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, [...]
Tag Archives | south america
The inspiration of motherhood
With Mother’s Day barreling toward us, I’m reflecting on the topic of motherhood. We all have our favorite mom stories—tales of how our mothers nurtured us into the people we are today. My own mom taught me I could do whatever I wanted to put the time and energy into learning and achieving. She banished [...]
Give parents hope for their children
My son, Alexander, age 4, is having a medical procedure done to repair a tight-tongue. While this is a minor surgery, I’m afraid for him. Even though my little boy will be operated on by a highly-trained doctor in a world-class medical facility, I don’t want to see my son in pain. But my family [...]
Wipe away the tears with water
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 [...]
Growing love and respect for Valentine’s Day
Since today is Valentine’s Day, it seems fitting to celebrate with Peruvians Wilmer and Elizabeth. In their country, Valentine’s Day is called Día de San Valentín or Día del Amor y la Amistad (Day of Love and Friendship). It’s a national holiday, and Peruvians exchange cards, chocolates, teddy bears and other expressions of affection. Not [...]
What’s in your toolbox?
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 [...]
The reality of hunger
I’ll never forget the day hunger became real to me. I was with Food for the Hungry colleagues in rural Bolivia, visiting a rustic mountain community. FH had constructed a water system here and had taught mothers about health and hygiene. There was a one-room schoolhouse that went through second grade, and a dilapidated and [...]
The Chair in the Seed
“Where did this chair come from?” Germán asked me. We had been talking with a group of women in Bolivia who had just started their own sewing school with guidance from FH. Germán, the FH staff member who leads the project, was making a point about helping the women to support themselves. Germán related the training he had given [...]
Meet My New Role Model
Olivia is the type of person who lights up a room. I met her in Sorojchi, a rural area of Bolivia. After an early morning journey from the nearest city on bumpy dirt roads, I sat down with the local FH staff for breakfast. Each of us introduced ourselves as we passed around bread, yogurt, [...]
Americans with disabilities help send children in extreme poverty to school
In many cases, the only thing standing between children born into extreme poverty and their education is a simple set of school supplies. It’s not that poor communities don’t have school supplies; rather, they might cost the equivalent of one or two days’ work, and in that case, it’s easy to see why the poorest [...]
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