What People in FH Programs Are Grateful For

We’re rapidly approaching the Thanksgiving season of gratefulness, and despite how hard 2020 has been, there’s much to be grateful for. The people Food for the Hungry (FH) serves worldwide frequently share what they’re grateful for as well, so we are bringing you some of their stories here.

Simbo Gudina’s Mother from Ethiopia is grateful for…

Simbo Gudina’s family is grateful for support from people like you. Before FH helped her family, Simbo’s mother reported that family members used to visit health centers frequently with intestinal issues. The culprit? Dirty water. And the problems went far beyond stomach aches and diarrhea. “This has much affected my family’s life economically,” Simbo’s mother says. Illness can mean lost work days, lost school days, and expensive trips to the doctor.

FH helped the community construct a hand-dug well near their homes, so the family members could access clean water. Simbo’s mother says, “We all are grateful to God and the donors who provide their money to improve our life. My future hopes and dreams will be to work hard to support my family, to produce more food to feed my family. I want to teach my children and enable them to be good citizens.”

Shimul Begum from Bangladesh is grateful for…

Shimul Begum is grateful for the tube well FH provided. A tube well allows people to access clean water underground that isn’t polluted with dirt or garbage, like water in a pond or river. Shimul says, “We used to drink pond water and fall sick. I had no idea why we were falling sick. We had to struggle a lot to fetch safe drinking water, especially in drought season. We had to travel long distances which were very difficult.

“Only one place had access to pure water and that place was so crowded as many arrived to collect water at the same time,” says Shimul. FH talked with mothers like Shimul and other community leaders, and determined that the neediest families in the community really needed clean water for drinking, cooking, and bathing. “We are grateful to FH as they understood our need and installed this tube well,” says Shimul.

Marie Denise from Haiti is grateful for…

Marie Denise is grateful for food distributions. COVID-19 made life very hard for her family. The economy shut down, making it hard for anyone to find work. And food was desperately scarce. “We spent more than a week without finding something to put in our mouths. We had to boil herbal teas to hold on,” says Marie Denise. Thankfully they received food through FH food distributions so the family no longer went hungry.

Despite the hardships, Marie Denise has dreams for the future. “I would like to repair my house. I would like for my husband to find a stable job to support our family,” she says. “A big thank you for all you have accomplished in the community and our households.”

Console’s family from Rwanda is grateful for…

Console Muasabyemariya, a 36-year-old mom in Rwanda, says, “Due to low income, my family faced a problem of paying school fees and materials for my children, as well as health insurance for my family members.” First, FH provided a pig to the family, which provided not only meat but also income. Pork is a really popular meat in Rwanda and having a pig is like having a savings account — when trouble strikes, you can sell the pig for cash. Second, the family established a kitchen garden using vegetable seeds that FH provided. Console and other mothers in the community learned how to prepare nutritious food using their garden vegetables.

The family reports that they are grateful they can afford to eat more than once a day and pay for both school fees and medical insurance for their children.

If we look, there is always something to be grateful for. Please join me in thanking God for our blessings, as we approach the Thanksgiving season.

Continue Reading

Why our name is “Food for the Hungry”

Photo Essay: Children Pursue Beauty, Goodness and Truth

3 Ways FH Builds Community Resilience and Disaster Preparedness