Soy Microbusinesses to Empower Rural Women

Dear friend,

Today we're pleased to share a snapshot from the life of Ethel Gamaliel, a SoyKit recipient in rural Malawi who received soy processing equipment and training through our partners Malnutrition Matters. They write:

"Ethel Gamaliel is a resilient mother of six who overcame rural poverty through sheer determination and innovation. For years, she toiled on her farm, struggling to make ends meet. Despite her hard work, the yields from her maize and tomato crops were never enough to secure her family’s future.

But in 2019, Ethel’s life took a remarkable turn. She ventured into the world of entrepreneurship, processing soybeans into nutritious soy milk. Now she transforms one kg of soybeans daily into six liters of soy milk, selling each liter for K300 in her community.

With the help of Malnutrition Matters, Ethel and hundreds more women smallholder farmers have received a financed SoyKit containing essential equipment like a manual grinder, a heat-retention cooking bag, a stainless steel pot and a food-grade plastic bucket. This support enabled them to start their soymilk business and improve their livelihoods.

But it’s not just about income; this initiative is also enhancing nutrition in the community. Soymilk, a highly nutritious beverage, is becoming more accessible, contributing to improved health among community members."

With your generous support, our Plants-4-Hunger program is able to help Malnutrition Matters empower more women like Ethel. Their unique soy microbusiness model providing soy processing equipment and training has helped lift many rural women and their families out of poverty while improving nutrition and food security in their communities. We hope you'll continue to help us help them in 2024.

As ever, thank you for being a crucial part of our work to create a world that is healthy, well-fed, and kind... all at the same time.

Links:

• Learn more about Plants-4-Hunger
• Sign up for our newsletter!
• Get our free Climate Friendly Food Guide

A Well-Fed World was thrilled to be accepted onto the GlobalGiving platform in 2023, helping our Plants-4-Hunger projects reach a new audience who might otherwise never learn about our work, or understand the critical importance of plant-based hunger relief. The United Nations has urged that we will need to produce 70% more food by 2050 without using any more land. According to the UN, we could feed 3.5 billion more people simply by growing crops for human consumption on land currently used to grow feed for livestock. Our Plants-4-Hunger program funds plant-based feeding, farming and disaster relief food aid projects around the world that feed more people using far less land, water, and energy, while protecting animals, ecosystems, and the climate.

#GivingTuesday marked our first big fundraising campaign using the GlobalGiving platform and, with your generous support, we were thrilled to raise $710 for the soy microbusinesses project, with matching funds bringing it to $1000. These donations helped us fund two new VitaGoat-based businesses for women’s cooperatives in Western Kenya, creating 15 well-paying jobs and improving the lives of local families. VitaGoats (see photos) are fuel-efficient food-processing systems that produce affordable, nutritious soy-based foods like soymilk, tofu, and yogurt. They serves as a principal vehicle for micro-businesses, while providing the local community or social institution with high-quality nutrition. Operating without the need for any electricity or generator, the VitaGoat uses locally-available fuels, including wood or other biomass, for cooking. This is a critical feature, due to the unavailable or unreliable supply, and/or high cost, of electricity in many developing countries.

VitaGoats help women meet nutritional needs and generate income at the same time. Because the foods can be processed much faster than with traditional methods (mortar and pestle or hand grinding), value-added foods can be prepared quicker and in greater volumes, freeing up time for women and girls to devote to other activities, including education, care for others, and income-generating activities. In addition, much less work and energy is expended in preparing the foods. Other cooked and processed foods such as soups, sauces, and purees can be made from various fruits and vegetables, and the VitaGoat’s grinder can process peanut butter, soy and other nut butters, and grind cereals and grains into meal and flour.

The two new Vitagoat projects you helped us support in Western Kenya are a significant step towards improving income, nutrition, and wellbeing for the women’s cooperatives and their communities who will be served. Thank you so much for supporting us in our mission for a world that is healthier, well-fed, and kind…all at the same time.

Links:

• Our Exciting Bean-Based Projects!
• Our Plants-4-Hunger hunger relief projects