About Beth Allen

I'm a self-professed sustainable development geek who would have a very hard time picking a favorite country. That means, I love every tribe and nation and take great joy in seeing how God is working in the world. I've been with FH for nearly two decades, and started out by serving with them in the Bolivian Andes. I can't live without Jesus and coffee, but the coffee is mostly decaf so the power is from Jesus.
Author Archive | Beth Allen
Ethiopian mother with young son

Making Mom happy

By on May 14, 2013 in Sponsor Impact, World Poverty

What does it take to make Mom happy?  I’ve visited nearly 20 countries in the 17 years I’ve worked with Food for the Hungry (FH), and it seems all mothers want the same things. They want their children to be healthy and happy. They yearn for their kids to finish school. If you probe deeper, [...]

Read full story • Comments { 1 }
Girls sleeping under mosquito net

Malaria: Big problem, some simple solutions

By on April 25, 2013 in World Poverty

I love how simple actions can prevent big hairy problems… like malaria. According to the World Health Organization, malaria claims the lives of 660,000 people annually; most of those deaths are babies in Africa. Today is World Malaria Day, when we remember that half of the world’s population lives in areas at risk of malaria transmission. [...]

Read full story • Comments { 1 }
Men installing solar panel on school roof

Let there be [solar] light

By on April 17, 2013 in Church, Sponsor Impact

I never, ever thought to thank God for a light bulb. But for some students in Food for the Hungry’s Burundi program, a simple solar-powered light fixture is their key to a brighter future. Gerard is a sixth-grader in Mufumya, a small town in Burundi. Sundown comes before 6:30 p.m. on any day of the [...]

Read full story • Comments { 2 }

Water+soap+hands=alive

By on April 2, 2013 in Sponsor Impact

I could see  a group of mothers and their children standing outside the gate of the turquoise-colored school building, still half-shrouded in the morning mist. The kids were so small and scared – especially terrified of the tall white lady (me) with the camera. It was hard to imagine them starting kindergarten, because they were so [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }
girl drinking water out of a tap

Wipe away the tears with water

By on March 19, 2013 in World Poverty

Water can make grown men cry. Many years ago, on one of my trips into Bolivia’s rural areas, I met with a group of leaders of a village. Food for the Hungry (FH) and the community were new in their relationship with each other. We gathered in a cement block, school classroom and sat on low [...]

Read full story • Comments { 2 }
Tree seedlings in Haiti

Paul planted, Apollos watered, God made it grow

By on March 5, 2013 in Church, Sponsor Impact, World Poverty

  “I [Paul] planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.”  I Corinthians 3:6 (NIV) I traveled along dusty roads in Haiti two weeks ago, through parched fields thirsty for life-giving rain. As we journeyed, I saw farmers plowing furrows in their fields in hope that seasonal rains would begin soon. Where [...]

Read full story • Comments { 1 }

Life in Haiti this week

By on February 22, 2013 in Sponsor Impact, Stories

One of the joys of working for an international organization like Food for the Hungry (FH) is that I read constantly about places I’ve never visited.   They come alive for me via reports, proposals and e-mails from distant colleagues. Yesterday I visited a place that has a special place in my heart, called Lespinasse.  It’s [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }
sock being made on double pointed knitting needles

Farmers inspire me to knit my socks

By on February 5, 2013 in World Poverty

In August 2012, I became a great-aunt for the first time. I have always been a good aunt — just ask my niece — but when my dear niece had twin boys, I graduated to GREAT aunt. I grew up with a plethora of great aunts. Like all good Northern farm girls, they could knit up [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }
River in Shashego

Bridging the gap, saving lives

By on January 29, 2013 in World Poverty

I honestly don’t know how many bridges I crossed this morning on the way to work. I drive on a freeway that crosses over myriad side streets, and navigates a pass through the Phoenix North Mountain nature preserve.  I don’t even think about the steel and concrete that take me 16 miles to work and [...]

Read full story • Comments { 2 }

What’s in your toolbox?

By on January 25, 2013 in World Poverty

I rode into work this morning with my friend Charith, and we talked about a mutual friend working in China. Our friend observed that an uncommon number of Chinese seem to be wearing glasses. Charith asked, “Why do you think so many people have bad eyes?” Community development professionals observe and ask these questions all the time. As a former community [...]

Read full story • Comments { 0 }