Posts Tagged: poverty

Haitian farmers and civil society peacefully demand social reforms

By Cindy Corell | Mission Co-worker Haiti Haiti operates daily in crisis mode. Eighty percent of Haitians survive on less than $2.40 a day. Inflation puts the price of daily necessities further and further out of reach for the average family. The cost of education, too, is rising, so parents will do without to send… Read more »

The Hunt for Gold and Diamonds Leads to Deeper Poverty in East Cameroon

Families abandon farms and schools for small-scale mining only to be trapped in a cycle of poverty By Jaff Bamenjo | RELUFA, Joining Hands Cameroon Artisanal mining, or small-scale mining using limited machinery, is the only direct means through which local communities can benefit economically from the mineral endowments of their country. In the east… Read more »

Faithful Action During October Food Week

The 2018 Food Week of Action is coming! The week goes from October 14-21 and is a time to celebrate the abundant and precious world that we inhabit — whose diverse ecosystems provide everything we need to thrive. We also acknowledge the inequality and threats to life brought about by human greed and systems that… Read more »

Presentation of PHP’s International Work

Learn more about PHP’s international development and advocacy work By Eileen Schuhmann | Presbyterian Hunger Program Recently the staff of the Presbyterian Hunger Program put together PowerPoint presentations, complete with narrations, with the goal of helping Presbyterians and others to understand better the work that we do in the world. The hope is that the presentations can… Read more »

U.N. report finds extreme poverty in U.S.

By Eileen Schuhmann | Presbyterian Hunger Program The U.S. is not immune to hunger and poverty problems. In fact, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, found high levels of inequality and extreme poverty in the U.S. After completing a two week visit to the U.S. in December 2017, Alston found… Read more »

PHP seeks to impact famine in conflict zones

Twenty Million on Brink of Famine By Eileen Schuhmann | Presbyterian Hunger Program We tend to associate famine with weather-related food supply issues. However, conflict is the primary driver of “persistent severe hunger” (IFPRI). On May 24, 2018, the UN Security Council recognized for the first time that armed conflict and violence are closely linked to… Read more »

Sand Mining in Sri Lanka Endangers Coral Reefs and Livelihoods

By Herman Kumara | Praja Abhilasha, Joining Hands Sri Lanka The Sri Lankan Government, in partnership with the China Communication Construction Company (CCCC), is moving forward with its plans to build a Port City, a business and tourism district that extends the city of Colombo onto a man-made island. The government promises that the Port… Read more »

Grain Banks Pioneer Remembered

Elias Gondji visiting with villagers in Cameroon. “He devoted his entire life helping communities to become self-reliant, and worked tirelessly to draw attention to issues faced by communities in the northern part of the country and bring development in the area. With RELUFA, Elias contributed to the construction of 45 granaries in far north Cameroon, which have been well managed and operational… Read more »

Cobalt and Copper Mine Displaces Kishieba Community in Congo

Abandoned house in Kifumpa, DRC - Jaff Napoleon photo By Jaff Napoleon Bamenjo | Coordinator Joining Hands Cameroon, RELUFA In 2004, residents of Kishieba village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were displaced from their ancestral land to make way for the Frontier Mine, a cobalt and copper mining project currently owned and operated by Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC). The residents of… Read more »

We’ve made you angry, so now what?

Haitian woman holding oranges By Cindy Corell | Mission Co-worker, Joining Hands Haiti The man sat in the Fellowship Hall growing angrier by the minute. I continued explaining how foreign countries dumping cheap imported food into Haiti made it all but impossible for Haitian farmers to sell their local foods at market. Cheap rice from the U.S. sells quickly. Better quality,… Read more »