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Whether we see it in run-down farming towns on the Prairies or thousands of miles away in Africa, poverty often leaves us feeling sad and distressed. In their paradigm-shattering book, “When Helping Hurts: How to alleviate poverty without hurting the poor...and yourself”, Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert affirm that there is something “uniquely devastating about material poverty. Low income people,”

Before partnering with FH, many communities farmed and gardened in ways they had done for centuries. While traditional farming methods are important, it’s also necessary to incorporate simple new agricultural techniques that keep soil healthy and diversify crops. As FH partners with communities, many are looking for better agricultural success. Implementing these new practices are the first place to start.

My family and I recently arrived in the Cape Town area of South Africa at the tale end of a severe three year drought. We quickly adopted new routines when it came to showering, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and flushing toilets (“If it’s yellow let it mellow; if it’s brown flush it down”). At first, our three-year-old daughter struggled perhaps more than my husband and me.

Mao Kreng is a survivor. He was just 21 years old when the Khmer Rouge—a homegrown political movement—seized control of Cambodia. Over the next four years, he watched as a quarter of his countrymen—his friends, neighbours, and family members—died from disease, starvation, exhaustion, or execution. It is estimated that between 1.7 and 3 million people lost their lives under the Khmer Rouge between 1975-1979.

Shahida Yeasmin was an anomaly in Char Borobila. Instead of dropping out of school between the ages of seven and 10 like most other girls, she managed to stay in school, pass her exams, and actually graduate from secondary school! While her peers were working at home or being forced into early child marriage, Shahida was excelling in a predominately boys’ world.

Global hot drink recipes for winter!

Canadians spend over 400 million dollars at Christmas time every year, but is it making us or our children any happier? It might be time to rethink the gifts we give and consider the correlation between rising debt and rising anxiety.

Across Ethiopia, Hisbist is a staple bread prepared for large gatherings marking almost any special occasion—birthdays, weddings, graduations, or hosting special guests. It ain’t a party without Hisbist. And what better way to feed a crowd while helping guests feel at home than with fresh bread?

Does One Pig Make a Difference?

We pray before we eat a meal together. Often, my three-and-a-half-year-old volunteers to “say grace”. She’s perfected the art of a two second prayer to get us to eating as quickly as possible. “Dear Jesus, thank you for this food, you bless it to our bodies, in Jesus name, amen.” And while I always want to encourage her to pray, it can be somewhat lacking in sincerity. So, sometimes I insist on me or my husband praying.

This zesty chicken recipe from Haiti is a delicious entree for any time of year!

It’s easy to jump to conclusions. We do it all the time. About the driver who doesn’t use their turn signal, the mom who lets her kids eat cookies for snack, the woman standing barefoot by the side of the road holding a cardboard sign.

Poverty Busters worldwide were recently joined by a host of Calgarian Vacation Bible School (VBS) attendees. Ninety elementary-aged children from two churches in Calgary teamed up to take poverty alleviation seriously by raising funds to furnish a school in a developing community. Knowing that children there are forced to learn without desks or school supplies, these VBS kids tackled their goal with a roar!

elena, a 27 year old mom with two boys – Shawon (9) and Tamim (6) – shares how poor their family health used to be. Her sons were often sick and, to be totally honest, so were she and her husband. They didn’t have running water in their home or a proper toilet.

Fresh Vegetable gardens are ending poverty in Ethiopia!

Jesus' exmaple of footwashing has powerful potential to teach service and love to people of all ages!