SPRING 2018 Walking Together THE NEWSLETTER OF FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY UK WELCOME MESSAGE The generous will themselves be blessed,

Welcome to our new edition of Our priority is for they share their food with the poor. ‘Walking Together’ – so much has to demonstrate happened over the last six months that your support and we hope you enjoy reading is helping us Proverbs 22:9 (NIV) about the impact we are having in deliver life-saving some of the poorest places in the transformation in world. the communities in which we work. I have just returned from trips to We are deeply concerned about the and where FH staff are serving recent news reports regarding sexual sacrificially in the name of Christ to help misconduct by aid workers. We need to the most vulnerable. You can read about keep in our thoughts and prayers those that in this newsletter. that have been affected by this situation, especially those in and elsewhere Now, more than ever, we are committed who have not been afforded the dignity to our mission to end poverty and to our and respect they deserve. values: ●● We follow Jesus ●● Our work is relational ●● We invest wisely and focus on results ●● We serve with humility ●● We pursue beauty, goodness and truth We will continue to maintain a zero- tolerance approach to any staff misconduct that breaches our code of behaviour including fraud, abuse, sexual misconduct and other acts. We are confident in our current policies but will continue to reflect on whether they can be improved. Blessings

Paul Cornelius

Food for the Hungry UK - 47 Burgess Wood Road South,Beaconsfield, Bucks HP9 1EL We are a Christian international development Phone: 01494 674898 Email: [email protected] Web: www.fh.org Registered Charity No. 328273 organization that has been walking with the poor globally since 1971. We tackle the root causes in order to graduate communities out of poverty. 2 Walking Together www.fh.org INSPIRING HOPE Report by Ian Johnson COMMUNITY BY COMMUNITY

Our aim in Food for the Hungry is to that people lack basic necessities such as bring hope and graduate communities access to clean water, nutrition, adequate out of poverty. In January, I visited several healthcare and education. African communities and saw different stages of the process of transformation: A community pre- before; progress in partnership with FH; transformation graduation and beyond. We visited a community in Mwumba Together with a team from the UK, my where FH, in partnership with the Elim first port of call was Burundi, a beautiful church, is about to start work. We met country with fertile land. Long-standing two families struggling to survive by civil war and ongoing neglect have meant subsistence farming and labouring.

Thriving schools Paul Cornelius looking over training materials

The adults were dressed in rags and I have two meals a day.” Her children are the roof of a house had collapsed. The thriving in school. children were undernourished. They felt We met Karenza, and asked her what powerless. In the community as a whole, FH training she had benefited from. there was an overwhelming fatalism and a “Training? I’m a trainer!” she said with a lack of hope for the present or the future. big smile on her face. She explained that A community she had been selected as a volunteer “leader mother.” She teaches twenty transforming of her neighbours what she has learned about health and hygiene. She is proud In contrast, in the neighbouring to be part of a movement to end poverty community on Gihama Hill where in her community. FH is currently working, the sense of achievement and rising hope is palpable. Having seen the progress, self-belief One mother, a member of an FH trained and hope in the Gihama Hill community, Farming Association, proudly told us, we are optimistic that they will become “Our harvests have grown. My family and self-sustaining in the next five years or so. I used to eat one meal a day. Now the When that point is reached, FH will exit children have three and my husband and and the community will graduate.

Farmers in Mwumba

4 Walking Together www.fh.org Walking Together www.fh.org 5 Communities transformed INTERVIEW WITH ELOHO A community nearby has just reached that stage and we joined with them for their graduation celebration. There was plenty So Eloho, you started being an Ambassador Because this is God’s heart. We are here to of singing and dancing and the many for us last year. Can you tell us what has be His feet, His arms, His hands. We are here speakers described with joy the huge struck you most positively about the work to show His love. change in their lives, achieved by working we do? What else happened on your trip? together and using their resources in new FH partners work with the local community So much happened, from meeting the ways. Now they have hope for themselves to end poverty, not just physical poverty but local FH staff to visiting the communities and their children. spiritual poverty. The God Factor has really that FH UK are working with and attending struck me. Also the fact that FH doesn’t the graduation ceremony of one of the The following week, I visited two just go to the community like ‘Santa ‘ but communities in Uganda which had communities FH has been working involves the beneficiaries every step of the with all inspired me to want to do more. It graduated in 2010 and 2012. Community way to take ownership. leaders explained enthusiastically how was also an honour being at the Elim church they had continued to progress. Families You went to Burundi last month and met – seeing how they worship and singing ‘How had enough to eat and many had their your sponsored child, how was that? Great Thou Art’. I loved the reaction of the children each time they saw us coming. own businesses. Schools and churches Meeting my sponsored children changed were thriving. Sponsored children from my whole concept of sponsorship, the entire What is happening with you in your the poorest families had grown into strong experience was surreal. Seeing the level Ambassador role this coming year? young men and women. “You gave us of poverty completely humbled me and I’ve been sharing my Burundi experience and hope and that made the difference,” one of knowing that the little amount I send monthly have gotten a few enquiries. Friends want to the church leaders told us. “We give glory is contributing towards ending poverty made give a one-off donation and others want more to God.” me thankful. I loved it and would do it again. information on sponsorship. I have sent the When we see communities in the grip of Why would you encourage link to FH Website and am also planning to others to become a sponsor? have a “Meet & Greet” at this year’s Engage. extreme poverty and hopelessness gradually transform into self-sufficient communities with a future and a hope, we do the same.

Rejoicing over successful crops

6 Walking Together www.fh.org Walking Together www.fh.org 7 UPDATE case studies

Women of Action successful in reducing the score for this Dolly Throughout 2017, FH Bangladesh from 95% to 75%. Dolly was married at a very young continued their work with women in Bogra An exciting aspect of this progress is that age and deprived of an education through Learning and Savings groups. A it has been driven by the community and as a result. Despite this, she still held mid-term evaluation demonstrated that particularly the women in the learning on to a deep desire to learn to read, the work between 2011 and 2017 has not and savings group themselves. and to also support her children’s only benefited the women and children, What our women in but also the whole community. Highlights education. Dolly started to attend an included cutting the percentage of children Bangladesh are saying; adult literacy group formed by Food underweight from 38%% to 32% and “I have learnt about women rights and for the Hungry, and after studying for ensuring 90% of children had received I know what kinds of rights a woman eight months, learned to read and deworming medicine. Our work addressing has. I have also discussed with my family write. Now she can assist her children the role of women and domestic violence members about this. After discussing with in their own studies, giving them the also drew fruit. In 2011, 70% of women my husband, he gave me full freedom to best chance of learning the basic skills gave 4 or more reasons where they do my work.” which she had missed out on for years. Her progress inspired her fellow team believed it was OK for a man to hit a “After the mother leaders training now I Shanti woman. By 2017 this had fallen to 31%. members who elected her as Mother know about the care of pregnant women. Shanti is a confident and enterprising Leader. Every month now, Dolly takes As an organisation, we try to measure I am pregnant now and I go to the health woman living with her husband and part in the Mother Leader training and multi-dimensional poverty which takes centre for regular anti-natal checkup. I children. Her family had no fixed shares what she has learned with the into account moral/emotional and promise to give breastmilk to my baby income and as a result, she and her community. She said, “I will always be spiritual dimensions of poverty. We were exclusively.” husband would fight often. At the thankful for what FH has given me. I same time, her children’s school will definitely maintain and apply for a attendance became irregular. Shanti life time what I learned.” decided to do something about the situation and became a member of a Women Leaders group with Food for the Hungry. She was able to take out a loan and establish her own grocery shop business. From the sale of groceries, she then took out a further loan to enlarge her shop by including a more diverse range of items to sell. A steady profit has continued to be generated from her business to provide a regular income for her family. Through the Women Leaders group, Shanti has been learning about the mission and values of Food for the Hungry - from having faith in God to cultivating a strong work ethic.

8 Walking Together www.fh.org Walking Together www.fh.org 9 Walking Together Response Form REF :SPRING18 Uganda Update

In the last edition of our newsletter we shared about our new post-harvest handling project in Magada, Uganda. The projects aim is to increase household income by over 30% within it’s first year through the provision of Hermatic silos, training and post-harvest management.

Here is a brief update of soil contamination and moisture content on how things are determination), sorting and storage. Thank You! going so far. 40 farmers have now made commitments (financial contributions towards silo cost) The project was officially launched in the to date. The eventual target is 600. The District on 27th July. Local leaders and first batch of 34 hermetic silos (20 metal other stakeholders including the District silos of 500 litres and 14 plastic silos, also Local Council chairperson attended the of 500 litres) has been delivered to the FH launch meeting at Magada Subcounty Namutumba district Office for allocation headquarters and a statement from the FH to the farmers who had made the agreed livelihoods specialist and the District Leader contribution. Commitment to buying silos was broadcast by the local radio station. (payment of initial contributions) has been Initial training in post-harvest handling slower than expected due to financial

has been completed for all of the target struggles, but with local Savings Groups I want to Gift Aid my donation today and any donations may

make in the future or have made in the past four years to Food for make in the future the Hungry UK. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if pay less than the amount of Gift Aid and/or Capital Gains Tax Income Tax to pay claimed on all my donations in that year it is responsibility any difference. Date: ___ / Signature: community of 600 farmers, representing now helping out, this should pick up over Food for a UK taxpayer, If you are 25% the Hungry UK can reclaim tax for every £1 you give. change or you want to cancel this declaration. If Please notify us if your circumstances the additional tax relief at a higher or additional rate and want to receive pay Income Tax due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code. 100 from each of the 6 parishes of the next six months. Magada Subcounty. The training was facilitated by a hired consultant and the FHU livelihoods specialist. The training covered principles of grain management, including harvest timing and techniques, post-harvest handling, transportation, cleaning, drying (avoidance

Postcode: ______Mobile: ______

Kenya Bangladesh

Hermetic silos to replace baskets so that farmers reap the rewards of harvest rather than rodents and insects

______Email: ______Home Phone: ______Full Name: ______Address: donation of towards I would like to make a one-off community development in; Burundi Bank - Account name: FHUK Sort Code: 20-62-53 No: 40359173 Barclays to let us know your donation is on its way. Please also email us at [email protected] Please do not acknowledge this gift. FH speak at my church. in having someone from I am interested about volunteering with FH in the UK. I would like to know more my please remove ve your newsletter, I no longer want to recei your mailing list. details from Uganda Needed Most Where Cheques should be made payable to Food for the Hungry UK and sent Road South, Beaconsfield, Bucks HP9 1EL to us at 47 Burgess Wood our bank details are; transfer, If you would like to make a direct 10 Walking Together www.fh.org Food for the Hungry UK 47 Burgess Wood Road South, Beaconsfield, Bucks HP9 1EL