Life in a tent – who knows for how long? Living with the vivid memories of the bombings and shootings that made you flee. The heartache of lost family members who didn’t make it out. Fear of abuse from people around you who are desperate to survive at all costs. Refugees are utterly vulnerable and dependent on others. Far [...]
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Welcoming refugees to our cities
After my second trip with Food for the Hungry (FH) to Uganda in 2007, I came home with a distinct feeling that I was suppose to work with the refugee population in Phoenix. I felt compelled to do something to help vulnerable people here when I wasn’t traveling to foreign countries for work. To quote [...]
Remembering refugees
Thirteen years ago, I traveled to the rugged, remote border of Ethiopia and Somalia. I met several people who had started life in Somalia, but for myriad reasons had lived for a time in Ethiopian refugee camps. And I met with many ethnic Somali families who led a nomadic lifestyle, herding cattle and goats. Nomadic [...]
Emotional relief is key to helping Syria’s civilian refugees
Last week, I spoke with the Food for the Hungry (FH) Director of Emergency Response Pete Howard, days after he returned from assessing conditions for Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. He told many heart-wrenching stories, but the saga that touched me most was his own. Ten years ago, Pete traveled to Iraq as part [...]
Network of love from South Sudan to Yale
What do Sudan’s lost boys, an Ethiopian teacher, a Lutheran library, a Christian high school in Africa, a Catholic nun and a bus driver in Juba, South Sudan, all have in common? Each is part of a network of caring individuals that provided a pathway of hope for an orphaned boy named Paul Lorem—who is [...]
Business or economy class?
Business or economy class? This is a very relevant question in relief and development work around the world. I recently hosted a friend who flew business class to the United Kingdom per his organization’s policy on international flights. The price difference from business to economy for his five-hour return flight was about $8,000, so naturally [...]
How sponsorship saved a family in the wake of disaster
If you were a female living in Bangladesh, you would face a multitude of troubles such as vulnerability and discrimination. If you happened to also be of a low caste, an ethnic minority and a poor family, your challenges would severely increase. And when a cyclone wreaked havoc on your community, destroying the few resources you had — you would be devastated. Find out how Food for the Hungry brought hope in these circumstances.
I’ll be home for Christmas….or maybe not.
Christmas music is a huge part of my holiday experience. I have been singing in choirs since I was eight years old. I don’t have a solo voice, but I can hold my own in a chorus. Last night, I joined about fifty others and a small orchestra to perform the beloved holiday classic, Handel’s Messiah. Being surrounded [...]
Protecting women, children from disaster in DR Congo
Women and children — particularly women WITH young children — are among the most vulnerable people when disaster strikes. It’s a problem at the top of our list and for our staff working with the current crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Recent developments in the country’s long-standing war have sent tens of [...]
Women farmers in the Congo (DRC) pave the way for healthier families
History The Congolese people have suffered at the hands of exploitative leaders and civil war for decades. Beginning with the regime of King Leopold of Belgium (1885-1908), continuing in the post-independence dictatorship of Mobutu SeseSeko (1965-1997), and fiinally in the brutal civil war period of conflict and insecurity, the Congolese people have experienced one of [...]
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Beth Allen: Wendy, thanks so much. What I liked so much about ...
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