6 minute read
Journey of Joy: Marare, Nashisa, and Busekera Celebrate!
MARARE & NASHISA, UGANDA
After a fruitful decade of partnership with Food for the Hungry (FH), three communities in East Africa were ready to party! Marare and Nashisa in Uganda and Busekera in Rwanda organized epic celebrations to remember how far they’ve come and tell the story of their journey through speeches, songs, dances, poems, and skits. They invited regional leaders, representatives from the Ministries of Health and Education, FH partners, and Canadian partners and child sponsors (like you!) to witness their triumph and share in their joy.
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These communities have worked with Food for the Hungry to design and create sustainable solutions to their particular challenges. By working together— strengthening leadership and establishing community groups to build financial stability, improving health, raising the level of education—they have woven a strong fabric of resilience that supports their communities from the inside out.
DURING THE 10-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH MARARE AND NASHISA IN MBALE, UGANDA
12 COMMUNITY VISITS BY CANADIAN PARTNERS
86 CANADIAN SUPPORTERS VISITED FAMILIES IN THE COMMUNITIES
1,172 CHILDREN SPONSORED BY CANADIANS
2 CHURCHES, NORTHGATE COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH AND CAP CHURCH, WALKED ALONGSIDE THESE COMMUNITIES
Today, Marare and Nashisa thrive because of your support!
MEETING MERCY, AT LAST
SHAWN PLUMMER, FORMER PRESIDENT & CEO
I’m so grateful that after 12 years of writing letters and sending pictures, my whole family was able to meet Mercy! Our family has had the privilege to journey with this remarkable young woman and share in her progress over the years. Mercy is excelling in high school and playing competitive soccer! So fun to spend some time in her home with her mom and siblings and experience how families in Marare are being transformed through community partnership. This visit happened in August 2022 when I and 18 Canadian FH staff and partners—plus some children and spouses!—travelled to Uganda to experience Marare and Nashisa’s stories of transformation over the past 10 years. It was an incredible opportunity that I wish every FH supporter could have. I’m also grateful for the added specialness of showing my kids “what Dad’s been doing” for the past 22 years. While there, we witnessed the devastating impact COVID-19 and pandemic restrictions had on families and school-age children. We also saw how, in spite of this unprecedented challenge, the communities pulled together, pressed ahead, and were ready to celebrate their incredible successes. Over 1,000 families, friends, local leaders, and district dignitaries attended the event! There were speeches, presentations, and of course, dancing. I was proud of my kids and their willingness to get out there and shake their hips like they never have before!
MERCY SPONSOR CHILD PARTNERED WITH THE PLUMMER FAMILY
BUSEKERA, RWANDA BUSEKERA, RWANDA
DURING THE 10-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH BUSEKERA
566 CHILDREN SPONSORED BY CANADIANS
99.5%HOUSEHOLDS NOW OWN A FARM ANIMAL
50 ACTIVE SAVINGS AND LOANS GROUPS WITH 1,064 MEMBERS EACH SAVING AROUND $915 CAD EVERY YEAR!
Today, Busekera thrives because of your support!
WE DID THIS TOGETHER!
SHELAINE STROM, NATIONAL EDUCATION LEAD
I had the privilege of bringing a group of Canadians with me to participate in the Busekera community graduation. We arrived with curiosity and anticipation for what the day would bring.
On the day of the great celebration, we were warmly welcomed as one of many supporting partners in this community’s transformation. On my left sat Rwandan government officials and to my right, Alice Kamau, the FH Rwanda Country Director. FH staff surrounded us and the gallery teamed with young and old. The feeling of collaboration was strong— “We did this together!”
One pastor praised the efforts and leadership of Concessa, an agriculture specialist who trained fellow villagers on sustainable growing practices like crop rotation, organic farming, and planting methods. Harvests sky rocketed, profits increased.
Concessa walks with godly swagger. She takes healthy pride in the outcome of her efforts and is now expanding her mentoring to neighbouring communities.
A personal highlight came from a young girl whose spoken verse recounted where Busekera began their walk with FH and the hardwork and perseverance it took from everyone to arrive at graduation. Her dramatic flair and presentation skills were delightful but how she represented the next generation’s ownership and understanding of the work done— and to be carried on—overwhelmed and thrilled.
Meeting such incredible children in Busekera provided a helpful backdrop for the team members who visited their new sponsor children in Bwira, the new community FH is now able to walk with.
Michelle, whose family has been sponsoring children since 2002, commented, “The contrast [between Bwira and] Busekera was shocking. The kids running around in Bwira [were] in clothes that were ripped and hanging off their bodies. I could see the hopelessness in them compared to Busekera. They knew in their heads that there was hope but they were still in such a hard place.”
Seeing that contrast is actually what brought visitors like Michelle hope! They left knowing that a good journey had begun in Bwira that would bring flourishing, and they were 100 per cent committed to walking it with the community!
Wendy, an Ending Poverty Together workshop facilitator on the trip, remarked, “FH really does what we say we do. When I teach Canadians about this approach and then I go to the communities, I see how much this works. I am so convinced that this is the way poverty alleviation needs to be.”
