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Without Dignity, We are Nothing
Whether Canadian or Zambian, every living creature needs safe and secure access to food. Without it, health fails, conflicts arise and people die. Approximately one billion people around the world go to bed hungry. In fact, hunger and malnutrition are the number one risk to global health, killing more than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. This means that hunger is the deadliest – yet most preventable – ailment that we face.
CARE Canada strongly believes that access to food, also known as food security, is a fundamental human right. As the Chair of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization stated, “food is not an issue of charity, it is an issue of justice.”
This is why this International Food Day, October 16th, CARE Canada is reinforcing its dedication to fighting world hunger in almost 70 countries around the world. As we move forward with this fight, there will be challenges to overcome.
Food prices are increasing. By March of 2008, global food prices were 75 percent higher than they had been in 2005, making it even more difficult for those who are living on the edge to feed their families. Climate change is also reducing the availability of food in places that traditionally had access to bountiful food supplies. In Eastern Africa, for example, 20 million people are threatened by an almost unprecedented drought. For the first time, this drought is affecting major cities in Kenya and is threatening the food supply of urban populations, which is indicative of the change of climate in the area.
Despite the grim nature of this news, CARE Canada sees hope everyday in the work that we do. Whether it is by helping communities adapt to climate change or by providing seeds and livestock to farmers, CARE Canada is seeing success.
For example, in Zimbabwe, where food is in critical shortage, many of the people with whom we work are coping, thanks to access to seeds, tools and improved farming techniques: we are working with HIV-positive women to help them grow gardens in their postage stamp front yards. The small gardens empower women by helping them feed their family and stay healthy, while earning a small income on the side.
In Myanmar, CARE distributes crabs and piglets to the most vulnerable homes – many headed by single mothers - so that they too can earn an income and supply food to their family. The food is vital to communities hit hard by Cyclone Nargis in 2008 – not only does it help to provide nutritition, it also helps families to regain their economic independence.
Food security is a fundamental human right; it is achievable. Every day, CARE Canada sees both the potential and the challenges in the fight against hunger. This World Food Day, we will celebrate the successes, while maintaining our focus on the work that lies ahead.
What can you do to help fight world hunger this World Food Day?
In 2000, Canada was one of 18 nations that pledged to cut the proportion of people suffering from hunger in half by 2015, as part of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Despite these pledges, food security – the access that people have to healthy food – is diminishing worldwide.
By donating to CARE programmes, you are allowing us to continue the fight against world hunger.
Canada will host the G8 Summit next summer. This is our chance to bring development issues, like food security, to the forefront and to remind the nations of the world of their commitments under the Millennium Development Goals. You can help make this happen. CARE Canada encourages Canadians to write to their MP to tell them that fighting hunger should be vital in discussions during the G8 in 2010. We must work together to combat the root causes of hunger so that we can prevent disaster and famine before they happen. Through our leadership, Canada can ensure that the world’s powerful nations focus on the right to access food.
Together, we can make a difference. Together, we can fight hunger.
Seeds of Change
CARE knows that women can sew the seeds of change; if they can get the seed.
However, women around the world are disproportionately affected by poverty. And those who are primarily tasked with producing agriculture –women living in rural areas – are amongst the poorest.
 There are numerous factors to this inequality. Oftentimes, women do not have access to the resources, means or education that would ensure they reach their full potential.
Property ownership and equality are also a concern: while women produce the majority of the world’s agriculture, they own only a small portion of the land.
These disparities represent hurdles in the fight against poverty; if women can’t get credit to buy property or seed, or get their crops to market, their dreams remain dreams.
This is why CARE is partnering with women around the world through community-driven financial services called Village Savings and Loans. These basic financial services are built by women living on less than $2 a day who collectively save pennies each week and make small loans to each other. The results are transformational: loans enable them to invest in their small-businesses or their farming, which in turn provide a sustainable livelihood, as well as independence and self-sufficiency.
Because members borrow from each other, there is a low default rate on loans – less than 5% in many communities. And, unlike traditional financial institutions, Village Savings and Loans are far-reaching: they are as effective in populated city slums as they are in remote rural areas. In fact, more than 1.2 million people worldwide have benefited from their success.
But the true success reaches beyond repayment rates and numbers. When women have control over some of the household spending, families are more likely to access education, health services and nutritious food. In addition, communities flourish when all members – men and women – are given the opportunity to participate in economic development. When women are active in earning and managing an income, communities become more resilient when hard times hit and when food would otherwise be scarce.
CARE aims to expand the success of Village Savings and Loans throughout Africa and plans to provide financial services to 30 million people in 39 African countries over the next 10 years. At least 70 per cent of the people served will be women. We are also asking you to partner with us by becoming an Agent of Change - one of the best ways to make a difference.
Together we can be sure that the seeds of change will truly prosper.
Kevin McCort: Q&A
1- Kevin, when did your last trip to Zimbabwe take place, and how long where you there for?
I was in Zimbabwe for a two-week period this past June. I’ve made a number visits in the last decade to Zimbabwe, the last one being in 2007. I’ve been to the country on and off since the 1990s, and lived there between 1990-1992.
The focus of this last trip was on the programs CARE is running in the country: agriculture, emergencies and economic development.
 2- How long has CARE been working in Zimbabwe?
The CARE office opened in 1992. We were invited into the country to help out with the response to food shortage, and stayed to assist with food production during non-drought periods.
The areas in which CARE is primarily focusing on today in Zimbabwe are community gardens, the building of small dams, and irrigation.
3- There’s a food shortage in the Horn of Africa right now, what effect would you say this is having on the citizens of Zimbabwe and the surrounding region?
Even though Zimbabwe isn’t in the same region as the Horn of Africa, the effects of the food shortage are felt by everyone on the continent. For example, if 20 million people in the East of Africa need emergency food aid, the people in the West will receive less. There simply isn’t enough food donated to aid organizations, and as a result, when emergencies happen in one region, shortages can occur in the other.
4- What is CARE doing to address the needs of the people?
CARE’s role in the country is two-tiered.
1. We focus on people’s most basic needs: We help them to Live, Learn and Earn. This means we work with local communities to ensure that there is enough food, that people are receiving an education and that they learn how to earn an income, and eventually become self-sufficient.
2. The second role that CARE plays is geared towards investment: There’s a focus on agriculture, infrastructure (small dams), irrigation, and group savings and loans.
Savings and Loans Groups are set up so that community members (mostly women) borrow money from one another – as opposed to, say, a financial institution – and the terms of the loans are agreed upon within the group. This allows for the payments on loans to remain affordable, and interest accrued is then kept internally, thereby benefiting of the group. CARE staff work with these groups, providing training and knowledge, and help them establish business-appropriate models.
During my trip, I had the pleasure of attending a graduation ceremony for some of these Savings and Loans Groups – the women no longer needed CARE’s assistance; they had achieved true independence!
5- Since Zimbabwe’s economic collapse, why has CARE been well-suited to help the people of Zimbabwe?
CARE has an enormous capacity to do humanitarian work: we can respond to virtually any type of disaster (disease outbreak, food shortage, conflict, etc.)
We also maintain our political neutrality and impartiality. As a result of this, within the communities where we work, we are able to gain trust from the people. They know that we are there simply to help them.
CARE also stays in the community long after disaster strikes – we help people not only recover, but to also rebuild their lives. Our approach is a long-term one.
6- What role can Canadians play in this fight against world hunger?
The first step is getting to know our programmes, and then supporting them with their donations.
Statistics show that of the tax dollars collected, only $10 per Canadian is spent by the government on humanitarian assistance. Canadians can let their representatives in Parliament know that more needs to be done to fight hunger around the world. This is not a political act; it is a humanitarian one.
7- During your time in Zimbabwe and surrounding areas, what gave you hope that the situation can and will be improved?
I met many people in Zimbabwe who told me that CARE programs have not only saved their lives, but they have also helped to significantly improve them. I spent two weeks hearing similar stories from several people. Despite the success, however, there remains so much more to do. For each live saved, there’s another in grave danger.
8- Where can we find more information about your experiences visiting different CARE projects around the world?
The best place to read about my travels around the world, to various CARE programs is my blog. I update it on each trip, and you can expect to see more stories on there about our work on the ground, International forums, and stories from our donors.
I also encourage you to follow me on Twitter.
Thank you for your time.
GAP + You + CARE = Success! Thank You!
We wanted you to know that the recent Gap Inc. Give and Get promotion helped raise $68,000 for CARE Canada!
Thank you for your participation in Gap Inc. Give and Get—we couldn’t have achieved this tremendous success without you.
Thanks to your support, you are changing lives in the developing world by helping women and girls fight poverty and improve their communities.
You are preventing hunger, you are helping people combat HIV and AIDS, and you are helping women and girls access education. Your support will help these women earn a livelihood, take care of their families, access basic health care and clean drinking water, and so much more.
Thank you for championing CARE Canada’s cause!
Read powerful stories about the women, girls and communities you are helping support.
CARE Canada is honoured to partner with Gap Inc., which has supported CARE programs for more than 10 years. Thanks to Gap Inc., CARE Canada has helped empower women, children and whole communities around the world to overcome extreme poverty and build better and brighter futures for themselves.
What Dreams Are Made of
Have you ever dreamed of undertaking an unparalleled adventure that will inspire you, challenge you, and bring you to amazing new heights?
.jpg) Now’s your chance to live out that dream by taking part in the Climb for CARE Kilimanjaro 2010!
Experience the exhilaration of surmounting one of the world’s highest peaks and most majestic vantage points in Africa. Challenge yourself by reaching new heights in this life changing experience. Truly make a difference!
When you join CARE’s Climb you will become part of something bigger. Not just a team of climbers, but a global movement dedicated to empowering women and girls living in poverty to overcome the personal mountains they face daily.
Since 2005, CARE Kilimanjaro Climbs have raised over $500,000 to fight poverty around the world and helped increase awareness of CARE’s good work nationally and internationally.
In the shadow of Kilimanjaro you’ll visit a CARE project and meet some of the people who are transforming their lives with your support. And remember, funds raised from this climb will be matched 3 to 1 by the Canadian International Development Agency to give 4 x the impact, making this Canada’s most powerful climbing event.
Join us on January 28 to February 9 and fulfill that dream!
See what else is new at CARE Canada
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