Hope Notes - Winter '11/'12

Stories of hope from around the world WINTER 2011/2012 FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY (FH) CANADA’S QUARTERLY PUBLICATION

Who’s

gettin’ YOUR goat this Christmas?

See how small acts create big impact.

IN THIS ISSUE

SUPER STOVES FOR SOMALIS

WINTER 2011

3 FH CANADA is a registered non-profit organization dedicated to providing long-term relief to those bound by 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.

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WHO’S GETTIN’ YOUR GOAT THIS YEAR?

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.

POVERTY REVOLUTION is a movement of engaged Canadians who are partnering with FH Canada to end poverty one community at a time.

BEGINNING WITH AN END IN SIGHT

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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.

6% ADMINISTRATION AND RUNNING COSTS 6% INVESTED TO GENERATE FUTURE INCOME 88% BUILDING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES CHARITABLE REGISTRATION NUMBER:

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132152893RR0001

LAST-MINUTE CHRISTMAS CARDS

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 povertyrevolution.org facebook.com/poverty.revolution

Super Stoves for Somalis Fuel-efficient stoves don’t quite have superhero status.

But a pilot project in the Dadaab Somali refugee camp is counting on them to save the day.

Even before the recent influx of food-crisis refugees, residents of the overcrowded camp struggled to find fuel for cooking. There’s a 20-kilometre-wide ring around the camp that’s almost completely stripped of useful vegetation — and it’s expanding; women must search farther and longer to find fuel to feed their families.

That’s why FH Canada, the Paradigm Project and the World Food Program are partnering to reduce the need for firewood by up to 80 percent. For the next six

Based on the life-saving results from previous Paradigm Project and FH partnerships to promote the “super stoves,” it’s expected that the program will grow after the six month trial.

Poverty Revolution

Top Marks for FH in Ethiopia!

1.6 million women and children will die as a result of open fires and inefficient stoves this year. months, they will aim to make fuel-efficient stoves the new normal in the camp.

This is a high priority. There’s been a resurgence of assaults against women as they’re searching for wood.

And tragically, the toxic smoke of open fires and inefficient stoves will kill 1.6 million women and children this year alone.

FH will conduct a combination of training sessions and in-home visits with 6,200 households in the camp.

FH Ethiopia scored 100 percent on the East Wolega regional government’s scorecard. They were the only partner NGO to get a perfect score for contributing to the quality of education, advocating for girls’ education, supporting school infrastructure and minimizing the drop-out rate. Thank you to the many child sponsors and partners of Sasiga, Ethiopia who’ve helped enable these results!

Sasiga, Ethiopia - FH Canada

HOPE NOTES

WINTER 2011/2012

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Who’s Gettin’ YOUR Goat So you’re thinking of buying a goat, but you have questions.

Do goats cost the same amount in each community?

What’s all included in the price?

What if there aren’t enough goats bought?

What if so many goats are bought that they overrun communities, eat all the greenery and lower goat prices?

And then the big one ...

Does a real person actually receive the goat?

Great questions.

And we’ve got the inside scoop.

The cost of a kid If you’ve ever attended a livestock auction, then you’ve seen the range of prices for goats. We don’t take our prices from Canadian market value, but instead from what our field staff budget for goats as part of their agricultural development programs. Then we add on the cost of training that comes with each goat.

One smart goat That’s right, each goat comes with training. People who receive goats have been trained to best care for and house the animal and to

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collect its manure to make organic fertilizer. As a double benefit, families are trained to plant fodder along the sides of their terraced land which will both feed the goat and help stop soil erosion!

generous Canadian buys 20,000 goats — more than needed — we won’t be coming to town with a circus caravan. We’re upfront about the fact that if any gift item is overfunded, the money goes to purchase similar items.

The math of the matter

“So, if I don’t buy a goat, will a newly-built pen sit empty?

The number of goats involved in our community development programs is based on just that — what works best for the community. If there aren’t enough goats purchased, we continue fundraising. And if a

Paying it forward Each family that receives a goat agrees to give its firstborn offspring to a neighbor who’s also prepared a pen and grown the fodder. Regifting has never looked better!

www.povertyrevolution.org

FH CANADA

this Year?

A gift with a name Marie-Jocelyne and her mother Bernadette received a goat two years ago. They named it Yabibara, meaning “multicoloured.”

For Bernadette, an FH Leader Mother who trains other mothers in health and nutrition, the goat came at the right time. After burying her first husband, then never finding her second husband after they fled their home during violent conflict, she needed some hope.

With Yabibara’s manure enriching the family’s soil, Bernadette and Marie-Jocelyne have seen a huge increase in their crop production. This year, they celebrated a harvest of 100 kg of beans; almost double what they’re used to!

Goats, gardens and going to school Felix and his family live in Kayanza, Burundi. For most of his life, he didn’t attend school regularly and his family struggled to grow enough food.

As an FH sponsored child, Felix received some goats for his family. His mother learned about using the manure in a kitchen garden on their small plot of land, and she was also trained in health and nutrition and animal breeding.

Now the family has a productive vegetable garden, Felix goes to school full time, his father sells surplus produce in the market and his mother is teaching others how to make their own kitchen gardens.

Want to help farmers kick-start a nutrientrich garden?

Fruit & veggie seeds are in the Gift Guide for $25. Your donation will be matched 3:1 by the Canadian International Development Agency!

“I am happy to learn and give my knowledge to others,” says Felix’s mother. Already, 90 percent of families in their village have started the gardens.

Have you browsed your Gift Guide yet?

Click to visit www.fhcanada.org/gifts or to order by phone call 1.800.667.0605

HOPE NOTES

WINTER 2011/2012

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Beginning with an End in Sight With story files from April Klassen and photography by Jonty Wilde

One Rwandan community celebrates its graduation, while another celebrates a new beginning.

Kamonyi, Rwanda - FH Canada

NOVEMBER 1, 2011 • CUBI, RWANDA It was not just another day in Cubi, Rwanda. The fields lay quiet while the village centre hummed with activity. It was graduation day, and no one wanted to miss it.

The celebration marked the end of an eight-year partnership between FH Canada and the village of Cubi in the Kamonyi community.

Since partnering in 2003, they’ve become completely self-sufficient.

Where access to education was once an issue, children are now completing both primary and secondary school in well-equipped classrooms. Parents who needed their kids to work can now afford to send them to school. They can also pay their families’ health insurance costs, and are able to prevent and treat most common diseases.

Many in the community now belong to farming cooperatives and are trained in business skills and the region’s best agricultural practices. Some groups are even consolidating land to increase productivity, and others have saved together to build offices or mills.

The local churches have come together to support the community’s development, and are positioned to play a key role as Cubi continues to progress.

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FH Canada president Ben Hoogendoorn remembers his first visit to Cubi in 2003. “There was an air of expectation,” he recalls, “but their eyes didn’t hold much hope.”

Ben would return to Cubi several times over the partnership. “Each

“With each victory, I could feel hope rising.”

BEN HOOGENDOORN, FH CANADA PRESIDENT

time there was a brighter sparkle in their eyes,” he says. “With each victory, I could feel hope rising.”

Samuel Bikorimana was 12 when the partnership began, and the ceremony ended with his speech about being a sponsored child. The crowd cheered when he switched to English, an official language of Rwanda he learned in school. “This is proof of how far we have come.”

Although the residents of Cubi are saying goodbye to the FH staff and Canadian supporters, there is still much to celebrate. With the recommendation of Cubi’s leaders, FH has begun a partnership with nearby Busekera village.

New classrooms and sanitary latrines only begin to represent the transformation.

Other successes include improved health, increased school attendance, higher crop yields, new small businesses and active savings groups.

www.povertyrevolution.org

FH CANADA

NOVEMBER 2, 2011 • BUSEKERA, RWANDA A white canvas sheet blocks the Rwandan sun as Busekera’s community leaders and FH staff pledge a new partnership. In the presence of teachers, farmers and a few foreigners — and encouraged by Cubi’s success less than 20 kilometres away — the community embarks on what will likely be a 10-year journey.

Located in the Muhanga district, Busekera is one of the most vulnerable communities in Rwanda. Regular PARENT AT THE OPENING CEREMONY water shortages and land infertility result in sickness and starvation. There is no health centre, and few can afford health insurance or to travel for treatment. Teachers and parents have worked hard to ensure that school is available for kids, but limited

“Busekera has been baptized today by help, support and friends from FH.”

classrooms and the sheer weight of poverty have led some youth into prostitution and life on the street.

Despite their struggles, the community of Busekera was full of hope at the partnership ceremony. With big, exaggerated voices, the school-aged children presented a comical play about life in the village. The laughter that erupted from the international guests was returned as the visitors were dragged from their seats to join a traditional dance. At that sight, even the most wrinkled faces of Busekera broke into smiles.

“Busekera has been baptized today by new help, support and friends from FH,” shared one parent. With the support of FH and its Canadian partners, leaders in Busekera are committed to taking an exciting 10-year development process all the way to self-sustainability.

April Klassen is serving in Burundi and Rwanda as a short-term Communications Specialist, gathering stories and experiences from the field. You too can be a Comms Specialist! Contact info@fhcanada.org

Since 1994, FH Canada has seen 34 communities graduate as self-sustaining.

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Cards that show Purchase greeting cards from the FH Canada 2011 Holiday Card Program to help us eradicate poverty around the world.

• Easy

online ordering • Add your own message, photo or logo • Starting as low as $12 (package of 8, blank inside) • Proceeds benefit FH Canada

Sending these cards to friends, family, clients and business associates is a wonderful way to showcase your support and spread the word about FH Canada.

Click on fhcanadacards.com to order your cards today!

Don’t forget to check out the online Gift Guide! www.fhcanada.org/gifts

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

Poverty Revolution