Increased crop yields transform community

Poverty’s choke on Caspian’s community in Potosí, Bolivia, had made his life a constant struggle for survival for as long as he could remember. Most people were lucky to make $500 a year! There was no money for life’s essentials, much less an education. Caspian never dreamed life would be any better for his children.

Then he discovered Food for the Hungry and began visiting with a staff member who lived in his community. He received training on new farming techniques and became a “model farmer” to help others benefit from what he had learned.

As a model farmer, Caspian led other farmers in his community in forming an agricultural association. Together, they learned how to increase yields, and Food for the Hungry provided improved seeds and helped build a fava bean processing center. Harvests improved so dramatically that farmers now grow enough to be able to sell some at market.

The increased income has transformed the community.

“The staff provide technical assistance and training for leaders, farmers, mothers and our children,” said Caspian. “The training helped us to dream. Now we can see healthy mothers and children.”

What We Do

Food Security Program: Integrated health, water and sanitation, income generation, agricultural production, natural resource management, and institutional community strengthening.

Church Strengthening: Education for pastors in Christian worldview and other topics.

Child Development Program: Food security, clean water, clothing, shelter, health care, and education.

Food for the Hungry began operations in Bolivia in 1978 with a Child Sponsorship Program that employed a staff of less than ten people. When Bolivia was among the countries affected by the “El Niño” drought in 1983, the government asked Food for the Hungry to to participate in relief efforts. Today, we run several programs with a staff of more than 180 members.

Despite its natural beauty, abundant natural wealth, and decades of democracy, Bolivia is the poorest and most food-insecure country in South America. Chronic social discontent, corruption, and the illicit coca industry constantly threaten the country’s economic and political stability. The gap between the rich and poor is wide – people of Spanish decent typically own land and businesses, while native Bolivians of Indian descent (two-thirds of the population) are some of the world’s most impoverished people. Six out of every ten Bolivians live in poverty – four in ten living on less than $1 per day. Sixty percent of Bolivian children are chronically malnourished. The majority of Bolivians are farmers who are limited by outdated farming methods, poor irrigation and productive infrastructure, natural resource degradation, and minimal access to credit. Despite some progress in health indicators, infant mortality rates are among the highest in Latin America, with diarrhea and pneumonia causing over half of the deaths in children under 5 years of age. And yet, the potential for success is great: Bolivia has the material base and much of the organizational infrastructure to vigorously advance the economic well-being and health of its people.

Food for the Hungry walks with churches, leaders and families in some of Bolivia’s most food-insecure provinces through sustainable development models designed to reduce poverty in all its forms, transforming the lives of thousands of people and communities.