SPRING 2021 Walking Together THE NEWSLETTER OF FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY UK

Food for the Hungry celebrates its half-century YOU DID IT!

We are thrilled to let you know that we exceeded our Christmas appeal target of £30,000. We raised £38,000, which Welcome Message was generously donated by you. This amount was matched pound for pound Inspired by Psalm 146:7, extreme poverty. Despite all by an anonymous supporter, to make a Food for the Hungry came the challenges of Covid-19, sufficiency. Local FH staff grand total of £76,000. What a great start into being in 1971. This 2020 was a record year for walk with the poor to help to 2021! Read on to see how we shall year, we celebrate 50 years FH UK in terms of income them seize a brighter future. use this money to impact thousands of of the organisation fulfilling and people supported (see This is key to our strategy, people in Mwumba, northern . its God-given mandate page 5). This is a testament and 99% of FH’s global staff to reverse poverty in the to your generosity and As part of a five-year programme aiming of 3,300 work locally. poorest nations. faithfulness, thank you. to lift 15,000 people out of extreme poverty, our priority is to improve On page 4, we are kitchen gardens. This will help combat The founder of Food for Our approach to the health of pregnant mothers and delighted to introduce the situation of 71% malnutrition among the Hungry, Larry Ward, addressing poverty has children. Poor health resulting from an FH’s new global Chief the children of the region. Alongside believed that a God who evolved since those early inadequate diet, using dirty water and a Operating Officer and a UK this, training will be given in the effective cares for the oppressed days and we have come lack of hygiene knowledge hits this group Trustee, Rudo Kayombo, planning and cultivation of the gardens, would want his followers to recognise the potential hardest. Cholera, dysentery, and other who will continue our quest together with education in health and to do the same. While of communities to help water-borne diseases persist where these to “decolonise” aid. dietary needs. We shall undertake much has changed over themselves develop and be issues remain unaddressed. the last half-century, the transformed. As the Covid-19 pandemic basic hygiene and sanitation training Food for the Hungry will provide 10km throughout the whole area of Karungara call to respond to human Our role has become continues to set back of pipeline, providing clean, fresh water and Kagosi, highlighting the importance suffering remains central. one of facilitating this development among the to 6,500 villagers, including over 1,500 of handwashing prior to meals to prevent Your support has enabled transformation process, poorest, this is a time for children, in the Karungara and Kagosi the spread of COVID 19 and other us to play a part in tackling from helplessness to self- organisations like FH to step forward. Reliant on God, areas. Training will also be given for water diseases. system maintenance. hand-in-hand with faithful Your giving has made all of this possible. God upholds the supporters, we remain Seeds will be distributed to over 2000 Thank you once again for your generosity, committed to the cause for vulnerable families to set up their own kindness, and prayers. cause of the oppressed another 50 years to come - and gives food to the or as long as it takes. hungry. PSALM 146:7

Food for the Hungry UK - 47 Burgess Wood Road South, Beaconsfield, Bucks HP9 1EL Phone: 01494 674898 Email: [email protected] Web: www.uk-fh.org Registered Charity No. 328273 We are a Christian international development organisation that has been walking with the poor globally since 1971. We tackle the root causes in order to graduate communities out of poverty. Contributors: Copywriting: Sarah & James Smart (The Smart Solutions Co.) Martin Josten. Design: John Tromans (X313 Design). All images are used with permission.

2 Walking Together www.fh.org Walking Together www.fh.org 3 Meet Rudo – our new COO Financial Update We are very excited to introduce to you Despite the challenges COVID-19 has brought over the last 12 months, our Rudo Kayombo, Food for the Hungry’s new supporters, staff and partners have continued to seek to end poverty in the Chief Operating Officer and a new FH UK communities we serve. trustee. Highlights from 2020 include: Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Rudo Income by source attends a Dutch Reformed Church with her ● Our total UK income for 2020 was a record extended but close family. Having come £775,000 - 8% higher than 2019. to faith in Jesus at an early age, she has ● Low overhead costs (below 5%) have developed a deep and clear belief in the meant almost all funds raised have been sovereignty of God and can see His hand transferred overseas to local offices for direct throughout her life journey. Rudo gained implementation. her development experience as both a ● We estimate that we have supported more than Country and Regional Director for World 79,000 people in the communities we serve. Vision across Africa and the UK. She brings to Food for the Hungry a professional and ● As Covid-19 has changed the context in which highly contextualised understanding of how we work, we have adapted our programmes accordingly. We have used the following Government Grants £324,000 we can make an impact. approaches to reduce the spread of infection Companies £22,000 We look forward to Rudo’s leadership as and promote early recovery: Churches £44,000 she shares her knowledge and insights ● Implemented hygiene training and built while, under God’s guidance, our plans are Trusts £151,000 inspiring indigenous leaders is paramount. hand-washing stations at schools in continuously refined and developed. An Rudo, as a person, leaves an impression Individuals £234,000 overriding objective expressed by Rudo is a which can be summed up in these words: ● Served refugees in Cox’s Bazaar (Bangladesh), total commitment to local community and prayerful, humble, determined, passionate Northern and elsewhere church ownership of our plans, leading to and above all “Christ-focused”. ● Helped address the impact of extreme sustainability of our impact. One thing that weather emergencies, such as flooding in COVID restrictions have taught us is that to Food for the Hungry is in good and safe bring our vision to fruition, equipping and hands. ● Built schools and supported teachers, parents and children An invitation to ● Promoted health and nutrition through browse our website programmes such as our UK Aid project in Uganda to reduce post-harvest losses and Facebook page ● Helped communities to improve their There is a wealth of information, income, through livelihood programmes such inspiring stories and resourses to as our UK Aid project in Kenya to improve keep you up to date with all that’s the functionality of livestock markets going on in Food for the Hungry. ● Addressed maternal health, promoted Why not bookmark these pages and gender equality and sought to reduce visit occasionally to see what’s new. gender-based violence. uk-fh.org www.facebook.com/FftHUK Hope has been renewed, relationships restored and lives transformed, for which we give thanks to God. Thank you for joining us in this work.

4 Walking Together www.fh.org Walking Together www.fh.org 5 Umar’s Story

For people with disabilities in parts of COVID-19, especially as he Uganda, gaining access to a local water was using different people to support supply is not a straightforward activity. him in collecting water. For example, such facilities were never Recognising the plight of individuals designed with wheelchair access in mind. like Umar, Food for the Hungry has Steps, inclines, and narrow walkways can implemented a COVID-19 emergency make water points virtually inaccessible. WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) Umar Mutema, aged 30, is the single- project with the help of funding from parent father of two 3 year old girls. A UK Aid. The project has been focused long illness left Umar paralyzed in both on infection prevention and improving Reflections on Covid his legs, resulting in him being wheelchair access to water facilities for vulnerable dependent. The nearest water source to and disabled people. Five boreholes have Umar was previously 3km away. Umar says: been adapted, following input and advice 2020 was the year when, ironically, we “The impact of crises is never gender- “Owing to my disability, I had to get from less able community members. didn’t see a pandemic coming. Covid-19 neutral and Covid-19 is no exception. help from well-wishers, and from family Umar sums up in his own words: went from being an obscure name for Rates of gender-based violence have members when available. Sometimes “Now I can go at any time of the day a far-off virus to a ubiquitous byword increased.” UN Women at the borehole I had to get off my for economic downturn, lockdown, and and don’t have to depend on anyone to “9.7 million children are at risk of wheelchair and crawl on the ground pump for me. I don’t have to sit on the the suspension of freedoms we took for dropping out of school permanently, to reach it in order to pump water for granted. In addition to the staggering ground or crawl in the mud like I used owing to the secondary impact on myself.” to. I am so happy for the work Food for death toll, the collateral damage of poverty.” UNICEF coronavirus has impacted us all. Umar had to put himself at a high risk of The Hungry and our donors are doing for contracting hygiene-related diseases like people like us.” Even in the UK, where our national So how is Food for the resources have cushioned the blow of the Hungry responding? secondary effects of Covid-19, many have We have shifted emphasis from lost friends and family members, jobs and development to relief where necessary livelihoods, and even our mental health and increased our focus on hygiene has suffered. But how has the pandemic to avoid the spread of the virus. An affected the poorest countries in the effort will be made to counteract world? Here are a few words from expert misinformation about the coronavirus commentators: and improve access to vaccines for “This is the worst economic fallout marginalised communities. We are since the Great Depression. The facilitating early recovery by promoting global economic downturn will have a livelihoods and income generation disproportionate impact on developing along with education – especially for economies as they have less protection girls who are vulnerable to teenage against… health and economic crises.” pregnancy, child marriage and gender- IMF Managing Director based violence. All our existing working practices have been adapted to ensure “The economic impact of Covid-19 could staff and community safety. push 100 million into extreme poverty, the first increase in global poverty since The need for our work has never 1998.” World Bank been greater.

6 Walking Together www.fh.org Walking Together www.fh.org 7 Ann’s story Other Project Updates Meet Ann Ntipesn. She lives in Songa Bangladesh village in northern Kenya, where climate change and neglect have threatened Research within the Godagari region hoping to foster the livelihoods of many families. Funded of Bangladesh has revealed that 41% a sense of dignity by UK Aid, we are working on a project of girls stay away from school during and provide a safe to help livestock markets thrive so that their monthly period. This averages out environment in farmers can earn more money to feed family can raise from the sale of livestock. at nearly 3 days per month, per pupil. which girls can be their families. We plan to share Ann’s Ann works hard every day to support her Food for the Hungry has launched a educated. story over the next eighteen months family. When she can, she also helps her project aimed at improving sanitation and so that we can chart the impact of the sister with school fees for her children. hygiene for girls at school. Construction project on her life and that of her family. FH is working to help Ann build a work on twelve latrines within six Ann is married with four children, Leshan, sustainable life for herself and her schools began in October 2020. A local Nashipal, Lemayan and Baby. The family family. She has joined a women’s Self- Construction Monitoring Committee has earn an income from livestock and crop Help Group and has recently been been overseeing the progress and quality farming. Life is tough, especially with appointed chairman. The group have of the work, and completion is expected increasingly frequent periods of drought called themselves “Naliapo,” which within the first quarter of 2021. With which impacts the productivity of her means “Awakening” in the local Samburu health and hygiene lessons also currently farm. The international community have language, and reflects Ann’s belief that scheduled for March and June, we are regularly provided food aid to prevent poverty is not her destiny. humanitarian disasters in the region. Ann notes that although cases of COVID-19 If you would like to hear more Kenya have been low, the lockdown in Kenya about Ann’s story through regular email updates, please go to: Laaria Primary School, in the Buuri are intentional in their involvement with has affected her income. The temporary Cluster of communities in Kenya, has development projects. uk-fh.org/home/sign-up closure of livestock markets and a curfew benefited from a newly built classroom (7pm to 5am) have limited the income her or send an email to [email protected] Members of the Isiolo COVID-19 which can accommodate up to forty Response Team conducted talks with pupils. Community leaders chose to take school children, staff, and parents after responsibility for ensuring a high level one school teacher tested positive for of workmanship during the construction the virus. Misinformation about the process. School representatives have virus had caused some anxiety within expressed their pleasure in the classroom, the school community, so the talks which sets a new standard of building addressed the psychological aspects of a quality. This goes to show how much pandemic, and specific advice was given difference it makes when local people to help infection control. This resulted in a more balanced reaction. A child protection structure has been put in place within the Buuri Cluster, which will provide effective safeguarding for children and teenagers vulnerable to pregnancy, child labour, abuse, and neglect. This much-needed local service will be delivered by the specially trained BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS OF THE CLASSROOM Buuri Area Advisory Council. MEMBERS OF A SELF HELP GROUP WORKING ON A MID-TERM EVALUATION

8 Walking Together www.fh.org Walking Together www.fh.org 9 couple ofspecialevents. When lockdownendsintheUK,wewanttocelebrateourgoldenanniversarywitha than that,byGod’s grace,weprovide hope. medical aid,food,education,vocationaltrainingandspiritualdevelopment.Evenmore 20 countriesaround theworld, providing life-changingresources suchascleanwater, through unimaginablehardships. Today we walk withvulnerablecommunitiesinover 10 Walking Together www.fh.org walks from Easteronwards. Morewillbesenttoyouafterregister. information Don’t worry if you are feeling a bit unfit due to lockdown – we shall be arranging practice Challenge Ridgeway for registration is30thJune. or call01494674898.Theclosingdate challenge, [email protected] For more ortoregister information for the – withanother£50,000asamatchgivingtarget. personal sponsorship,weare hoping toraise£50,000 East IlseyandfinishingatIvinghoeBeacon.Through 3rd –4thJuly. Thewalkwillbe50mileslong–startingat the fullchallengewilltakeplaceoverweekendof Challenge 50’.Subjecttolockdownrestrictions, We are relaunching ourpostponedinclusiveevent,‘Ridgeway PETS WELCOME FAMILIES AND ALL FRIENDS, time”. For50years,wehavebeenservingthosewhoare living “If children dieoneatatime,then theycanbehelpedoneata In 1971,FoodfortheHungrywasfoundedonasinglepremise: Anniversary

we shallletyou know! Once wehaveaclearer ideaofhowthiswilllook, over thepast50years–withall gloryduetoGod. recognise thesignificantachievementsofFoodfor Hungry One wayoranother, weshallbeorganising acelebrationto No significantspecialdateshould gobywithoutaparty! Anniversary Celebration50th

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