment distribution, FH Canada strives to meet the physical, spiritual, social and educational needs of each man, woman and child living in poverty.

Synonyms: prosper, flourish, succee d

We all need someone to believe in us; to help us thrive. In this issue of Hope Notes, we have the privilege of meeting incredible families who have moved from stuck to thriving.

For a moment, we can visit four homes and glimpse how life is changing and improving.

You’ll meet Juana who, like all mothers, dreams of a secure future for her children and enjoys cooking their favourite foods. And Kinohoih, a young woman who passionately pursued a dream to start her own business and is now mentoring youth in her community.

Flip further and you’ll read updates on how goats and cows are becoming game-changers for struggling farmers and how community-driven initiatives like tree nurseries and mobile clinics are resetting the direction of entire regions.

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.

These families journeys are much like our own—full of hopes and dreams, challenges and obstacles. Let’s continue learning from each other. I’m so thankful for you.

Be blessed,

Ben Hoogendoorn President/CEO

7.7% ADMINISTRATION AND RUNNING COSTS 9.7% INVESTED TO GENERATE FUTURE INCOME 82.6% BUILDING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

President Ben receives a special gift from his sponsored child, Chapdelaine.

CHARITABLE REGISTRATION NUMBER: 132152893RR0001 FH CANADA 1 - 31741 Peardonville Road, Abbotsford, BC V2T 1L2 T 604.853.4262 TF 1.800.667.0605 F 604.853.4332 info@fhcanada.org www.fhcanada.org

Nebaj Guatemala

A Mile In Their Shoes

Anlong Veng Cambodia

Meet Four Families As They Open Their Homes and Share Their Lives

Mymensingh Bangladesh

Kamonyi Rwanda

BY ASHLEY CHAPMAN WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE TRAVELLING JOURNALS OF:

Jennifer Willock

HOPE NOTES

Fall/Winter 2013

April Klassen

Ben Hoogendoorn

No matter where you live in the world, families share similar experiences. Dinner, weekend afternoons and “to do” lists might look different, but roles, aspirations, parental anxiety and pride bind us together. In this issue of Hope Notes we embark on a journey that reminds us how unique—and yet similar—our lives really are. Take a trip around the world and peek into the lives of four families in four FH partner communities over four days—no airfare required!

3

First stop

Outside, her daughter attaches some fabric to a post and begins to weave. Juana explains that the traditional clothes they wear are woven, but that they never make them themselves. All the women in Nebaj wear red skirts and various colourful blouses, but each piece would take them months to make. Although income is limited, time is too.

Three months on one blouse is not a good trade-off.

Nebaj Guatemala

Giggling erupts from the kitchen. Forgotten for just a second, the Atol de Maiz has bubbled over the sides of the metal carafe and onto the stove-top. The traditional Guatemalan corn drink has turned into a sticky and delicious mess, but for Juana, sometimes that’s just life.

Juana lost her first husband in the civil war that ravaged the country for 36 years. She now has four children with her second husband, who works in the fields by their home.

Walking down the steep mud path to her door, it’s impossible to know the hardships faced in the small home.

Diego was struck by a falling tree and can no longer attend school. With a sixth grade education, he now works in the fields despite intense allergies. Juana’s husband contracted an infection three years ago that began in his eyes, spread to the rest of his body, and has not left since. No amount of hospital visits or herbal medicine can stop the suffering.

It’s mid-morning and she’s already been up for several hours. She speaks in a soft voice, but has the ability to captivate her listeners. She explains how the dry season was different this year. Her community experienced drought for more than three months, and useable water was scarce and difficult to access. But it’s rained once now, and more will surely follow.

Juana wakes up between four and five each morning, prays, and makes a fire to boil water.

Juana’s daughter expertly weaves together a beautiful piece of fabric.

Her eldest son Diego is out working with his father, and Juana will eventually join them. She wakes up between four and five each morning, prays, and makes a fire to boil water. Then she cleans the kitchen and home and prepares the family’s food before waking the children at six. Once they leave for school, she helps her husband in the fields, weaves, and does laundry.

Juana shares her cooking secrets and homemade tamales.

Guatemalan Tamalito Colorado “Ve’l Txicon” in Ixil, the regional dialect

These tasty tubes are a classic across Latin America! You can fill them with almost any kind of protein, but Juana’s kids (Nebaj, Guatemala) like black beans best!

Ingredients 2/3 cup shortening 1 tsp baking powder 1 ½ tsp salt 2 cups corn masa (flour) ½ cup chicken broth Achiote/Annatto seed powder 1 can black beans 12 corn tortillas, medium size 12 banana leaves or corn husks (or aluminum foil) 1 large pot water, boiling PREP TIME: 75 MINS

Instructions 1. To prepare the tamale dough: Mix/beat shortening, salt, baking powder until light in texture. Continue mixing while slowly adding corn masa (flour). Mix completely for a fluffy dough. Mix in broth and achiote until similar to cake batter (but not runny!).

2. Lay out corn tortillas. Divide the dough between the tortillas, laying it in oval mounds. Create a trough in each dough mound and spoon in black beans. Wrap each tamale in a banana leaf or corn husk (or aluminum foil).

3. Cook by standing tamales (using a steamer basket) in a large pot of boiling, steaming water. They should not touch the water. Steam for about 1 hour, until the banana leaves turn dark green or the corn husks easily peel away.

Makes 1 dozen tamales!

But hope is alive and laughter is present. Juana is on four community councils and the family is at the church at least three times a week. She proudly shares how she and her husband ensure they serve three meals a day in the face of 80 per cent chronic malnutrition among children. With the school dropout rate in her rural area also staggering, she counsels her children to value education, even when few others see the point.

For three years now she’s found time to work with FH to continually improve her family’s situation. As others see the changes, she helps them make similar progress. As the dry season comes to an end, her family remembers what “Guatemala” means: Eternal Spring. They are ready for the second rain to bubble over the edges of their roof and sink deeply into the tilled ground, a life-giving and muddy mess.

Over to

Anlong Veng Cambodia

Kinohoih cooking

Kinohoih looks up as a large dust-covered truck pulls to the side of the road. A local farmer steps down and asks her for a bottle of pop. Her hands are covered in grease from the pan of sweet potato wedges she’s stirring. She looks to her mother for help, but she too is preoccupied, slicing chicken into strips with a long hook-like knife. It’s her father who comes to the rescue.

Kinohoih finishes flipping the coconut-sugar-coated potato chips bubbling in the hot wok, then cools them in a metal bowl before separating them into small plastic bags, ready for purchase. She clips them to the string above her head next to the pork “chips” and candies which tempt the locals stopping by on their snack breaks.

At just 20 years old, Kinohoih is a visionary in her community. With help from her parents and training from an FH youth savings group, she is running a successful shop

in front of her family’s home in Anlong Veng, Cambodia.

With the increase in sales over the past months, she dreams of expanding her small shop to include more products. She recently added gasoline, sold in used pop bottles, to her selection. With all the motorbikes in the area, this is proving popular.

As Kinohoih adjusts her display of packaged goods and steaming treats, she can’t hide the grin stretching across her face.

Cambodian Coconut Basil Sweet Potato Fries Sweet potato fries are all the rage in Canadian restaurants nowadays, but families in Cambodia have been enjoying them for years - and with a twist! Kinihoih (Anlong Veng, Cambodia) highly recommends this sweet-and-savoury finger food.

Ingredients 2 large sweet potatoes, cut into fries 1/4 cup coconut oil 1 cup shredded coconut 1 bunch fresh basil salt (to taste)

Instructions 1. Heat oil in a frying pan or wok.

2. Add fries, stirring until fully coated in oil.

3. Gradually add coconut. Cook fries until golden brown.

Salt to taste. Serve plain or with your choice of dipping sauce!

PREP TIME: 25 MINS

Suggestions: Add 2 tbsp curry powder at the end for curried fries!

Makes one large batch of fries.

Kinohoih and her family

5

Kinohoih left school in grade nine because her family was struggling to make ends meet. Since paying back the youth savings group loan she used to launch her shop, she’s been supplementing her family’s income and setting money aside for the future.

As Kinohoih adjusts her display of packaged goods and steaming treats, she can’t hide the grin stretching across her face. Youth in her village need encouragement to plan and save for their futures, and Kinohoih knows she’s a role model.

The youth savings groups meet regularly in her village, and they’re all led by local young people trained by FH. Kinohoih remembers the beginning stages of her shop, when she was encouraged to write down or draw her dreams and expectations of being included in a savings group. As the room full of youth put their dreams on paper, many future ventures were born. Plans were laid to open stores, start village banks, and save for teachers’ college or medical school.

Kinohoih is now a group leader herself, but she couldn’t make the last training session. With the rising demand for her popular coconut-coated sweet potato fries and chicken strips, she had her hands full at the shop!

Arriving in

Faez, Hailma, and four of their five children

“I have been a mother of many worries,” she begins quietly. She is sitting comfortably on a burlap mat shared by the 15 or so women who attend her weekly FH savings group in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Her son Halim crawls onto her lap and she smiles as he leans against her. At seven years old, Halim is what the community calls a “small person.” His body struggles to develop due to a rare blood condition.

Halima explains that three of her five children face the same problem. Her gaze shifts to the other women in the circle, and many nod in support. They are mothers like her, each coming to this safe group with their own challenges and concerns. They too will rush back to their tin homes in time to prepare their husbands a dinner of roti and dahl with beans and fish before washing and hanging yards of fabric to dry over make-shift drying poles and fences. All these tasks will be finished before dark as electricity is a luxury.

Mymensingh Bangladesh

Sliding into her seat among a circle of colourfully adorned women, Halima’s smile doesn’t give away her inner struggle. She’s anxious to share, but for the moment her striking Shalwar Kameez (cultural dress) speaks louder than her voice.

Halima’s smile doesn’t give away her inner struggle.

Bangladeshi Red Lentils “Monsoor Dahl” in Bengali

The fresh, rich flavours of Asia will tingle your tastebuds (but not overpower them) in this easy-tomake family favourite. Halima (Mymensingh, Bangladesh) would happily serve it to any guest!

Ingredients 4 cups water 1 cup dry red lentils, washed 2 onions, thinly sliced 1 tomato, diced 1 tbsp turmeric 5 bay leaves 2 Indian chilies, thinly sliced 1 ½ tbsp garlic, minced 1 tsp cumin ½ bunch cilantro, leaves and stalks chopped. oil salt (to taste) Basmati rice PREP TIME: 60 MINS

6

Instructions 1. Mix water, lentils, 1 ½ onions, tomato, turmeric, bay leaves, chilies in a large pot.

Stir and simmer until the lentils are tender (40-45 minutes).

2. Fry oil, ½ onion and cumin in a large frying pan. As the onion softens, add garlic.

Fry until golden brown.

3. Combine all into the frying pan (be careful not to splash!). Simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Transfer all back into the large pot. Add salt to taste. Add cilantro. Simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Serve over Basmati rice.

Serves 3 adults.

Halima’s face softens and her eyes light up as she speaks of her husband Faez who runs a small tea shop near their home. Her hands animate the air as she explains how Faez helped their eldest daughter Mushida, who also has the blood condition, set up a small store next to his.

In a wood-crafted shelter, Mushida converses with locals passing by and sells packaged products like shampoos, chips, and tea bags.

Halima herself has taken the courageous step of training in midwifery through an FH course. Looking past her fears, she is beginning to serve her neighbours with her new skills.

Slowly, she is also starting to realize that she’s not to blame for her children’s condition.

The circle of women gets ready to part ways for the week.

The session wasn’t too long, but they’ve already done the accounting for their micro-savings and discussed some family health topics. The sharing and stories could continue all evening, but families and chores await. After all, those colourful Shalwar Kameezes—whether large or small—won’t wash themselves.

Halima’s daughter sews to provide clothing for the family and for a source of income.

President Ben Hoogendoorn with Chapdelaine and her family outside their cow pen.

The conversation turns toward the children, and eyes light up with pride.

Chapdelaine’s family is eager to greet whoever makes the hike to visit. Their home is made of mud bricks with plastered and painted inner walls. Light streams through a window onto the compacted red dirt floor typical of the Rwandan countryside.

Her parents share about the development of their family farm since FH started working in the community. A few years back they received a cow which has since had two calves. They gave the first calf to another family and are planning to eventually breed the second one. They drink some of the cow’s milk, and the rest they sell for income.

Their vegetable garden is steadily growing thanks to the addition of cow manure, so there’s now excess produce to sell at the market as well.

The conversation turns toward the children, and eyes light up with pride. One of the older boys received a scholarship and is away attending college. Chapdelaine and another brother are taking extra classes in hopes of following a similar path. Although it’s not common for girls from these rural communities to attend post-secondary school, Chapdelaine’s parents are eager to see her continue her education.

We tried it, and so should you! For more of the FH staff’s tales from the kitchen as we laughed and fumbled our way through these recipes, visit www.fhcanada.org/blog.

Final visit

Kamonyi

When it’s time to make the trek back down the hill, Chapdelaine’s family walks part of the way before veering off to work in their fields. An hour turns into an hour and twenty minutes, but the slower pace leaves time to take it all in: the laughter, the children, the farms; and with every step, a growing awe at the sponsored girl who thinks nothing of the twice-daily hike to get to school.

Rwanda

The hour-long hike gets faster with practice—or so we’re told. Chapdelaine walks the trail every day to get to school, and her parents take it any time they need to meet a guest, attend an FH training, or visit the market.

Chapdeline runs out to greet her visitors.

The steep terrain is uneven as rain has washed out portions of the path. But the trek to Chapdelaine’s home is full of encouraging views: land being well farmed, mud homes being upgraded to brick, grass roofs being replaced with water proof tin. Exhaustion kicks in, but there’s laughter ringing out from the home just ahead, and all the children in view look happy and healthy.

HOPE NOTES

Fall/Winter 2013

7

global

What does our family look like?

Did you know?

eggplant, red onion, okra

Sugar, mostly in beverages, accounts for 21% of daily calories.

CANADA

41

a

80 Football (soccer)

Did you know?

Protein from meat is often too expensive to serve except on special occasions, so insects are a common snack! Little bug traps (upsidedown baskets) can be seen all over.

a green mash made of cassava leaves, spinach, and eggplant

Did you know?

A Latin American diet is build on corn as the main staple, most commonly showing up in tortillas with almost every meal.

8

140 per 100 people

Cellular subscription

Cambodia 14,138

20% live in urban areas

ala

96

Don’t worry, Canada’s other favourite sport is still ice hockey!

Canada 34,017

81% live in urban areas

G ua t

em

Boiled beans Cassava root mash Fried plantains Banana Isombe

is widely accepted as the most popular sport for children and teens from Canada to Bangladesh. Bangladesh also lists cricket as a close second to soccer.

56

Tortilla Rice with feet attached Beans Piece of chicken Brown soup side dish

Bangladesh 148,692

28% live in urban areas

Rwanda 10,624

19% live in urban areas

4,760

$

Guatemala 14,389

50% live in urban areas

Population

in thousands

2,230

$

GUATEMALA

nd

CAMBODIA

Rw a

What’s on your plate?

broccoli, carrots,

beans Chicken Cooked veggies Potato Side salad

CAMBODIA

Ca n

Did you know? Rice Food is commonly eaten Flatbread with your hands, using Fish in a curry sauce the right hand only. Stir fried vegetables

a

BANGLADESH

Fish with sauce Rice Rambutan Banana stalky vegetable with leaves Trakuan

ad

RWANDA

Rambutan is a fruit named for its “rambut” (“hair”).

Its translucent flesh has a sweet, watery flavour.

sh

GUATEMALA

Did you know?

e ad

Ban gl

Cam

dia bo

The pieces that make up our day-to-day worldwide

8.6 hours

7.6

Young people (5−17 years) spent just about the same time on work of some kind as on study.

4.7 hours

(http://www.oecd.org)

hours

4.4

4

3.4

7

hours

In a comparative study of all Asian countries, Cambodians were found to have the most “free time”.

hours

RWANDA

208,858

hours

Market Agriculture

hours

1

(in 2011)

hours

3.7

hours

hours

1.9

Cases of malaria

4.6

4

hours

over 90% of Rwandans work in agriculture.

GUATEMALA

6,822

Market Agriculture

hour

BANGLADESH

CANADA

CAMBODIA

RWANDA

CANADA

CAMBODIA

RWANDA

Malaria cannot be contracted in Canada.

For many people worldwide, it is as common as catching a cold in Canada.

51,773 CAMBODIA

Time spent at home

Time spent at work

(domestic duties, hours/day)

(earning an income, hours/day)

Childbearing rates are declining. The highest fertility rates remain in Sub-Saharan Africa.

BANGLADESH

2.2

Number of children per woman

2.6

29.6

Canada

CAMBODIA

5.4

4

1.7

RWANDA

GUATEMALA

CANADA

Bangladesh

31.6 The average age for marriage of Bangladeshi girls is 16.4 years.* Almost all men are married by the age of 35.* 2/3rds of Bangladeshi girls are married before the age of 18.** *Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (2011) **UNICEF statistics

23

Cambodia

26

39,660

$

CANADA

3,182.60

$

Gross national income per capita GUATEMALA

RWANDA

76.40

$

118.40

CAMB CAMBODIA ODIA

1,270

$

$ 30.3.30 0 $30

1,940

$

BANGLADESH

24.60

CANADA

BANGLADESH

$

RWANDA

Youth literacy rate CANADA

$

57,423

Health spending per person

Life expectancy

CANADA

99%

99%

CAMBODIA

CAMBODIA

86%

88%

GUATEMALA

GUATEMALA

85%

89%

RWANDA

RWANDA

78%

77%

BANGLADESH

BANGLADESH

78%

75%

While there is still room for improvement with literacy goals, these statistics show that many families are now investing into their children’s education. Ages 15-24.

Source: UNICEF

Average age of first marriage

Worldwid average e :

67.88 yea rs

Canada: 82 • Bangladesh: 70 • Guatemala: 69 Cambodia: 65 • Rwanda: 60 Many of these statistics can be found at: www.worldfamilymap.org

9

What’s Happening Now: Dairy cows deliver more than milk through farmers innovative efforts The lights are coming on—literally—in Bufukhula, Uganda. Peter Malikisi is the first dairy farmer in the community to be installing a bio-gas lighting and cooking system in his home.

It all started two years ago with a cow from the FH Canada Gift Guide.

In 2011, Peter attended a dairy farming training session offered through the community veterinary office and FH. After showing promise at the session, Peter was asked to join a cow-sharing group and to house the group’s cow—a pregnant Ayrshire heifer—on his property.

“I reluctantly accepted the idea although I could not see immediate benefits. We were about 14 members to one cow!” he recalls.

The cow calved at the beginning of 2012, and four members of the group received ownership of the calf, reducing the number of farmers benefitting from the heifer to 10. The cow has now calved a second time, and the group has split again, leaving each farmer with a larger share of the milk, market

income, and manure.

“I have a garden full of green bananas because of the extra manure that I get from the cow,” says Peter.

But that’s not nearly the extent of the biowaste’s usefulness.

Peter’s new electric lighting and cooking facilities are a result of the eco-friendly bio-gas system he constructed. Peter has become one of the area’s most successful farmers.

There are already 184 families sharing 39 cows in Bufukhula.

“Before FH came to our village, I used to think that rearing an exotic heifer was only for the rich. Never did I ever dream of owning one,” says Peter. “I certainly Apolo chats with Peter Malikisi during a owe my thanks to FH for routine home visit by this brilliant idea!”

FH team.

Today, Peter serves as a model farmer with FH. His property is used in demonstrations and trainings for the farmers of Bufukhula, and he visits others to help with their cow-sharing groups and farms.

Ideally, other farmers will be able to use bio-gas facilities to

10

convert methane from their cow’s manure into a sustainable energy source. There are already 184 farming families sharing 39 cows in Bufukhula, with an average of five members per group. Each has improved their family income and nutrition since joining the project, and the next step could be self-supplied electricity.

Cost-effective cow sharing is proving to be a very bright idea for the Ugandan farmers.

Want to see for yourself?

Hear firsthand from Ugandan farmer John Mukooli (right), and teacher Lydia Nabulobi as they share about the impact dairy cows are having in their community! www.fhcanada.org/cows

fhcanada.org

FH CANADA

www.povertyr

Uganda & Haiti Tree nursery in Haiti

revolution.org

Nursery Helps Community Thrive You’ll never guess the favourite game played by children in Cachiman, Haiti last spring. They weren’t busy with soccer or drawing or cycling, but instead with filling small black planting bags with dirt. They just couldn’t get enough.

In the community of Cachiman, families faced issues of deforestation and poor seed quality as they struggled to make a living off the land.

In 2012, FH met with the parents of sponsored children to talk about possible solutions to these issues. A community tree and seedling nursery emerged as the community-driven initiative for change.

Local pastor and development committee member Francois Lucius decided to offer the land beside his church for the nursery, rent-free for the first three years. Fifty-two-yearold Francois, a father of seven, said he wanted to see the entire community prosper for the sake of the children.

HOPE NOTES FH CANADA

Fall/Winter 2013

With the site confirmed, the community came together to clear and prepare the land. Then the development committee chose what crops to grow in the nursery and made plans to ensure that the neediest people would be the first to benefit from the initial seedlings. Crops like cassava, banana, mango, avocado, lemon, and cocoa were chosen, along with cedar and mahogany tree varieties.

profit. He grew only enough to feed his family.

After receiving training and better seeds from FH, Nicolas harvested the high-quality peanuts and strategically re-planted the first yield to multiply the seeds. Since then, Nicolas’ wife has started a business to sell the produce, and for the first time, their grandchildren are going to school.

With the site confirmed, the community came together to clear and prepare the land.

Nicolas Desir began working with the project last March. At 70 years old, he had many grandchildren, but none them were able to attend school. He had a long history as a peanut farmer in Cachiman, but because he didn’t own his land and couldn’t afford good quality seeds, he wasn’t able to make a

“My life is getting better,” he explains.

“I now have the means to survive.”

Life is improving for other families as well. Anthonide and her husband Aubergine also joined the project last March. They have a small plot of land close to a water source, but they couldn’t carry enough water to their

11

Nicolas Desir

Goats End the Cycle of Poverty In Haiti When Timer LaVenture heard that two international FH workers were visiting his community, he ran to track them down.

The 45-year-old father wanted to show them his goat.

freedom to choose whether to keep or sell this second goat.

“This is the first time I’ve ever owned an animal!” he explained. “Now I am able to generate an income and things are getting better for my family.”

Before FH started working in the community, Timer couldn’t send his children to school and there wasn’t always food on the table. He had little hope that anything would change because extreme poverty was all he had ever known.

garden to make it productive. Like Nicolas, they lacked the capital to invest in high-quality seeds, and didn’t have a sufficient crop yield to regularly feed their children or make a profit.

Timer received a female goat from FH, and it has since given birth to a kid. As part of the agreement to receive a goat from FH, he gave the first offspring to another family in need. Now his goat is pregnant again, and he has the

But this wasn’t evident in the face of the man who rushed to talk to the foreign visitors. His goat is helping him earn an income through milk, manure, and— eventually—more offspring. But more than that, his goat is giving him hope.

Through their participation in the community nursery, they had access to high-quality seeds for peas, hot peppers, and corn. They were also given a garden hose which now carries water from the river to their crops. Like so many of the families involved, they have also started sending their children to school.

“This is the first time I’ve ever owned an animal! Now I am able to generate an income.”

Timer and his first goat

Before, Anthonide wouldn’t even allow herself to hope that her children would make it to school.

Now, she can’t stop dreaming.

“I would like for one of them to be a doctor,” she says.

The success of the community nursery project is especially gratifying for Francois, who has seen the land beside his church completely transformed.

“Something good is happening here,” he says. “I love my community, and with this help, my community can advance.”

Can’t wait till Christmas?

Visit www.fhcanada.org/gifts today and delight families around the world with gifts that keep on giving.

12

Can’t wait ‘till Christmas? Visit www. fhcanada.org/gifts today and delight families around the world with gifts that keep on giving.

www.povertyrevolution.org

FH CANADA

Mobile Clinic

Members of the Canadian Auto Workers union help deliver accessible and affordable healthcare for Haiti’s most vulnerable families.

Lack of access to affordable healthcare and health education are two of the greatest obstacles for Haitian families. There are virtually no community health services in the remote communities where FH works. The long commutes and poor road conditions often worsen patients’ conditions before they arrive for treatment, and the high costs of health services prevent many families from getting their children immunized against preventable diseases.

Francois Ciliane, a mother of four, has seen significant improvements in her children’s health since attending an outreach event at a mobile clinic. After an initial consultation with an FH nurse, Francois realized that her children weren’t receiving proper nutrients from their food. Even though Francois and her husband sold fruits and vegetables from their farm at the local market, their lack of nutritional training was contributing to early signs of malnutrition in their children.

REPORT

By Carline Dorvil, Nurse, FH Haiti

“Our union strives each day to improve the lives of working people both in Canada and around the world in the face of inequality and injustice. A mobile medical clinic is a small but significant step to helping Haitians rebuild.” PETER KENNEDY, CANADIAN AUTO WORKERS In collaboration with Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population, FH has implemented mobile health clinics in the FH partner community of Cachiman, Haiti. It’s the first step to ensuring that all vulnerable individuals—especially children— have access to affordable health services and education.

At first, Francois’s husband hesitated to change their diet for fear they would lose a valuable source of income by consuming items that could be sold. But after several home visits and nutrition education sessions from the FH nurse, Francois and her husband committed to giving the recommended food servings a try.

The health program’s primary focus is on helping pregnant or nursing women and children under the age of five. FH staff have trained community volunteers to operate “rally posts,” central locations where parents come with their children for growth monitoring, immunization, and other basic services.

Francois now teaches other mothers in Cachiman the benefits of proper nutrition and how to keep their children well-nourished using local, seasonal foods.

21 529 800 120 200 120

“RALLY POSTS” ORGANIZED MOTHERS AT TRAINING MEETINGS PEOPLE AT MOBILE CLINIC EVENTS CHILDREN TREATED DURING CLINIC EVENTS MOTHERS TREATED DURING CLINIC EVENTS

This mobile medical unit was supported by the Canadian Auto Workers – Social Justice Fund.

FH Canada, FH Haiti, and the Cachiman community would like to thank CAW members from across the country for their generous contribution to this life-changing medical initiative.

Thank you!

Want to learn more about what’s going on in Cachiman, Haiti? Visit www.fhcanada.org/haiti to see how families are beginning to thrive.

HOME VISITS CONDUCTED BY A COMMUNITY HEALTH VOLUNTEER AND FH NURSE

13

1

2

B 3

5

6

7

10

8

9

L 11

12

13

14

How development savvy are you?

15

16

A

17

I

Can’t get a word? Find us on facebook.com/poverty.revolution.

The completed puzzle is posted there!

4

18

Across

2. A renewable energy source derived from manure waste. Hint: page 10 5. A celebrated event that in many vulnerable communities can sadly become a barrier preventing girls from achieving a proper education.

8. The colour of many lentil types, or the inside of a tamale (thanks to Achiote powder!)

9. A staple food in Guatemala 10. Poverty; It’s “___.”

11. Our recent hostess in Guatemala. Hint: page 4 13. “Cow-made” material added to soil to improve a family’s crops.

Down 1. Our recent hostess in Bangladesh. Hint: page 6 2. A water source protected with cement lining and equipped with a pump system.

3. Juana’s home country and “The Heart of the Mayan World.”

4. In Haiti, these types of mobile stations have been set up to meet critical health needs. Hint: page 13 6. A country located on the ancient and fertile Bengal delta.

7. Nebaj, Guatemala has one of the highest national rate of this dietary problem.

12. One of Bufukhula’s model farmers. Hint: page 10A flavour twist on sweet potato fries, Cambodian style.

15. Over a third of the global population works in this industry.

16. Groups where members, often women, are taught to read, write, count and start small businesses.

17. The life-saving necessity you helped provide during this summer’s annual campaign. Hint: page 15 18. Robust pheasant-like birds providing eggs, meat, offspring, and income for families.

poverty. it’s complicated.

God complexes. Labels and stereotypes. Belief systems.

Money. Corruption. Relationships. Yeah, it’s complicated.

Join the discussion.

Evaluate how you think about “the poor”. What are your assumptions about poverty? Maybe it’s time you challenged them.

Find a workshop in your area.

Book a Boot Camp for your community.

fhcanada.org/bootcamp

Water Everywhere $116ra,is3ed1!8.11 Goal

Thank you.

Because of generous gifts from hundreds of Canadians like you, we surpassed this summer’s water campaign goal to raise funds supporting life-saving water initiatives in our partner communities around the world.

Watch for updates about the remarkable impact of your gifts in the spring issue of Hope Notes.

$107,000

“Before FH Ethiopia developed the water point for us, I used to walk 35 minutes four or five times daily for water to drink and clean. This water was the cause for much sickness and forced me to take my children to health centres frequently. The money to support my family was mostly utilized to purchase medicine. The new hand dug well has improved the health status of my family, especially my children. My family is very happy to get clean water—thanks to God.” OBSE BIRU, OAD GUDINA, SASIGA, ETHIOPIA

“I may not be in a position to pay back your investment in my life, but I ask God to do more than as much as you have done to improve my life.”

HOPE NOTES

Fall/Winter 2013

15

W e ’r e baaaaah-ck

Goat $75

!

A goat provides milk, meat, manure, offspring, and income for years to come. This gift comes with training to build a pen and prepare the feed. The recipient family agrees to give the goat’s first kid to a needy neighbour, doubling your gift’s impact!

A pair of

Guinea Fowl $35 Here’s a sneak beak at your holiday season’s

GIFT GUIDE favourites!

These hardy pheasant-like birds provide eggs, meat, offspring, and income for families, plus they can endure harsher conditions than many other birds. Guinea fowl may not be easy on the eyes, but they are a great fit for a family’s needs!

It’s a farm full of family fun!

It’s quite the line-up of options this year!

Did you know?

Photo compliments of Jack Heller www.guineafowlbird.com

You can give from the Gift Guide at any time, for any occasion!

www.fhcanada.org/gifts

1012939

1 - 31741 Peardonville Road Abbotsford, BC V2T 1L2 1.800.667.0605 info@fhcanada.org fhcanada.org povertyrevolution.org

Poverty Revolution facebook.com/Poverty.Revolution