BY: DELANEY KONRAD & ARIA HORVATH
Kabarore, Burundi
A young mother who once lived in complete despair now has hope for her family’s future, thanks to a Savings and Loans group.
Jacqueline got married when she was just 17. Never having had the chance to go to school, she thought her marriage would be the solution. Soon, her dreams turned into complete despair. They were always struggling. Insufficient land meant insufficient crops, which meant insufficient money to pay for her children’s education.
“Things started changing when Food for the Hungry came to our community. My daughter, Aline, was sponsored and I was enrolled in FH training. They opened my eyes, and revived my hopes and dreams for a future which had died in me.”
Jacqueline soon joined a Savings and Loans group.
“I decided to borrow 30,000 BIF ($21 CAD) to buy a goat in addition to the one that FH had given me. After some months, the goats had kids so that I had four goats, which later gave birth again. For me it meant that I was getting rich as they provided fertilizer for my crops. Using my hot compost preparation training, I applied the goat manure to restore my land’s fertility and have increased my agriculture productivity.
“Today, I feel confident that the future of my children is guaranteed. Indeed, my harvests are very good since I have enough manure to fertilize my crops. The different trainings I received opened up my mind and I have become creative in matters of making money. I do not know what to say to express my deeply felt thanks to FH for the support provided to my family.”
Xonca, Guatemala
MarÃa Pérez explains how her three children used to get sick from drinking contaminated water. These frequent illnesses slowed their growth and development. So when MarÃa learned that her community would be receiving Gift Guide Water Filters, she was delighted!
The filters provide safe and clean drinking water that no longer has to be boiled. “The only thing I have to do now,” MarÃa says, “is take a few minutes to clean the filter and drink safe water. Since starting to use the water filter, my children have not become sick like before.” MarÃa’s children are now gaining weight regularly and growing strong.
With a warm smile on her face, MarÃa explains, “The water filters have helped my children drink safe water, and that makes me feel good. Water is life—when we consume it safely. I appreciate the support of FH toward my community, and the donors who have done everything possible to help us.”
Boeng Mealea, Cambodia
Theat Theng and his wife, Luck, were happy in love but struggling under the yoke of poverty. Luck remembers, “We couldn’t grow enough food to last the whole year, so for two or three months, Theng and I had to work for other people in the village.”
Theng adds, “But even with all this hard work, we still often had to borrow rice from the neighbours to feed our family, and then pay them back during the next harvest season.”
Theng explains how life began to change when he and his wife took agricultural training with FH, “I learned new techniques for planting vegetables.” They used that training to start their own business, “Luck and I decided to start a small business by planting and selling vegetables. After some success, we were able to buy a hectare of land for ourselves and expand our business. Not only do we sell these vegetables in the market, but our children eat them, too.”
Thanks to the training they received because of Gift Guide Fruit and Veggie Seeds, Theng and Luck now have the tools to grow vegetables all year round, so they never run out of food!
This year they planted eggplant, cucumber, long beans, and spinach. Theng explains the business side of their vegetable farm, “In just the first year, we got a return of about 1m KHR–1.5m KHR ($316 CAD–$474 CAD). Now, we no longer need to borrow money because we’re making enough to run our business, and to actually save money. In addition to our vegetables, we sell ducks and chickens. Our profits enabled us to even buy a hand tractor.”
GIVE A GIFT
Despair Turned into Hope
Piggy BankKabarore, Burundi
A young mother who once lived in complete despair now has hope for her family’s future, thanks to a Savings and Loans group.
Jacqueline got married when she was just 17. Never having had the chance to go to school, she thought her marriage would be the solution. Soon, her dreams turned into complete despair. They were always struggling. Insufficient land meant insufficient crops, which meant insufficient money to pay for her children’s education.
Jacqueline soon joined a Savings and Loans group.
“I decided to borrow 30,000 BIF ($21 CAD) to buy a goat in addition to the one that FH had given me. After some months, the goats had kids so that I had four goats, which later gave birth again. For me it meant that I was getting rich as they provided fertilizer for my crops. Using my hot compost preparation training, I applied the goat manure to restore my land’s fertility and have increased my agriculture productivity.
“Today, I feel confident that the future of my children is guaranteed. Indeed, my harvests are very good since I have enough manure to fertilize my crops. The different trainings I received opened up my mind and I have become creative in matters of making money. I do not know what to say to express my deeply felt thanks to FH for the support provided to my family.”
Water Is Life
Purification FiltersXonca, Guatemala
The filters provide safe and clean drinking water that no longer has to be boiled. “The only thing I have to do now,” MarÃa says, “is take a few minutes to clean the filter and drink safe water. Since starting to use the water filter, my children have not become sick like before.” MarÃa’s children are now gaining weight regularly and growing strong.
With a warm smile on her face, MarÃa explains, “The water filters have helped my children drink safe water, and that makes me feel good. Water is life—when we consume it safely. I appreciate the support of FH toward my community, and the donors who have done everything possible to help us.”
Growing Success
Fruit & Veggie SeedsBoeng Mealea, Cambodia
Theat Theng and his wife, Luck, were happy in love but struggling under the yoke of poverty. Luck remembers, “We couldn’t grow enough food to last the whole year, so for two or three months, Theng and I had to work for other people in the village.”
Theng adds, “But even with all this hard work, we still often had to borrow rice from the neighbours to feed our family, and then pay them back during the next harvest season.”
Thanks to the training they received because of Gift Guide Fruit and Veggie Seeds, Theng and Luck now have the tools to grow vegetables all year round, so they never run out of food!
This year they planted eggplant, cucumber, long beans, and spinach. Theng explains the business side of their vegetable farm, “In just the first year, we got a return of about 1m KHR–1.5m KHR ($316 CAD–$474 CAD). Now, we no longer need to borrow money because we’re making enough to run our business, and to actually save money. In addition to our vegetables, we sell ducks and chickens. Our profits enabled us to even buy a hand tractor.”
GIVE A GIFT
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