WINTER 2011/2012FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY (FH) CANADA’S

QUARTERLY PUBLICATION

Stories of hope from around the world

Who’s gettin’

YOUR goatthis Christmas?

See how small acts create big impact.

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8

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IN THIS ISSUE

SUPER STOVES FOR SOMALIS

BEGINNING WITH AN END IN SIGHT

LAST-MINUTE CHRISTMAS CARDS

4WHO’S GETTIN’ YOUR GOAT THIS YEAR?

WINTER 2011

FH CANADA is a registered non-profit

organization dedicated to providing

long-term relief to those bound by

poverty through sustainable community

development. As part of the global Food

for the Hungry (FH) network, we currently

work in ten countries around the world.

Through project development, child

sponsorship, emergency relief and medical

equipment distribution, FH Canada strives

to meet the physical, spiritual, social and

educational needs of each man, woman

and child living in poverty.

POVERTY REVOLUTION is a movement

of engaged Canadians who are partnering

with FH Canada to end poverty one

community at a time.

As a Certified Member of the Canadian

Council for Christian Charities, FH

Canada meets the stringent standards

set by the CCCC for accountability and

organizational integrity.

CHARITABLE REGISTRATION NUMBER:

132152893RR0001

FH CANADA

1 - 31741 Peardonville Road,

Abbotsford, BC V2T 1L2

T 604.853.4262

TF 1.800.667.0605

F 604.853.4332

info@fhcanada.org

povertyrevolution.org

facebook.com/poverty.revolution

6% ADMINISTRATION AND

RUNNING COSTS

6% INVESTED TO GENERATE

FUTURE INCOME

88% BUILDING SUSTAINABLE

COMMUNITIES

3HOPE NOTES WINTER 2011/2012

Super Stoves for Somalis

Even before the recent influx of food-crisis refugees, residents of the overcrowded camp struggled to find fuel for cooking. There’s a 20-kilometre-wide ring around the camp that’s almost completely stripped of useful vegetation — and it’s expanding; women must search farther and longer to find fuel to feed their families.

That’s why FH Canada, the Paradigm Project and the World Food Program are partnering to reduce the need for firewood by up to 80 percent. For the next six

months, they will aim to make fuel-efficient stoves the new normal in the camp.

This is a high priority. There’s been a resurgence of assaults against women as they’re searching for wood.

And tragically, the toxic smoke of open fires and inefficient stoves will kill 1.6 million

women and children this year alone.

FH will conduct a combination of training sessions and in-home visits with 6,200 households in the camp.

1.6 million women and children will die as a result of open fires and inefficient stoves this year.

FH Ethiopia scored 100 percent on the East Wolega regional government’s scorecard. They were the only partner NGO to get a perfect score for contributing to the quality of education, advocating for girls’ education, supporting school infrastructure and minimizing the drop-out rate. Thank you to the many child sponsors and partners of Sasiga, Ethiopia who’ve helped enable these results!

Top Marks for FH in Ethiopia!

Poverty Revolution

Based on the life-saving results from previous Paradigm Project and FH partnerships to promote the “super stoves,” it’s expected that the program will grow after the six month trial.

Sasiga, Ethiopia - FH Canada

Fuel-efficient stoves don’t quite have superhero status. But a pilot project in the Dadaab Somali refugee camp is counting on them to save the day.

So you’re thinking of buying a goat, but you have questions.

Great questions. And we’ve got the inside scoop.

Who’s Gettin’ YOUR Goat this Year?

The cost of a kid

If you’ve ever attended a livestock auction, then you’ve seen the range of prices for goats. We don’t take our prices from Canadian market value, but instead from what our field staff budget for goats as part of their agricultural development programs. Then we add on the cost of training that comes with each goat.

One smart goat

That’s right, each goat comes with training. People who receive goats have been trained to best care for and house the animal and to

collect its manure to make organic fertilizer. As a double benefit, families are trained to plant fodder along the sides of their terraced land which will both feed the goat and help stop soil erosion!

The math of the matter

The number of goats involved in our community development programs is based on just that — what works best for the community. If there aren’t enough goats purchased, we continue fundraising. And if a

Does a real person actually receive the goat?

4 www.povertyrevolution.org FH CANADA

Do goats cost the same amount in each community?

What’s all included in the price?

What if so many goats are bought that they overrun

communities, eat all the greenery and lower goat prices?

What if there aren’t enough goats bought?

“So, if I don’t buy a goat, will a newly-built pen sit empty?

generous Canadian buys 20,000 goats — more than needed — we won’t be coming to town with a circus caravan. We’re upfront about the fact that if any gift item is overfunded, the money goes to purchase similar items.

Paying it forward

Each family that receives a goat agrees to give its firstborn offspring to a neighbor who’s also prepared a pen and grown the fodder. Re-gifting has never looked better!

And then the big one ...

Who’s Gettin’ YOUR Goat this Year?A gift with a name

Marie-Jocelyne and her mother Bernadette received a goat two years ago. They named it Yabibara, meaning “multicoloured.”

For Bernadette, an FH Leader Mother who trains other mothers in health and nutrition, the goat came at the right time. After burying her first husband, then never finding her second husband after they fled their home during violent conflict, she needed some hope.

With Yabibara’s manure enriching the family’s soil, Bernadette and Marie-Jocelyne have seen a huge increase in their crop production. This year, they celebrated a harvest of 100 kg of beans; almost double what they’re used to!

Goats, gardens and going to school

Felix and his family live in Kayanza, Burundi. For most of his life, he didn’t attend school regularly and his family struggled to grow enough food.

As an FH sponsored child, Felix received some goats for his family. His mother learned about using the manure in a kitchen garden on their small plot of land, and she was also trained in health and nutrition and animal breeding.

Now the family has a productive vegetable garden, Felix goes to school full time, his father sells surplus produce in the market and his mother is teaching others how to make their own kitchen gardens.

“I am happy to learn and give my knowledge to others,” says Felix’s mother. Already, 90 percent of families in their village have started the gardens.

5HOPE NOTES WINTER 2011/2012

Want to help farmers kick-start a nutrient-

rich garden?

Fruit & veggie seeds are in the Gift Guide for $25. Your donation will be matched 3:1 by the Canadian

International Development Agency!

Have you browsed yourGift Guide yet?Click to visit www.fhcanada.org/giftsor to order by phone call 1.800.667.0605

6 www.povertyrevolution.org FH CANADA

With story files from April Klassen and photography by Jonty Wilde

It was not just another day in Cubi, Rwanda. The fields lay quiet while the village centre hummed with activity. It was graduation day, and no one wanted to miss it.

The celebration marked the end of an eight-year partnership between FH Canada and the village of Cubi in the Kamonyi community. Since partnering in 2003, they’ve become completely self-sufficient. Where access to education was once an issue, children are now completing both primary and secondary school in well-equipped classrooms. Parents who needed their kids to work can now afford to send them to school. They can also pay their families’ health insurance costs, and are able to prevent and treat most common diseases.

Many in the community now belong to farming cooperatives and are trained in business skills and the region’s best agricultural practices. Some groups are even consolidating land to increase productivity, and others have saved together to build offices or mills.

The local churches have come together to support the community’s development, and are positioned to play a key role as Cubi continues to progress.

Beginning with an End in Sight

One Rwandan community celebrates its graduation, while another celebrates a new beginning.

FH Canada president Ben Hoogendoorn remembers his first visit to Cubi in 2003. “There was an air of expectation,” he recalls, “but their eyes didn’t hold much hope.”

Ben would return to Cubi several times over the partnership. “Each

time there was a brighter sparkle in their eyes,” he says. “With each victory, I could feel hope rising.”

Samuel Bikorimana was 12 when the partnership began, and the ceremony ended with his speech about being a sponsored child. The crowd cheered when he switched to English, an official language of Rwanda he learned in school. “This is proof of how far we have come.”

Although the residents of Cubi are saying goodbye to the FH staff and Canadian supporters, there is still much to celebrate. With the recommendation of Cubi’s leaders, FH has begun a partnership with nearby Busekera village.

NOVEMBER 1, 2011 • CUBI, RWANDA

“With each victory, I could feel hope rising.”

BEN HOOGENDOORN, FH CANADA PRESIDENT

New classrooms and sanitary latrines only begin to represent the transformation. Other successes include improved health, increased school attendance, higher crop yields, new small businesses and active savings groups.

Kamonyi, Rwanda - FH Canada

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A white canvas sheet blocks the Rwandan sun as Busekera’s community leaders and FH staff pledge a new partnership. In the presence of teachers, farmers and a few foreigners — and encouraged by Cubi’s success less than 20 kilometres away — the community embarks on what will likely be a 10-year journey.

Located in the Muhanga district, Busekera is one of the most vulnerable communities in Rwanda. Regular water shortages and land infertility

result in sickness and starvation. There is no health centre, and few can afford health insurance or to travel for treatment. Teachers and parents have worked hard to ensure that school is available for kids, but limited

NOVEMBER 2, 2011 • BUSEKERA, RWANDAclassrooms and the sheer weight of poverty have led some youth into prostitution and life on the street.

Despite their struggles, the community of Busekera was full of hope at the partnership ceremony. With big, exaggerated voices, the school-aged children presented a comical play about life in the village. The laughter that erupted from the international guests was returned as the visitors were dragged from their seats to join a traditional dance. At that sight, even the most wrinkled faces of Busekera broke into smiles.

“Busekera has been baptized today by new help, support and friends from FH,” shared one parent. With the support of FH and its Canadian partners, leaders in Busekera are committed to taking an exciting 10-year development process all the way to self-sustainability.

Since 1994, FH Canada has seen 34

communities graduate as self-sustaining.

“Busekera has been baptized today by help, support and friends from FH.”PARENT AT THE OPENING CEREMONY

April Klassen is serving in Burundi and Rwanda as a short-term Communications Specialist, gathering stories and experiences from the field. You too can be a Comms Specialist! Contact info@fhcanada.org

1 - 31741 Peardonville Road Abbotsford, BC V2T 1L21.800.667.0605 info@fhcanada.org fhcanada.org povertyrevolution.org

Cards that show

Purchase greeting cards from the FH Canada 2011 Holiday Card Program to help us eradicate poverty around the world.

• Easy online ordering• Add your own message, photo or logo• Starting as low as $12 (package of 8, blank inside)

• Proceeds benefit FH Canada

Sending these cards to friends, family, clients and business associates is a wonderful way to showcase your support and spread the word about FH Canada.

Click on fhcanadacards.com to order your cards today!

Don’t forget to check out the online Gift Guide!www.fhcanada.org/gifts Poverty Revolution