Celebrating the world’s newest country, South Sudan

By on July 8, 2011 in Sponsor Impact, Stories

It’s going to be one epic party tomorrow as the people of South Sudan bask in their new-found, long-awaited freedom. A tribeswoman prepares for the July 9 celebrations (photo from International Business Times) Some eight million will be celebrating in South Sudan itself, with thousands more spread across the world — refugees who fled their homes during the two-decades-long [...]

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Caring for the vulnerable children of AIDS victims

By on July 5, 2011 in Sponsor Impact

For every person infected with HIV, there are family members affected by the virus and everything that comes with it. The hopelessness and stigma touch many more than just the person carrying the virus. In Ethiopia, FH serves more than 2,000 AIDS orphans and vulnerable children. It is all too common for children to lose [...]

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History doesn’t have to dictate the future

By on July 1, 2011 in Sponsor Impact, Stories

In rural Ethiopia, FH helps children born into extreme poverty break free from the cycle and write a new story for themselves and their communities. Here’s a story about one child who broke free…. Story by FH staff member Eileen O’Gorman In the town of Belo Jeginfoy, in a western region of Ethiopia resides a group of [...]

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Dirty water harms more than a person’s body

By on June 27, 2011 in Sponsor Impact

Dirty water normally is associated with worms and disease, and it’s true that it has devastating physical effects on those who drink it. But there’s more to the story…. To lack a reliable source of clean water also means spending hours and hours each week walking to a pond, natural spring or other source (sometimes [...]

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Four causes of violence against women in the Dominican Republic

By on June 21, 2011 in Sponsor Impact

“Never before have I seen a woman that’s eight months pregnant killed by her husband, and then he shoots himself,” says Dr. Martha Butler de Lister, the FH country director for the Dominican Republic (D.R.). Martha grew up in the D.R., and she has noticed a rising trend in violence — violence against women in [...]

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A Growing Recovery

By on June 18, 2011 in Sponsor Impact

Burundi women celebrate after training for better farming practices. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Burundians are returning home after a 12-year civil war. Farm land is now scarce in Burundi. More than 90 percent of Burundians are dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods. Now, many live without the food they need to survive. The United [...]

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Beauty in the Differently Abled

By on June 18, 2011 in Stories

The Ashish Center seeks to work towards a society that views each person as a being of value and importance.  They work hard to make a difference in the lives of children with disabilities as well as their families. Through an integral approach of intervention, they work for the learning and growth of each child [...]

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270 Gallons of Water for a Cause

By on June 16, 2011 in Sponsor Impact, Stories

It’s Saturday morning and college students (yes, college students) are awake and carrying water for a cause.  Andrew Friedlund, a student at Albright College in Pennsylvania, hosted the second annual “Walk for Water” to raise funds for a new water well in Uganda. Participants carried jugs full of water for at least a mile.  To [...]

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VIDEO – Living in community is a weapon against HIV/AIDS in Kenya

By on June 14, 2011 in Sponsor Impact

Take a 5-minute journey to the north of Kenya — to a town called Marsabit where HIV feeds off people’s extreme poverty, their lack of knowledge about the disease, and a negative social stigma against those who have it. In the unique culture of Marsabit, community is a powerful force. FH harnesses the power of community and [...]

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Becoming a wife and a mother, while still a child – Part 2 (Child Brides)

By on June 10, 2011 in Sponsor Impact

“Early marriage in Mozambique is a form of sexual abuse,” says Halkeno Terfasa, FH program manager in Mozambique. Halkeno has worked with FH for more than five years. “I am saying this because, on marrying, a girl is expected to surrender her childhood and assume the role of a woman. This includes engaging in sexual relations [...]

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