Hunger is relentless.
Across the globe, 733 million people are hungry. They go to bed on empty stomachs nearly every night. Every day, parents wonder how they will feed their children.
But what is more relentless than hunger? Hope.
Diego, a father in Guatemala, faced hunger daily. He worked tirelessly, but his dry land refused to produce enough food for his children. His vegetables always failed.
“Before, my life was different,” Diego remembers. “I was afraid… I planted my vegetables, but [they never grew.] All I saw was loss.”
Diego built a greenhouse to grow tomatoes, but they died and his investment was wasted. “All of this affected me emotionally and demotivated me.”
“Seeing the losses in my crop made me very sad because it was a big loss. But, it gave me more reasons to continue and improve.”
Diego never gave up. And his story didn’t end there.
“The most important thing is to fight and persevere,” he told us. His fierce determination turned his harsh reality into hope!
Diego enriched his soil using sheep manure and learned to plant his crops at proper distances for a plentiful harvest.
When Diego’s community partnered with FH Guatemala, he attended family garden training and gained agricultural knowledge that transformed his garden and his life!
Diego learned to enrich his soil using manure and planted his crops in improved ways to bring real harvests. His land flourished and he grew fresh, nutritious vegetables to help his children grow strong.
At the same time, his wife joined a women’s savings group, learning entrepreneurial skills alongside other women and mothers in the community. Together, they began to change their family’s future.
For Diego and his wife, Maria, teamwork is key! Together, they’ve been changing their family’s future.
“Now I can differentiate the types of vegetables and the appropriate distance [to plant them] so that the plants can develop in a good way… I know that [the importance of] consuming healthy food. Now I can produce and I do not have to go to the market to look for contaminated vegetables.”
Today, Diego teaches these farming methods to his neighbours. Although their community doesn’t have a market, the community knows that Diego has fresh, nutritious vegetables and they buy their produce directly from him.
“I can guarantee that my neighbours consume fresh vegetables,” Diego shares.
He’s helping put food on their tables!
“Seeing these changes in my community gives me a lot of joy,” Diego beams. “Because it is not only for me, but for my children.”
FH Guatemala staff have seen Diego and Maria’s life transform!
While the global hunger situation is dire—with 152 million more people hungry today than in 2019—we can reverse hunger. You can send immediate food relief and help families develop long-term solutions to hunger like growing gardens and raising livestock.
Remember Diego’s relentless hope? This hope and determination is what planted a new, food-secure future for his family. He reminds us, “The most important thing is to take God as a priority. If we do, things will turn out in an incredible way.”
