The Future is Female: Behind the Scenes of Your 2019 Artist's Edition Calendar
Ordered something from the 2018 gift catalog? Read on to learn more about the complimentary 2019 artist’s edition wall calendar, included FREE with any purchase! (Note: A mailing address prompt for the calendar will appear after checkout).
In nearly five decades of development work, we’ve learned a few things.
In the developing world, we’ve learned that poverty affects women and children the most. The effects of injustice can manifest in many ways. It can look like childhood marriage, lack of girls’ education, or the silencing of female voices in communities of poverty.
They are the ones carrying 40 pound jerrycans of water—sacrificing hours in school to get it. The ones who tirelessly cultivate the land to produce vegetables to sell at the market, carry their children across kilometers escaping persecution, and are always tallying school fees or thinking about how to put food on the table.
Yet, we also know that when women are empowered, everything changes.
By equipping women with training and tools for their own development, entire communities can break the cycle of poverty. When women work, they invest 90 percent of their income back into their families, compared with 35 percent for men. They start innovative businesses that spur economic progress, send their kids to school, and uphold entire communities. When communities celebrate women’s contributions and recognize their God-given value, poverty doesn’t stand a chance.
This year, we wanted to celebrate the resiliency of women who inspire us in all 20+ countries we work in.
In the spirit of womankind, we decided to ask nine international female artists to illustrate an original artwork for a month in the 2019 calendar. Each is inspired by a specific story of a woman in FH’s fields, or an organizational value that dignifies them.
Each page also includes a note from each artist based on which story from the field or FH value inspired their piece.
Above, artist Jill de Haan thought on FH’s mission to bring “hope in hard places.” It made her think of all the ways that a community can not just survive but thrive.
“Each community has their own unique and beautiful culture and I wanted to single out some of those things, along with some of the ways that Food For the Hungry supports them, and bring them together to build the word “thrive.” It was very rewarding to research the different countries and communities and to discover some of the different ways that we can give a little help to those that are in need of it.”
Meanwhile, contributing artist Colombian artist Herikita Conk, who BOOOOOOOM magazine named a rising Society6 artist, drew her inspiration from the photo below. For the calendar, she created her own painted rendition of the three Bangladeshi women.
Conk writes: “I think that in this image there is so much. It’s a sisterhood of strong women who have passed through many hard circumstances of life, but still have the desire to smile.”
Other artists who contributed to this project include Ashley Addair, Mary Kate DcDevitt, Charith Denson, Kelsey Dake, Danielle Davis, Lisa Quine, and Emmy Reis.
In order to view the full contents of the calendar, head over now to the gift catalog to purchase an item for someone in poverty. Everything from vegetable seeds to feminine hygiene kits for girls in Kenya will come with this free calendar!
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