Coronavirus Prevention training to rural villages

With your help, our teams on the field have continued to address problems from COVID-19. Through the key principles of Transformational Community Development, we have been able to continue to help communities be informed and address these challenges to become sustainable in all five areas of development: food, water, education, income generation, and wellness. We are so grateful for your support – Thank You!

As COVID-19 continues to affect countries around the globe, one of the most impacted areas is food security. Many regions of the world are facing severely depleted food stores, and supply chains continue to be interrupted.

Below are updates from different regions throughout the world:

• The COVID-19 pandemic brought about many regulations in Africa including: lockdowns, restricted travels, curfews, and limited movements inside the country. The number of food insecure people in Africa has increased by 135%. Our goal is to help villagers overcome the food shortage by producing seeds that they can plant during the dry season since most of their crops were wasted during and after harvest.

• With its proximity to China, like many parts of the world, Central Asia’s economy is integrated to and reliant on China. This includes the agriculture sector.  With international borders closed and domestic movement limited, farmers couldn’t procure seeds and/or were cut off from local markets.  Our local GHNI staff worked tirelessly to start hundreds of FAITH (Food Always In The Home) Kitchen Gardens in various areas.  However, there are still widespread food shortages reported in the region. Our response to these food shortages will be focused on two aspects: short-term emergency food relief and increasing and protecting existing crops. 

• Despite the challenges from COVID-19, our office in Jordan has been able to continue working with refugee families. For the past few months, our team has met with a variety of groups and individuals to not only bring awareness, but also educate on how to prevent COVID-19. We have also been able to continue relief work through food box distribution, which includes the basic necessities for a family to live off for 2 weeks. 

• In India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, we are mainly working among two types of people: those who have land and grow their own food, and the others who do not have land and depend on daily earnings. Those who have land are not much affected by this pandemic, whereas the ones who do not have land, such as tea garden people, are affected. 

• In some villages we partner with in Southeast Asia, upwards of 20% of households have lost their income during lockdowns and quarantine, which in some areas lockdowns have returned or continued in some fashion since March. GHNI staff and partners responded with immediate food aid for impacted households.  As the pandemic wore on, we have shifted towards addressing the root causes affecting food security in some of these communities by training and providing resources for villagers to start their own gardens.  

In response to all of these food challenges, our teams are working with communities to address immediate needs and create long-term solutions for food security through our fall campaign, Harvest of Hope. Our goal is to provide up to $2,000 for each community for training and resources like seeds and emergency food supplies, as well as support for ongoing wellness training. 

Would you help raise a harvest of hope and make lasting change for some of the hungriest people around the world this fall?

Links:

• Harvest of Hope
• READ MORE ABOUT COVID-19