BREAKING BREAD - Canadian Foodgrains Bank
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
BREAKING
BREAD
Winter 2019
WINTER
APPEAL
Find your envelope inside Mother Sokorey with baby Hodhan, age 2, smiles after receiving care at a health clinic supported by
Foodgrains Bank member Development and Peace—Caritas Canada in Somalia. (Photo: Will Swanson)
Somali mothers raise strong and
healthy babies against the odds
Nutrition programming for mothers helps babies get
the best start to life possible
When Dhaqan Ali gave birth in an Ethiopian refugee camp It was so difficult, she decided to move her young family
far from her native Somalia, she only hoped for a happy, back to Somalia to live in Qansahley camp, a camp for
healthy baby. However, she became concerned about the people forced from their homes with nowhere else to go.
growth and development of her baby girl, Saynanb, soon
after she was born. Out of concern for Saynanb’s health, Dhaqan began to
spend what little money she could manage on formula for
“Saynanb never suckled well like my other children. Some days, the baby girl, believing it might help improve her health.
she doesn’t sleep at all and feeding her has been a nightmare,” Mixed with the poor-quality water available to her though,
says Dhaquan, noting the conditions inside the camp were it soon caused Saynanb to become sick with diarrhea, fever
“difficult” and not an easy place to raise a family. and vomiting. Deeply concerned, Dhaqan took the little girl,
continued on page 2...
Health workers attend to mothers and young children at a nutrition clinic supported by Foodgrains Bank member Development and Peace.
(Photo: Will Swanson)
then five months, to a health clinic supported by Canadian milk. Most importantly though, nurses at the clinic listened to
Foodgrains Bank member Development and Peace through Dhaquan’s concerns about breastfeeding her daughter and
their partner Trocaire. provided breastfeeding counselling and advice.
Saynanb was found to be suffering from severe acute “I am happy to see my child so peaceful and playful,” says
malnutrition—meaning she was critically undernourished and Dhaqan. “I have been stressed and at some point I almost
would require urgent treatment to survive. Having access gave up, but I decided to try the last chance by coming here
to emergency therapeutic food would mean the difference [to the clinic]. I am happy I made that decision because I can
between life and death for her. see the results.”
In the Gedo region of Somalia, the Foodgrains Bank, through THE POWER OF READY-TO-USE THERAPEUTIC FOOD
Development and Peace, is responding to the needs of
children like Saynanb who are suffering from malnutrition. The One meal a day. That’s what another mother in Gedo, Barwaqa
families that love and care for children like Saynab are being Mohamed Ahmed, was able to give her children when the
supported with education about good nutrition practices, rains failed for a second consecutive year.
types of food that promote good health, and the importance
of breastfeeding for a child’s health. The drought had a harsh effect on Barwaqa’s family and their
wider community. They are pastoralists, moving with the
When Saynanb arrived at the clinic, she weighed less than nine seasons and taking their livestock to fresh water and green
pounds—well below what a five-month old baby should. At pasture wherever they can find it.
the Trocaire clinic, Saynanb was treated for dehydration and
respiratory infection and provided with special therapeutic Barwaqa explains that her family lost their livestock due to the
drought. She planted seeds to try and grow some food, but
with no rain, her crop wouldn’t grow.
“My hope has been restored. “We have bought food from the shops here on credit, but that
I pray my baby will make a has run out and it’s not enough,” she says.
full and happy recovery.” Concerned about the health of her children, Barwaqa brought
them to a mobile medical clinic that is part of the same project
- Dhaqan Ali that helped Dhaqan and Saynanb.
2
Last Year
Kuresha, 29 (last name withheld), brought her child Fatumo to
Over 14,000
the clinic to receive treatment for severe malnutrition.
(Photo: Will Swanson)
children
treated for severe
acute malnutrition
She was provided with a special fortified peanut paste called
Plumpy’Nut and a pre-mixed nutritious porridge with corn
and soy. The foods have a mix of vitamins, minerals, proteins
Over 38,000
and other nutrients to help children regain their weight and caregivers
strength, ensuring they grow properly.
of young children received
Until the drought conditions improve, Barwaqa will need to
instruction and support for good
rely on the support from the mobile health and nutrition team breastfeeding practices
to ensure the young children stay at a healthy weight. The
support for the mothers and children like Barwaqa, Dhaqan
and Saynaab is critical, explains Foodgrains Bank executive
director Jim Cornelius. “Our situation was very bad,” she says. “We could barely eat.”
“When children under the age of five go through key She says when she brought her child for his vaccination, the
developmental stages of learning and growing without proper nurses told her that children who are breastfed are less likely
nutrition, the side effects stay with them their whole lives—if to get sick.
they are able to recover from the malnutrition,” he says. “It’s
not just physical growth that’s affected, but even a child’s “When I heard this news, it was too good to be true, and I said I
brain development can be negatively affected.” would give it a try,” she says.
He notes that before the project in the Gedo region began, Nasra stuck to exclusively breastfeeding her baby for the first
an assessment showed about 20 percent of children were six months of his life, while continuing to attend nutrition
suffering from wasting—or very low weight for height. Another education sessions through the project.
four percent were suffering from severe acute malnutrition,
meaning without treatment, their lives were in danger. “I’m happy I was educated about breastfeeding my child,” she
says. “My neighbours made jokes about me starving my child
BREAKING THE CYCLE OF MALNUTRITION because I was not giving anything else other than breastmilk,
but now my child looks healthier than most of his agemates in
“When I first came here, I had nothing,” says Nasra Mohamed Abdi, the camp who were fed other foods.”
a mother who like Dhaqan, had recently returned to Somalia after
spending several years at a refugee camp in Ethiopia. —Amanda Thorsteinsson, Communications Coordinator
3
The Arborg and District growing project is one of the 210 growing projects that grew a crop together in support of ending hunger
through the Foodgrains Bank. The group harvested 75 acres of canola with eight combines in less than an hour in early September.
(Photo: Shaylyn McMahon)
Growing projects The project in Trochu is just one of 190 growing projects that
harvested a crop this year to help people around the world
face tough weather,
experiencing hunger.
It wasn’t an easy growing season, though.
lack of rain “The hot weather brought on an early harvest, but then for a
good five weeks, growers weren’t even able to turn a wheel,
Too dry, too hot, too wet and as they say, due to the rain and cold,” says Saskatchewan
regional representative Rick Block.
too cold—yet many growers
surprised by yields In the end though he notes all 27 projects in Saskatchewan
were able to harvest their combined 3,000 acres.
Mikaela LeMay cares about agriculture.
The Hudson Bay Rotary growing project is one of those
projects that was able to harvest, and had an overall positive
“For my New Year’s wish, I prayed to God for an opportunity
year, says Darryl Reimer. “It ended up actually being quite
to promote agriculture. When this opportunity came up, I
good, we got 45 bushels an acre, which is a pretty decent
thought ‘this is my chance’,” says the 22-year old agronomist
canola crop for the year,” he says.
from Trochu, Alberta.
Darryl and his father, Dennis, spearhead the project and
The opportunity LeMay is referring to is that of starting a
provide all the inputs. They invite neighbours to help combine
growing project on 42 acres of land donated by Viterra around
at harvest time.
its Trochu terminal. Being able to make a difference for hungry
people around the world by doing something she cares
about—farming—seemed like a good fit. “This project isn’t just an afterthought and we say ‘Oh we’ll get
it seeded at the end’. We pencil it in whenever we’re seeding,
it gets seeded at the same time as everything else, it gets
“I find the fulfillment that you feel when you give to other
sprayed at the same time as the rest of everything. We treat
people is probably 10 times far more powerful than what you
it like our own, but we know it’s going to charity and so that’s
could do for yourself,” she says.
just how it works.”
4
190 GROWING PROJECTS ACROSS
CANADA PLANTED AND HARVESTED
A CROP ACROSS 8,000 ACRES
FOR THE WORK OF ENDING
GLOBAL HUNGER THROUGH THE
FOODGRAINS BANK THIS YEAR.
Province # of Projects Total Raised ($)
Alberta 30 1,889,201
British Columbia 1 30,000
Manitoba 36 1,855,439
New Brunswick 1 1,034
Nova Scotia 3 3,000
Mikaela Lemay. (Photo: Amanda Thorsteinsson)
Ontario 93 1,586,470
Prince Edward Island 2 5,689
Quebec 2 6,809
Saskatchewan 22 474,903 Reformed Church congregation. The group planted 15 acres of
soybeans on land donated by Wilma and Thomas Bergstra.
Total 190 $5,852,544
“It was looking pretty tough for a while—there was no rain for
Numbers current to January 2019 eight weeks. I was a nervous wreck,” says Thomas. “It ended
up turning out fairly well, though,” he says.
For project volunteer Joel Neerhoff, the growing season not
Many Manitoban growers were also surprised at the good going as smoothly as hoped brought its own opportunities. “It
yields from the province’s projects, despite the conditions. brought everyone together and showed the church the need
to pray for things like rain,” he says.
Wayne Alford is the secretary for the Fields of Jubilee growing
project in Swan River, Manitoba. He is grateful for the support MANY OF THE CHALLENGES FACING FARMERS ARE
shown by the Swan River community toward the project, THE SAME AROUND THE WORLD
noting as examples that the project was given free hail
insurance, and a local processing company purchased the low For Foodgrains Bank executive director Jim Cornelius, the
quality canola that was harvested. struggles and frustrations faced by Canadian farmers are a
constant reminder of the similar challenges faced by many
It wasn’t the easiest growing year. It was a tale of two harvests people around the world.
with our two fields here,” he says, noting the project’s wheat
field was seeded earlier, and came off the field in August. The “I met with small-scale farmers when I visited Foodgrains
canola field, seeded later, wasn’t harvested until mid-October. Bank projects in Ethiopia,” he says. “Those farmers deal with
the same kind of challenging weather conditions Canadian
Further east in Ontario, the story of trying weather continued. farmers do, but without insurance and other supports. A year
of poor weather for them can mean the difference between
It was the first year for the Combining for Christ growing sending kids to school, missing meals, and not being able to
project in Owen Sound, supported by the First Christian purchase medicine when someone is sick.”
Despite such challenges—in Canada and around the world—
many people continue to farm for their livelihoods.
“It brought everyone Mikaela LeMay, the agronomist from Alberta, sums it up well.
together and showed the “Harvest time, seeing plants grow throughout the year,
church the need to pray knowing what they’ll become—it’s one of the most amazing
feelings in the world.”
for things like rain.”
— Shaylyn McMahon, Communications Officer &
- Joel Neerhoff Amanda Thorsteinsson, Communications Coordinator
5
Canadian Foodgrains Bank executive director Jim Cornelius surveying an irrigation project near Lalibela, Ethiopia. (Photo: Mike Shillinglaw)
From the desk of the executive director
Protecting and improving farmland soil plays a key role in concluded conservation agriculture practices are one of the
ending hunger for millions of people around the world. solutions for improving the degraded soil conditions of the
farmlands of Ethiopia and, ultimately, helping families improve
But many countries where we work face serious problems their ability to earn a living through agriculture.
with soil erosion and loss of soil fertility. Much of this stems
from the loss of trees and other vegetation on the mountains At a recent national workshop sponsored by the Foodgrains
and hillsides and poor agriculture practices. Bank and attended by senior officials from the Federal
Ministry of Agriculture and regional Bureaus of Agriculture,
During my recent trip to Ethiopia, I was encouraged to see the Ethiopian government announced its commitment to
the transformative steps being taken toward improving promote conservation agriculture. With special funding
watersheds that were once badly eroded. from the Packard Foundation, we will be supporting the
government in rolling out regional training of its extension
Local governments across Ethiopia are establishing strong staff on conservation agriculture in the coming months.
by-laws to protect the trees and vegetation on the mountains
and hillsides and working with local community groups to I left Ethiopia encouraged by the seriousness with which the
rehabilitate and manage these protected areas for the benefit problem of soil degradation is being addressed. Protecting
of the community. and rehabilitating the soil is a critical part of reducing hunger
and poverty for people in Ethiopia and around the world.
The Ethiopian government is aware the traditional agriculture
practice of repeated tillage is contributing to soil erosion, loss Thank you for working with us to address long-term solutions
of organic matter, and soil degradation. Government experts for ending global hunger.
have been closely monitoring the results of minimum tillage
conservation agriculture programs being implemented by —Jim Cornelius, Executive Director
Foodgrains Bank-supported partners. These experts have
6
Agness Manamba and Imelda Simon are farmers with adjoining fields in Tanzania improving life for their families through conservation
agriculture. (Photo: Naomi Johnson)
Farmers in “The rains come later, and are no longer consistent throughout
the season,” says Agness. “Sometimes, heavy rains flood the
Tanzania trained
field, followed by drought.”
The two middle-aged women are forced to purchase more seeds
in adapting to and replant and hope the next crop grows well. The difficult
weather patterns they deal with make earning an income and
erratic rainfall
feeding their families stressful.
Through a project of Foodgrains Bank member World Renew, the
women are being trained in conservation agriculture techniques
Results include better to help them cope with the erratic rainfall. Conservation
moisture retention, agriculture emphasizes minimal soil disturbance, crop rotations,
mulching and cover crops. It helps keep moisture in the soil,
increased yields making best use of limited rainfall. They also plant more
sorghum—a crop well-suited to withstanding dry conditions.
I met Agness Manamba and Imelda Simon one cloudy
afternoon in their adjoining fields in rural Tanzania. It’s not a perfect solution, though. As the weather continues to
increase in severity and extremity, families like those of Imelda
They told me of the poor rainfall that affects their crops— and Agness will be among the most impacted. It doesn’t seem fair.
the maize, cassava, rice, sweet potato, and ground nuts
they grow to feed their families. “We see the clouds When given adequate support, farmers are paving the way to
building up, and pray for rain,” says Imelda. more sustainable farming practices, and can build resilience
against the impacts of a changing climate.
The two women have been farming since their childhood. It
used to be that the rain would come with good regularity. —Naomi Johnson, Policy Advisor
That’s no longer the case, though.
7
In October, Foodgrains Bank staff and supporters presented Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau (centre, dark red
coat) with I Care postcards on the steps of Parliament Hill. The postcards were signed by Canadians from across the country and expressed
their support for Canada’s contribution to ending global poverty and hunger. (Photo: Shaylyn McMahon)
®
Evangelical Missionary
Church of Canada
Following Jesus Together
Box 767, Winnipeg, MB R3C 2L4
1.800.665.0377
204.944.1993
www.foodgrainsbank.ca
Facebook Canadian Foodgrains Bank
Twitter-square @foodgrains
instagram @foodgrains
Contact information for regional
representatives can be found at
www.foodgrainsbank.ca/staff or
contact the Foodgrains Bank office.
The United Church
of Canada
Breaking Bread is a publication
of Canadian Foodgrains Bank,
published four times a year.
CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK is a partnership of 15 churches and church-based agencies working to end
Editor: Amanda Thorsteinsson
global hunger by: supporting international programs to meet immediate food needs, reduce malnutrition, and
Design: Mike Shillinglaw
achieve sustainable food security; influencing improvements in national and international policies that contribute
to ending global hunger; and increasing and deepening the engagement of Canadians to end global hunger.
We welcome your
donations online at
www.foodgrainsbank.ca or
by calling 1.800.665.0377. Foodgrains Bank programs are undertaken with financial support from the Government of Canada.
8You can also read
