Poverty and hunger in Africa have been major killers for decades. AIDS has only made the problem much worse over the past 30 years. Nearly all the ADRA projects in Africa have an HIV and AIDS program. ADRA educates people on HIV and AIDS because there is a lot of misinformation about how one can get it and what happens to one if they do get it. ADRA works with a lot of children who have lost one or both parents to HIV and AIDS. ADRA works to end poverty and hunger in Africa through programs in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and others.
One Simple Solution to Poverty and Hunger in Africa
In Uganda and Kenya, ADRA works with child-headed households to keep the families intact and together. Without ADRA, many of these homes would fall apart. ADRA helps these families by teaching them how to garden. They are also invited to participate in a cow or chicken bank program. There are cows, goats, oxen, and chickens available depending on what is relevant to the country.
Basically, the programs work like this. A family is given a goat as a loan. The family is then able to get the milk from the goat, which increases the protein the family members are getting. Excess goat milk or cheese can be used to bargain with neighbors or in the market for other goods. The family then begins to have a source of income. Goats in the program can be matched with other goats to have offspring. One of the offspring is then repaid to ADRA to replace the initial goat that was given on loan. These programs make a huge difference in the families involved.
When ADRA goes into a community, we look for those who are most in need. We then send out an invitation to them regarding the "bank" programs, and wait to see who is interested in participating. There are always some that decide they would not like to participate in the program, but usually the opportunity is welcome. The contrast between a family who does participate in the program and one who does not are striking. Upon revisiting the community, ADRA has found that families who participate are healthier and happier, tend to have their children in school learning, have a stable source of income, better clothing, food to eat, and a better living situation.
One of ADRA's main goals is to help the local people become self-sufficient in their own environments. Programs like the "bank" programs do just that. They enable people the opportunity to get started with a project that will forever change their lives and the lives of their families and communities. Many families never know opportunities like this exist, or they have no means to take advantage of the benefits of owning an animal due to the costs involved. ADRA helps these families directly by providing the knowledge on how to care for the animal, and how to make a living using the animal, and also provide the animal so families can get started. It is more important to teach a family how to provide for themselves over a sustained period of time than to give them a meal for one day. Yes, ADRA does provide meals to people in need, but we also look for opportunities to help families help themselves over the long term, and that is exactly what the "bank" programs accomplish. This is just one simple way to help end poverty and hunger in Africa, and it is happening daily throughout the continent.
You can help end poverty and hunger in Africa today. Your donation can be the turning point for a family. Providing an animal for these families directly and immediately helps to end their individual fight against hunger and poverty in Africa. Give Today!
