Food
From Washed Out to Thriving
Jean farms for a living, but it isn’t easy. The soil in the Rwandan community of Ruhindage is acidic and the hilly landscape causes crops to wash away when it rains, making farming an unpredictable (and often unproductive) livelihood. And does it ever rain! Often resulting in dangerous landslides. In May 2023, more than 20 families in Ruhindage were evacuated from their homes under the threat of flooding and landslides. “Fifty per cent of my crops were ruined by heavy rain [that year],” Jean explains. “The harvest was low.”
Strength for Today, Bright Hope for Tomorrow
Five years ago, families in the community of Prasat Krohom Meanchey were struggling. Parents couldn’t find employment that paid enough to support their children. The land wouldn’t give enough to feed their children. In desperation, many fathers like Chhom migrated to neighbouring provinces or even crossed the border into Thailand looking for work in construction.
Fighting Drought by Healing the Soil
The Horn of Africa, home to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Sudan, and South Sudan, is experiencing a severe food crisis. Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya are in their fourth season of drought, the worst the region has seen in over 40 years. With more than 80 per cent of the population relying on subsistence farming, this is a life-threatening situation. To compound the strain caused by the drought, the conflict in Ukraine is choking imports and causing food shortages - nearly one-third of East Africa’s cereal supply comes from Russia and Ukraine. In addition, fertilizer supplies from Europe have been disrupted. Climate change-induced drought and increased temperatures are devastating not only agriculture, but grasslands and water resources as well, meaning tens of millions of livestock animals have perished.
Time to Fight for a Better Life
Two years ago, Maria’s husband Antonio went blind. It was an unexpected blow to the family. Suddenly, Maria found herself solely responsible for their five children, the youngest of whom was just a newborn. In her small, rural community of Vichibala, Guatemala, there aren’t many job opportunities. And even if there were, Maria had no one to provide childcare.