Hunger: A holistic approach to breaking the cycle

[ [link removed] ]Mercy Corps



Living with the stress of hunger makes it hard to even dream of a more
prosperous future. But women like Fatuma, who is marketing maize and
other cereals in Kenya, and Mansari, a mushroom entrepreneur in Nepal —
dreamed anyway. Learn about our holistic approach to hunger and meet
these inspiring women.

Recent months have revealed how COVID-19 threatens more than our physical
health. From the global economy to our personal interactions, nothing
remains untouched. For 821+ million people worldwide currently at risk of
going hungry, COVID-19 has pushed already fragile food security to the
brink. [ [link removed] ]Get the facts on global hunger.

This complex problem requires a holistic approach — a cycle of solutions
that can help break the cycle of hunger.

[ The ]The Circle of Hunger

When Mercy Corps global teams work with families and communities facing
hunger, we address both short-term needs and long-term solutions for a
more sustainable approach. This includes:

AGRICULTURE
By connecting farmers to the resources needed to grow healthy, diverse,
plentiful crops, we help them increase income and stability from season to
season.

HEALTH & NUTRITION
Access to clean water, hygiene and nutrition education are key. Our
COVID-19 response worldwide includes desalinating water in The Bahamas,
providing hygiene kits in Indonesia and disease prevention education in
Syria. All help decrease negative physical, economic and social impacts of
the pandemic — and of hunger.

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT
By supporting women’s independence and income-earning potential, those
most affected by food insecurity can become the problem-solvers.

Meet Fatuma. She already had an entrepreneurial mindset. Training helped
her become a provider.

"Knowledge is very important, so I sought any opportunity to find ways to
develop and grow," 18-year-old Fatuma reflects.

[ Mansari ]Mansari in Nepal
At a market bordering Kenya and Ethiopia, Fatuma lays out sacks of maize,
lentils, and sesame to sell. (© David Mutua/ACDIVOCA and USAID)
When Fatuma signed up for Mercy Corps’ GIRL (Girls Improving Resilience
Through Livelihoods) program, she began to quench her thirst for
knowledge. The nine-month training and mentoring workshop equips girls
ages 10–19 with life skills such as reproductive health, nutrition,
financial management and business skills.

Fatuma was forced to drop out of school at a young age to help her family
by selling any extra produce to neighbors from her kitchen garden. But
with her new business success selling cereals at the market, she’s saving
money and reinvesting capital. She can support her parents and pay for her
sister’s education.

Meet Mansari. Mushroom cultivation helped her forge a new path.

"It pains for me to think of those days when I had to crush stones all day
under the heat of the sun," she recalls of the times when she earned just
$4.50 per week laboring in the river banks.

[ Mansari ]Mansari in Nepal
(Nepal) Mansari and the shed that holds her inventory: bags dangling from
the ceiling with healthy mushrooms bursting from the sides.
Mansari took Mercy Corps’ PAHAL (Promoting Agriculture, Health and
Alternative Livelihoods) mushroom cultivation course and financial
literacy training. With a loan from the PAHAL-supported cooperative, she
began her own business. Her latest crop sold for $121, and she now saves
$14 monthly for her family. Tending to her mushrooms requires only morning
and evening visits, allowing her to focus on raising her daughter.

Trainings like Mercy Corps’ GIRL program in Kenya and PAHAL in Nepal serve
to break the cycle of hunger — turning dreams of a better future into
reality.

As a member of our
humanitarian community, your support and engagement make programs like these possible. Thank
you. You play a role in
disrupting the [ [link removed] ]cycle of hunger for people worldwide. We’re grateful for
your compassion and commitment.

Sincerely,

[7]Adrienne Karecki
Adrienne Karecki, Mercy Corps Chief Development and Marketing Officer

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