‘We have no safe area under the sky’
For much of my life I associated Ethiopia with famine. I’m just old enough to recall the searing scenes from Ethiopia in the mid-1980s: windswept, dull-beige landscapes; skeletal cattle; distended bellies; flies; people crowding trucks laden with sacks of food; and charitable rock concerts. It was the most famous famine of modern times, made so…
‘A win-win for everyone involved’
Nyawar Mapieny Gathoul’s baby and siblings are hungry. The father of her six-month-old isn’t around to help and, at just 17, the young mother also cares for her seven siblings because their parents have died. Nyawar is strong, resilient and hardworking. But the family has only enough food for one meal a day. Gathoul and…
COVID-19 impact on world hunger cause for high concern
The number of people facing crisis levels of hunger in the world could double due to COVID-19, the World Food Programme (WFP) warns. The WFP is estimating 265 million people could experience acute hunger and food insecurity due to lockdowns and economic slowdowns related to COVID-19. According to a recent international report, an estimated 135…
Gleaners host Christmas open house to thank supporters
The work of farmers is difficult. They have to work with the land to bring about a decent crop in order to make a living. And even though they may successfully bring hundreds of hectares to fruition, there’s no guarantee that all of that crop can go to market. Blemishes, bruises, deformities and imperfections can…
MCC boards approve five-year strategic plan
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has a loyal constituency, but its leaders don’t take the support for granted. “We can no longer assume Mennonite churches are familiar with MCC,” said board member Robert Enns of Calgary. “There are a lot of churches where MCC is just another organization out there.” To stand above the…
‘I need to go to school’
Ten-year-old Kanku Ngalamulume fled from his home in the village of Senge after armed groups beheaded his mother and father and his siblings too. He was among 1.4 million people in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who have been forced from their homes as violence among local militias and the…
Growing hope through partnerships
“I’ve never been this close to agriculture before,” said Ingrid Lamp. “It’s quite exciting.” Lamp and her husband travelled four hours from their home in Swift Current to attend the Grow Hope Saskatchewan Field Day. The Aug. 25 event saw upwards of a hundred Canadian Foodgrains Bank supporters gather in Rosthern for a barbecue lunch…
Bridging the rural-urban divide to help end world hunger
Fifteen acres of wheat and a good cause—that’s what brought nearly 200 people together in Pembina Crossing, Man., in June 2018. Some drove two hours from Winnipeg, others five minutes from their rural homes. Most came from Anglican church communities in Winnipeg. “It was a moment where I felt like I was part of something…
Making a difference
In the Bible, there’s a well-known story about Jesus miraculously feeding five thousand with only a few loaves and fish. That story inspired the Arnaud (Manitoba) Mennonite Church youth group in its quest to help make a difference for hungry people around the world, but its success wasn’t due to a miracle—at least not the…
