Take “the walk” that transforms villages

Watch this video to see how you can walk alongside Food for the Hungry … and be blessed in the process.

Your financial gifts, prayers and advocacy help Food for the Hungry walk alongside churches, leaders and families worldwide. See the testimonies below about how this walk makes a lasting difference in the lives of children, families and entire communities.

Your fight against slavery saves girl

How a Haitian girl escapes a life of slavery

Unfortunately, slavery is still alive today.

In Haiti, child slaves—or restaveks —are a part of the cultural norm. According to the Jean Cadet Restavek Foundation, there are some 300,000 restavecs in Haiti. Twelve-year-old Marie-Nicole was one of them.

However, thanks to your faithful prayers and ongoing financial support, Marie-Nicole’s life has changed drastically.

Marie-Nicole was orphaned at a young age and was sent to live with a family unrelated to her. As is common with restaveks , she was abused and neglected. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, her mother’s cousin, Marthe, took her in. But the neglect continued.

Marthe was a single mother with five children of her own. She struggled to make a living by selling coffee, beans and corn in the local market. She sent all her children to school, except Marie-Nicole.

After the emergency response in Haiti, Food for the Hungry continued working with families to improve children’s lives and restore communities. An FH staff mentor worked with Marie-Nicole and Marthe to strengthen their relationship and integrate Marie-Nicole into the family. Marthe now considers Marie-Nicole as one of her own.

But Marie-Nicole’s story didn’t end there.
Your faithful partnership provided Marie-Nicole with school tuition, supplies and a school uniform. She learned about God’s love, made new friends and is looking forward to a better future.

Reaching for their dreams

You can help create long-lasting transformation

When FH walks into a village, we don’t just look around and find what needs to be fixed. Our work is relational. Our work is transformational. And when you walk with us, you are part of this everlasting change.

When we entered Desa Baru, Indonesia, we met Kenal Ginting, the subvillage chief. Kenal had grown accustomed to the handouts of relief organizations.

But this approach wasn’t working.

His village continued living in poverty. FH staff worked with Kenal and others in the community to teach them that, over time, true change was possible. Change doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. It takes work and an open heart.

Thanks to faithful partners like you, who walk with us in the hardest places in the world, Kenal’s understanding of FH changed. And with his new understanding came change for many more in his community.

Kenal ran the Kids Club in Desa Baru. He began to reinforce FH lessons about health and hygiene. He encouraged his neighbors to participate in FH programs. His interest in children’s education grew and he began to dream that the children in his village would be able to join academic competitions with the children in the city.

As we continue to walk with Kenal’s community and its leaders, we are encouraging them to dream about the future of their village. We are asking them to pursue their dreams to real transformation. Thank you for joining us in our walk!

Spend, save or give—one child’s decision to help change lives

A child uses his “give” piggy bank to help others

Did you have a piggy bank as a child? Did you drop in coin after coin, waiting for the day when you could buy something you really wanted?

Cameron Spencer, a 5-year-old boy from Carmel, Ind., knows that dream. But in Cameron’s case, his desire was to give. He not only had one piggy bank, but three—to spend, save and give.

Kirk and Stephanie Spencer gave Cameron an allowance of $1 every week. “I’m always moved by how much he chooses to put in the 'give' [bank],” said Stephanie, a stay-at-home mother and blogger.

But Cameron wanted to give to a place where he felt his money was making a real difference. That’s when he looked to FH.

The Spencer family went on a short-term mission trip to Peru with FH. Since the trip, the Spencers support FH’s work through prayer and giving.

While praying for the Horn of Africa famine, Cameron decided he wanted to use his money to help. He had saved up $7 in his "give" piggy bank.

Much to the surprise and delight of Cameron and his parents, they found a matching grant on the FH website that turned Cameron’s $7 into $140. Cameron was ecstatic that his gift was multiplied.

Even at age 5, Cameron is learning to show the world God’s love and compassion through his prayers and generosity. We thank Cameron and people like you who continue to give to our work and help the poor.