Blog

Somewhere in Mbirizi, a small village tucked in green hills in the very centre of Rwanda, a woman named Djalia stands proudly outside her home. Her small garden outside is watered, the cow, chickens, and rabbits are fed. Her six children and one grandchild are inside, they have all eaten. But things weren’t always this hopeful for Djalia.

Feliciana, a mother of three from Acul, Guatemala, remembers her childhood dream. She always wanted to be an entrepreneur, experiencing the thrill of being her own boss and starting her own business. From a young age, she learned how to weave and embroider güipiles, traditional blouses. She knew that this could be a perfect business, but her lack of confidence held her back.

In the past, we in Canada may have been tempted to take education for granted. Of course our children will go to school when they turn five or six and stay in school until they graduate at the vibrant age of 18, ready to take on the world—or, at least, university. But after nearly two years of rolling COVID-19 lockdowns, school closures, and various versions of online-only or hybrid learning, we’re no longer so quick to assume anything when it comes to our children’s education. “From its early days, the pandemic has been a terrible study in inequality, so it seems inescapable that the world’s poorer countries would bear the heaviest costs. But kids also disappeared from classrooms in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.”1

For students in rural Cambodia, pandemic lockdowns have closed schools and have made learning a disjointed and difficult process. Schools have been mostly closed since the onset of the pandemic, jarred by reopening and closing again. The substandard education experience for children in the community weighed on the Prasat Krohom Meanchey village chief, Mr. Chhoeun Ngoun. “While COVID-19 was spreading through the community, 19 schools were temporarily closed and left children out of in-person school,” he explains. But Chhoeun had a plan to help kids continue learning together outside of school.

There can be a tendency to stereotype people of faith, and while this is inevitable, it can still be painful. At FH Canada, we see all forms of poverty as rooted in all forms of broken relationships. We, therefore, make the focus of our work walking with others, rather than on an ideology that can alienate.

In North America, the phrase ‘business woman’ might trigger the image of power suits, striking presentations, and hurried cups of coffee while taking yet another conference call. But one group of women in Guatemala is proving to be so much more.

We realize that charity gift catalogues can be confusing—you’re buying a gift but you don’t receive a gift, but someone in North America gets the gift...but not really—they get a card, not a gift... Sooo, who gets your goat?

It was a long trip. Two countries—Rwanda and Uganda—with fourteen days straight of work-related travel, meetings, and conversations. As I came to the end of the trip, I was pretty tired.

How many bottles does it take to buy a $25 Pair of Chickens?

When Food for the Hungry (FH) started work in Amhara, Ethiopia, they saw that many of the children were going hungry. Unable to get the nutrients they needed to grow up strong and healthy, their bodies and minds struggled. In technical terms, the children were suffering from chronic malnutrition and severe stunting. In heart terms, the kids were half starved and their parents couldn’t stand it.

Chun Ul was a newcomer to Ta Siem only a few years ago. Now, she's a key leader in her community, setting an example for others to follow!

For anyone, a chance to learn and grow can make you feel valuable. And 12-year-old Rorn Hann didn’t always feel valued.

It’s often said that the day a woman gives birth is the most dangerous day of her life. Sylvia Namakoye knows all too well the dangers of pregnancy and birth. Living in the rural village of Nabukhoma, Bukiende, Sylvia’s home was too far from the closest health centre to walk to her antenatal appointments.