This article was contributed by Zoey Wilson from World Vision US.
When you don’t have a lot of money, putting food on the table can be tough. So what do families do in places such as Bangladesh, Honduras, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe when resources are scarce and money is scarcer? Programs such as Feed the Future are working with these communities to provide resources, tools, and education so that they can produce their own crops to feed their families and make a lasting impact in their communities.
In Bangladesh, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, who was awarded the distinguished World Food Prize, felt that girls needed to be empowered because when they are, it does the community a lot of good. He started a program that reached 1.9 million women by providing sustainable agriculture poultry farming. This provides women another way to get income, which in turns helps their children, families, and communities. “The result is they improve not only their family’s livelihood and well-being, but society as a whole,” says Beth Ann Saracco, World Vision’s food security and livelihoods policy advisor.
In Honduras, Gennri Herrera, 39, and his wife Marisol, 42, joined a savings group with World Vision. A savings group allows people with little money take out loans without having to worry about high interest rates. While going to school was only a requirement until sixth grade, Marisol went to a local university and went into business with her husband. “They provide 125 farmers with a place to bring their coffee beans to sell,” says World Vision writer Kari Costanza. Not only are they able to support themselves, but they are also making a huge impact on farmers and youth in their community.
In Ethiopia, South Sudanese refugees find hope. Abdu Ibrahim, a 37-year-old Sudanese refugee from the Blue Nile State, was a farmer back home, but had no resources when he and his family migrated to Ethiopia. Though they were safe from war, they barely had enough to eat. World Vision provided Abdu and other refugees like him training and tools to be able to start farming in Ethiopia. This program not only provides his family with nutritious food, but provides him with a way to receive income. “Now I get three to four eggs per day. My family’s dishes are always full from the vegetables I grow on my small garden,” Abdu says.
In Zimbabwe, communities are getting irrigation tools to help with resilience against draughts. This prepares them so that they are able to produce crops and make a profit even when things are difficult. “We have managed to produce far higher yields of vegetables than before by using the fertility trenches,” said Benso Manjokota, chairman of the Buhera producers. Beth Ann Saracco says, “By strengthening farmers’ knowledge and skills, as well as utilizing existing resources, these efforts are helping communities cope with the impact of El Niño.”
Today, you have a chance to say no to hunger. Learn more about how you can help create a better system for global food security here.
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of each of the partners of Global Citizen.