Valliwide Organic Farms is a California-based company focused on organic farming and produce. While it sells succulent mandarines, plums, nectarines and oranges, its vision is one of a bigger, more helpful mission: fighting extreme poverty. By partnering with When I Grow Up, a charity focused on addressing childhood poverty, Valliwide Organic Farms uses the profits of fresh fruit to fight poverty.
The Valliwide Organic Farms
Tod and Traci Parkinson have owned Valliwide since 1992, first as a produce marketing company. In 2010, they purchased their own organic farm as agricultural demand shifted in that direction. However, before their venture into organic farming and produce, the couple felt the pull to help others. They invested in a charity called When I Grow Up, and in 2010 when they bought their farm, the couple dedicated large portions of their profits to the charity. Valliwide was committed to using fresh fruit to fight poverty.
To provide futures for the next generation, Valliwide Organic Farms’ partnership with When I Grow Up seeks to create opportunities for those in disadvantaged communities. The founders’ motivation to grow matches their motivation to give back.
When I Grow Up’s Partnerships
When I Grow Up began in 2006 when, after a visit to a slum in Nairobi, Kenya, a group of U.S. citizens decided they needed to do something to help the thousands of children struggling with disease and a lack of resources. The newly-formed charitable group partnered with local Indigenous leaders who knew how to best manage and allocate the help provided. As its name suggests, this charity focuses on providing children with the means to create a brighter future.
The charity’s work in Nairobi has been in coordination with the Faruha Community Foundation (FCP), an organization working to provide an education to local children in situations of deprivation, many of whom are HIV positive. Its start as a tutoring support group has blossomed into a primary school of 500 children and, more recently, a high school of 150 students. Additionally, FCP provides health care, residential living assistance and microloans for those without resources. With funding from When I Grow Up, the FCP accommodates and supports many impoverished students while giving them the tools to create a successful future.
Other locations of need include Zone 18 in Guatemala, where crime and violence are widespread. When I Grow Up partners with Esperanza Para Guatemala, a local group working to provide sustenance and emotional support for local children and their families. The groups stock the local library with books and computers to learn essential vocational skills such as carpentry, baking, cosmetology and computers. More than 9,000 plates of food go toward feeding children and families monthly.
Feeding Children in Haiti
Furthermore, When I Grow Up’s recent work in Haiti is of paramount importance for Valliwide’s owners as Tod is the region’s field leader. Partnering with Lucson Dervilus, a native Haitian, Valliwide and When I Grow Up sought to provide support for the struggling, isolated communities of Palma and Jacob after the devastating earthquake of 2010. In October of that year, the groups created a feeding program for a local school intended to help local children escape poverty situations in the region.
In July 2012, the groups began building a new school to accommodate more children. Alongside the school, local families would receive grants to start trading to earn sufficient income to provide for their children. Over a couple of years, more than 250 students attended the school, with more teachers and staff to support their education. Additionally, the school received cattle and goats to begin an agricultural program to supplement the school’s income.
The work that When I Grow Up has accomplished is awe-inspiring. Moreover, Valliwide Organic Farms’ dedication and commitment allow the fresh fruit farm to help others on a global scale. While Valliwide has a U.S. base in California, its vision is to help children worldwide.
The Parkinsons use their fresh fruit products to do veritable good for the world. The juicy flavors of their mandarins, plums, nectarines and oranges pale in comparison to their ardent and steadfast dedication to providing for the next generation. By using fresh fruit to fight poverty, Valliwide Organic Farms is picking the commendable route to profitability and genuinely taking the fight against extreme poverty into its own hands.
– Eliza Cochran
Photo: Flickr
BECO’s Solar Power: Bringing Cheaper, Cleaner Energy to Somalia
In June 2020, Somalia’s largest electricity provider, BECO, announced the opening of a new solar power plant in the capital city of Mogadishu. BECO is the only company that provides electricity for Mogadishu, Afgooye, Balad, Barawe, Kismayu, Marka, Jowhar and Elasha. Although the company turned to solar power primarily to cut down on the cost of diesel fuel, its decision will have the added benefit of lowering air pollution. Additionally, BECO’s solar power plant will grow in capacity over time and lower electricity bills. BECO’s solar power plant could have a significant impact on Somalis, lifting many out of poverty.
Electricity in Somalia
Lack of access to electricity is widely cited as a large contributor to poverty. Without electricity, families don’t have a non-polluting source of energy for cooking. Refrigerators are unusable. Children can’t do their homework after dark. Communities can’t access all that the Internet offers for education and upward mobility. Hospitals and schools can’t offer full services. As a result, increasing access to electricity is often a goal of development efforts.
Somalia has particularly struggled with a lack of access to electricity. Before the civil war broke out in 1991, Somalia had a national power grid that produced 70 megawatts (MW) of electricity for the whole country. But the power grid was destroyed during the war and private corporations now provide any electricity available to residents. Currently, BECO produces 35 MW of power for eight cities, which is much less than its demand of 200 MW. Many Somalis avoid using electricity in order to avoid the monthly costs as 69% of Somalis are currently living in poverty.
Power companies in Somalia heavily rely on imported fossil fuels for diesel-powered generators. These generators are CO2 emitters and can heavily pollute the air. Despite the widespread use of generators, Somalia has only 106 MW of power nationwide, according to the United States Agency on International Development. The World Bank reported in 2018 that 64% of Somalis didn’t have access to electricity.
BECO’s Solar Power Plant
Because Somalia struggles with a lack of electricity and high electric costs, BECO’s new solar power plant has the potential to positively impact many people’s lives. When it opened, the power plant had the capacity to produce 8 MW. The solar power plant is only in use four hours a day, with BECO’s preexisting generators providing the rest of the electricity that the city needs. But residents’ electric bills have already gone down.
With the addition of the solar power plant, electricity costs in Mogadishu have already dropped from $0.49 to $0.36 per kilowatt-hour. BECO had originally decided to invest in solar power because of the high cost of importing diesel fuel for generators. By cutting costs, the company can offer cleaner energy at a more affordable price.
BECO plans to invest $40 million to bring the plant’s capacity to 100 MWp by 2022. This increase would enable the power plant to produce more electricity than twice its current output. However, the success of the solar plant will depend on battery storage.
Somalia’s Potential Future with Renewable Energy
BECO’s solar power plant is just the first step in Somalia’s possible path toward renewable energy. The African Development Bank reported in a study that Somalia had a greater potential for renewable energy than any other country in Africa. Onshore wind power could produce up to 45,000 MW of electricity. Solar energy has the potential to produce 2,000 kWh/m². If other Somali electric companies follow BECO’s example, Somalia’s electrical production could increase many times over.
It’s fortunate that in Somalia’s case, solar power is more affordable than the alternative. Simple market forces might solve Somalis’ lack of access to electricity. Although constructing facilities to produce solar power is expensive, companies would be able to provide electricity more cheaply and easily if they switch from importing fossil fuels to renewable energy. As a result of this cost decrease, electric bills would drop considerably as well. Once electricity becomes significantly cheaper, more Somalis will be able to access its benefits. BECO’s solar power plant is already reducing costs, and there’s no reason to believe that this trend won’t continue.
– Sarah Brinsley
Photo: Flickr
Why Women are More Likely to Live in Poverty
Educational Inequalities
In many developing countries, women are more likely to be denied an education, as nearly 25% of all girls have not completed primary school education and two-thirds of women make up the world’s illiteracy rate. In Somalia, for example, only 7% of girls are enrolled in primary school. The lack of education among women may result in higher pregnancy and poverty rates. According to the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative, a girl’s education is a driving force in their economic well-being. Somalia suffers from one of the world’s worst educational systems and is one of the poorest countries as well, having a poverty rate of 73%. With education, females can increase their access to higher-paying jobs, and thus, benefit the family’s income., which results in a positive cycle for generations, bettering the economy overall.
Women Are Paid Less
Despite having the same qualifications and working the same hours, women are more likely to get paid less than men. Worldwide, women earn nearly 20% less than men. These variances within wages affect women in low-paying jobs and poorer countries dramatically. Closing the gender wage gap can result in overall equal income distribution. In the United States alone, closing the wage gap would mean that half the poverty rate of working women and their families would be cut.
Period Poverty
Around the world, many females may suffer from period poverty: inadequate access to hygienic menstrual products and menstrual education. The lack of education is related to the stigma periods carry. Periods have been associated with immense shame for a long time and this stigma is carried throughout communities, deeply limiting girls’ opportunities. Globally, periods are the reason why girls are absent from school at a disproportionate rate, as two out of three girls in developing countries are skipping school during their period. In India, 23 million menstruating girls drop out of school annually because of a shortage in hygienic wash facilities and products. Without an education, females are less likely to obtain a high-paying job and escape poverty.
Domestic Violence and Sexual Exploitation
One in three females globally fall victim to some form of domestic or sexual violence in their lifetime. Girls and women who grow up in poverty are also at an increased risk of experiencing such crimes. Victims of domestic or sexual violence can be impacted through the degradation of their physical or mental health, loss of employment or are ultimately driven into homelessness. Globally, females lose out on nearly eight million days of employment every year as a direct result of violent acts committed against them. According to a survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, domestic violence was the root cause of women becoming homeless in half of all the cities surveyed.
Pregnancy
Economically, females are potentially burdened with the costs of pregnancy, including the additional fees of caring for a child, more significantly than men. Custodial mothers are twice as likely to be poor compared to custodial fathers. Further, unplanned pregnancies can be detrimental to a woman’s income as being unable to work immediately after giving birth means no pay, especially in the informal working sector. In the developing world, nearly 12 million girls aged 15-19 give birth each year, which often results in the end of the girls’ education and the beginning of child marriage. Children who are born from early pregnancies or marriages more often than not enter the same cycle of poverty and no education.
Organizations for Female Empowerment
Malala Yousafzai started the Malala Fund after members of the Pakistani Taliban shot her for advocating the right for girls to be educated. Since then, Malala has built her project into a global initiative that furthers the goal of providing free quality education to young girls in developing countries.
The Orchid Project is a global initiative to end female genital mutilation (FGM). The Orchid Project functions as a platform that raises awareness of the areas where FGM is most prevalent and advocates against the practice. The Orchid Project has brought together more than 193 countries with the collective goal of abolishing FGC by 2030.
Women for Women is an NGO that works to aid those who are in hostile conflict zones and are the victims of collateral damage. Women for Women helps to uplift these victims of violence by providing them with tools, support and education so that they may earn a living and remain stable through the direst of circumstances. Women for Women has helped more than half a million women in countries that have been directly impacted by war and conflicts.
Empowering Women Means Reducing Global Poverty
Females in developing countries experience complexities that restrict their development and progression. Organizations are helping to raise awareness of these complexities and aid women in need. Since women are more likely to experience inequalities that push them into poverty, empowering women ultimately means alleviating global poverty.
– Maya Falach
Photo: Flickr
Stopping Gang Violence: Success Stories from Within Honduras
Poverty in Honduras
In 2018, Honduras had a poverty rate of 48.3%. Inequality in the country has led to an extremely small middle class and a large income gap. Gangs feed off of poverty and a lack of government services. Moreover, gangs become the only way young people could get an income and find a semblance of a supportive community.
Honduras has a Corruption Perception Index score of 26 out of 100, which is directly reflected in the fear citizens have of reporting crimes. Gang members can be killed for attempting to leave a gang and many businesses are forced to pay “war taxes” for protection. Luckily, nonprofits and community outreach programs have arisen to intervene in this cycle of violence. Here are a few anti-violence success stories from within Honduras.
The Association For a More Just Society
The Association For a More Just Society (AJS) is a nonprofit that works to create strong community bonds to dissuade violence in Honduras. In terms of working against corruption, AJS investigates and publishes reports about the health care and education sectors. Additionally, they hold youth services in small Honduran communities.
AJS has had remarkable success in terms of reporting cases of corruption by the government and wealthy elites in Honduras. In the public health sector, AJS found that the government purposely overpaid connected businesses for medical supplies and ignored cases of theft. Its reports led to the arrest of 13 officials and increased access to life-saving medication in public hospitals.
The organization also reported corruption in education as teachers who were not showing up to work were being paid and the average student only had 125 school days available to them. The Honduran government had the highest spending budget on education in the region, yet its test scores were still very low. AJS has reduced the percentage of non-working paid teachers from 26% to 1%. Additionally, many schools now hold an average of 200 days of school.
Skate Brothers
Skate Brothers is a community outreach program that was started by the Honduras local, Jessel Edgardo Recinos. He was shot at the age of 16 after being accused of stealing a cell phone from a prominent gang member. This near-death experience inspired Recinos to create a community youth program that taught kids about skateboarding instead of violence.
The group provides a place for Honduran youth to gather after school with friends while learning fun skills like skateboarding, BMX bike riding and rollerskating. Additionally, Slate Brothers provide counseling services to prevent youth from joining gangs. The group performs in parades and street fairs as well as volunteers for the community.
Recinos has convinced members of his youth group to leave gangs and join his community outreach group instead. His goal is to create a supportive community that serves as an alternative to gangs and does not mandate illegal activity. Skate Brothers is one of 64 outreach programs created by USAID’s Honduran Youth Alliance, which now serves 34,000 youth around the country.
Looking Ahead
While gangs in Honduras is still a major issue, nonprofits and community support programs like AJS and Skate Brothers have been instrumental in stopping gang violence. The cycle of violence, poverty and corruption is beginning to break because of the dedication of AJS and the Honduran Youth Alliance. Reciono’s creation of Skate Brothers shows how people in impoverished communities can inspire their peers to join them in stopping gang violence.
– Olivia Welsh
Photo: Flickr
Safe Water: Sunlight-Powered Desalination
The Process of Sunlight-Powered Desalination
In August 2020, a team of Chinese and Australian researchers based at Monash University in Australia announced via the science journal, Nature Sustainability, that they had developed a new sunlight-powered desalination process. The method uses their self-developed metal-organic framework (MOF), an extremely porous metal, called PSP-MIL-53. Once exposed to sufficient sunlight, this MOF is “activated” and absorbs particles like salt and bacteria from brackish water to create water that can be consumed by humans.
This sunlight-powered desalination process, according to the scientists participating in the study, produces water cleaner than WHO standards. WHO sets the standard for drinking water at having less than 600 parts per million (ppm) of dissolved solids. Meanwhile, this new method was able to reduce the number of dissolved solids from 2,233ppm to 500ppm of dissolved solids.
Clean Water in 30 Minutes
Along with creating water cleaner than WHO standards, the new sunlight-powered desalination process can desalinate brackish water in less than 30 minutes. This approach is more efficient than other methods of desalination with it generating nearly 37 gallons of potable water per day from only one kilogram of PSP-MIL-53.
Benefits for the Impoverished
By using sunlight for activation energy, the newly developed method does not require heat or electricity to jumpstart the active desalination. While other technologies that use processes like reverse osmosis require sophisticated energy infrastructure and dangerous chemicals to operate, the Australian-developed procedure does not. This will allow poor, rural areas in developing nations, places where water is increasingly becoming most scarce, to use this sunlight-powered desalination process to obtain drinkable water without needing to create a robust power grid nearby. Lack of chemicals and reliance solely on sunlight also makes this type of desalination energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly, minimalizing damage to surrounding ecosystems.
Further Potential for Developing Countries
With the potential to quickly and efficiently provide millions with safe, drinkable water, Monash University researchers are continuing to perfect the technology. According to lead scientists on the project, the sunlight-powered desalination process can be cheaply distributed to areas in dire need overcoming the cost barrier of desalination plants that have previously prevented developing countries from purchasing desalination technology. Professor Huanting Wang, one of the lead scientists, also stated that the byproducts of the desalination process, those being the minerals and other materials extracted from the water, could function as a secondary benefit of the technique by providing an environmentally-friendly source of raw materials that could help boost the economies of poor regions.
The Future of PSP-MIL-53
Much is still to be done by researchers at Monash University before PSP-MIL-53 is ready for widespread distribution. Despite this, it is clear that this new discovery provides hope for impoverished communities who face threats of drought or unclean water. The cost and energy requirements have always been an entry barrier to gaining access to potentially life-saving desalination plants. These scientists are gunning to change the world by providing the poor with access to clean, drinkable water.
– Aidan Sun
Photo: Flickr
Addressing Elderly Poverty in China
China has one of the largest elderly populations in the world. About 128 million people in China are older than the age of 60. By the year 2050, there will be approximately 400 million people older than 60. Elderly poverty in China is a major concern as 22.9% of the elderly population lives below the poverty line. This poses health concerns as well because there is a strong correlation between health and wealth. According to a survey based on interviews from 2011 and 2012, of the elderly population, 26.2% of those living in poverty needed assistance with everyday activities compared to 22.7% of those above the poverty line. Fortunately, China recognizes a need to develop regulations and programs to help the elderly.
Caring for the Elderly
Elderly poverty in China is due in part to the struggles elderly people face in meeting their own needs. Traditionally, the elderly would live with one of their children. It was the child’s duty to care for their elderly parents and ensure their needs are met. However, today, children are more frequently moving out of family homes, leaving their parents to live alone. Family-based care is becoming impractical in China as middle-aged children do not have the time to take care of their parents. More than 23% of China’s elderly population now lives alone.
The number of homes for the elderly is not enough to support the population. China currently has 289 pension homes that can only house 9,924 people. This only accounts for 0.6% of China’s population older than 60. The rest of the population must fend for themselves when it comes to health care and housing.
Thankfully, China has put in place regulations to encourage private and foreign investment in homes for the elderly. The National Convention on Aging along with other departments created a 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) to increase access to health care and housing for the elderly population in an effort to solve elderly poverty in China.
China’s 13th Five-Year Plan
The first part of the plan included allocating more beds for the elderly in hospitals. The plan stated that the number of beds in public hospitals and care agencies for the elderly will account for 50% of the total capacity by 2020. In addition, 35% of middle and top-tier hospitals will establish specific geriatric care departments. Health care and pension plans will improve as well, with basic pension insurance covering 90% of the population and basic health insurance covering 95%.
Since 2019, wait times for the elderly to secure a place at a nursing home have significantly decreased. Wait times before the plan could be as long as 20 years. Now, these homes can place the elderly on a waiting list and the elderly can enter a private nursing home within one month. The rise of private nursing homes in 2019 stemmed from multiple municipalities announcing nursing homes would no longer have to obtain permits. The government is also incentivizing institutions to provide homes for the elderly. Furthermore, the government grants community centers a reduction in utilities and increased subsidies if they provide care to the elderly.
Hopefully, an additional phase of the plan will continue to alleviate the burdens the elderly face in finding housing and care in China. Moving forward, it is essential that the government continues to prioritize the eradication of elderly poverty in China.
– Rae Brozovich
Photo: Flickr
6 Facts About Child Poverty in India
Millions of Indian children live in extreme poverty, putting their lives, as well as the development of their bodies and minds, at risk. Global efforts have made significant progress toward combating child poverty in India and further funding will allow this success to continue.
An Overview of Poverty in India
India is one of the most populated countries in the world, with a population of 1.366 billion. Second only to China, with a population of 1.398 billion (a mere 2.3% greater), India alone accounts for more than 17% of the world’s population. With a population of such magnitude, there are not enough resources to go around.
India has historically struggled with poverty, with 63.1% of its population living on less than $1.90 a day in 1977. Since then, this number has diminished drastically to 22.5% in 2011 – but this still equates to an astounding 296 million people living in extreme poverty.
Children in India feel the burden of extreme poverty the most. They are the most likely to endure impoverishment and to lose their lives due to poverty. Global efforts have made a substantial amount of progress in fighting child poverty, but child poverty is still not close to eradication. Here are six crucial facts about child poverty in India.
6 Facts About Child Poverty in India
While extreme child poverty in India continues to cost Indian children their lives every day, the situation is improving significantly thanks to these global efforts. In order to continue these efforts and eradicate child poverty from India, further funding for poverty-fighting programs, both current and new, will be necessary.
– Asa Scott
Photo: Flickr
5 Facts About the Health of Syrian Refugees in Turkey
The war in Syria is a long-standing conflict with severe consequences. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions are still affected by the violence. Nearly 6.5 million people are displaced within Syria, while another 4.5 million have fled Syria since the conflict began. Turkey has received the largest number of refugees, a vast majority requiring medical attention and financial assistance. Here are five facts about the health of Syrian refugees in Turkey and what is being done to help them.
5 Facts About the Health of Syrian Refugees in Turkey
As more media attention is given to this humanitarian crisis, the sooner aid and a sense of peace can be bestowed to these displaced people. Moving forward, it is essential that the government and other humanitarian organizations continue to prioritize the health of Syrian refugees in Turkey.
– Amanda J Godfrey
Photo: Flickr
Mental Health in Palestine: The Hidden Plague
Palestinian refugees and citizens in the Occupied Territories are exposed to a great amount of violence and terror as a result of the Israeli occupation. This exposure has increased the prevalence of mental health disorders such as PTSD, insomnia and even schizophrenia. This article will provide some insight into the mental health issues that are prevalent among Palestinians, the healthcare system and the possible solutions to help facilitate a better mental health response.
The Conditions
Palestinians in the Occupied Territories live in a very volatile and unstable region. Recently, there has been an increase in the awareness of the effects that living through decades of continuous political aggression and violence have on mental health. Mental health disorders amount to one of the largest – but the least acknowledged – health problems in Occupied Palestine. Almost a third of Palestinians are in dire need of mental health interventions. However, mental health services in Occupied Palestine are amidst the most under-resourced fields of healthcare provision.
Palestinians have experienced a series of traumatic events that range from imprisonment and torture to unemployment, house demolitions and land confiscation. All these experiences foster an environment of continuous instability, stress, uncertainty and anxiety, which can dangerously affect mental health.
Mental health is a concern for both adults and children in the Occupied Territories. Adults who are exposed to house demolitions exhibit a higher level of anxiety, depression and paranoia. However, the psychological effects of the conditions in Occupied Palestine are especially traumatizing for children. Many injured children have developed severe psychological impairments. The prevalence of behavioral issues and psychopathic symptoms among children is incredibly high. About 32.7% of children in the Gaza Strip suffer from severe levels of PTSD, 49% of children suffer through moderate levels of PTSD and 16% of children suffer from low levels of PTSD.
The Healthcare System
As of now, mental health services in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are provided by both the government and the non-governmental sector. General services are provided by the Ministry of Health but the majority of the system is operated under and funded by humanitarian organizations like UNRWA. There are only 13 community mental health clinics in the West Bank, and one psychiatric hospital in Bethlehem. In 2013, the clinics with outpatient facilities treated over 2400 patients. Of the 2,400 patients, 24.2% were diagnosed with neurotic disorders (PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder and clinical depression) and 12.2 % were diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Generally, mental health services in Gaza and the West Bank are difficult to come by and inconsistent in quality. There is no legislation that addresses mental health and no budget allocated by the Ministry of Health. The region does not have mental health policies or an overview plan to address ongoing care and services for the severely mentally ill and those directly affected by trauma and loss.
What Needs to Be Done
The healthcare system in Palestine relies heavily on humanitarian aid and assistance. However, this funding and aid could easily be subjected to budget cuts from countries like the United States. Currently, the Ministry of Health does not allocate any funds to mental health services.
To effectively address mental health in Palestine, the government must create a fund for mental health services. The government should also promote legislation that addresses mental health. This legislation could include the protection of employment rights for those mentally ill, the integration of mental illness within the education system as well as civil legislation to address the rights to vote or own property.
It is also important for the Ministry of Health and NGOs to work together to create a comprehensive plan that addresses mental health. In collaboration, these organizations can acquire more hospital beds and help hospitals accommodate a greater number of patients. If mental health is made a priority, it can be effectively addressed in the coming years.
– Nada Abuasi
Photo: Flickr
How the Green Shoots Foundation is Fighting Poverty
Founded in 2010, the Green Shoots Foundation has been working toward poverty relief through holistic and sustainable development programs. An additional focus on bolstering economies and education helps empower the areas of Africa and Asia the foundation specializes in. The Green Shoots Foundation is fighting poverty by using accountability and transparency to achieve its goals. It organizes its missions into three particular programming areas:
The Food, Agriculture & Social Entrepreneurship Sector (FASE)
The Food, Agriculture & Social Entrepreneurship sector (FASE) of the Green Shoots Foundation is fighting poverty by working to restimulate rural economies through teaching sustainable agricultural skills and supporting business development.
Specific objectives characterize the goals of FASE and how they plan on improving the development in rural areas. These include:
FASE in the Philippines and Cambodia
FASE has completed notable work in the Philippines and Cambodia. In the Philippines, it is working to promote business opportunities for food and agriculture, as well as implement social innovation platforms such as the Enchanted Farm. The Enchanted Farm works to stimulate economic growth in different areas and simultaneously fight against poverty and food insecurity. Work in the Philippines has resulted in six-month long volunteer missions to help two different businesses that the Enchanted Farm is developing. In Cambodia, work has focused around horticulture education and environmental sustainability; 2014 proved to be a prominent year in FASE’s work as it implemented the Agricultural Skills in Public Schools (ASPUS) Project. Then, in 2018, the Agri-tech Training Center took the spotlight as the primary location for rural development and certified horticulture education in northwest Cambodia.
The Agri-tech Training Center
The Agri-tech Training Center serves as a community learning center that offers both training areas and demonstrations connected to rural development. These lessons have the intention of benefitting the public’s knowledge on agriculture. The center offers workshops on microfinance, nutrition and food growing. The center hopes to provide access to sustainable farming practices, improve the application of rural development skills in an ecofriendly way and enhance the capacity of young farmers for enterprise development. The organization also partners with five different local companies in North West Cambodia to help bolster its economy and build meaningful connections in the community. Each year, the center targets to train at least 200 local, young students. The Agri-tech Training Center advocates that training these young people will lead to local problem solving and increase entrepreneurship in the rural area.
The Green Shoots Foundation is fighting poverty through its work helping rural communities develop their economies through food and agriculture, education and medical aid. FASE’s vocational training staff at the Agri-tech Training Center has been working tirelessly to educate those in North West Cambodia on how to better themselves and their communities. Through the work of this foundation, people living in impoverished areas are able to combat hunger and bring themselves out of generational poverty.
– Hope Shourd
Photo: Flickr
Valliwide Organic Farms: Using Fresh Fruit to Fight Poverty
The Valliwide Organic Farms
Tod and Traci Parkinson have owned Valliwide since 1992, first as a produce marketing company. In 2010, they purchased their own organic farm as agricultural demand shifted in that direction. However, before their venture into organic farming and produce, the couple felt the pull to help others. They invested in a charity called When I Grow Up, and in 2010 when they bought their farm, the couple dedicated large portions of their profits to the charity. Valliwide was committed to using fresh fruit to fight poverty.
To provide futures for the next generation, Valliwide Organic Farms’ partnership with When I Grow Up seeks to create opportunities for those in disadvantaged communities. The founders’ motivation to grow matches their motivation to give back.
When I Grow Up’s Partnerships
When I Grow Up began in 2006 when, after a visit to a slum in Nairobi, Kenya, a group of U.S. citizens decided they needed to do something to help the thousands of children struggling with disease and a lack of resources. The newly-formed charitable group partnered with local Indigenous leaders who knew how to best manage and allocate the help provided. As its name suggests, this charity focuses on providing children with the means to create a brighter future.
The charity’s work in Nairobi has been in coordination with the Faruha Community Foundation (FCP), an organization working to provide an education to local children in situations of deprivation, many of whom are HIV positive. Its start as a tutoring support group has blossomed into a primary school of 500 children and, more recently, a high school of 150 students. Additionally, FCP provides health care, residential living assistance and microloans for those without resources. With funding from When I Grow Up, the FCP accommodates and supports many impoverished students while giving them the tools to create a successful future.
Other locations of need include Zone 18 in Guatemala, where crime and violence are widespread. When I Grow Up partners with Esperanza Para Guatemala, a local group working to provide sustenance and emotional support for local children and their families. The groups stock the local library with books and computers to learn essential vocational skills such as carpentry, baking, cosmetology and computers. More than 9,000 plates of food go toward feeding children and families monthly.
Feeding Children in Haiti
Furthermore, When I Grow Up’s recent work in Haiti is of paramount importance for Valliwide’s owners as Tod is the region’s field leader. Partnering with Lucson Dervilus, a native Haitian, Valliwide and When I Grow Up sought to provide support for the struggling, isolated communities of Palma and Jacob after the devastating earthquake of 2010. In October of that year, the groups created a feeding program for a local school intended to help local children escape poverty situations in the region.
In July 2012, the groups began building a new school to accommodate more children. Alongside the school, local families would receive grants to start trading to earn sufficient income to provide for their children. Over a couple of years, more than 250 students attended the school, with more teachers and staff to support their education. Additionally, the school received cattle and goats to begin an agricultural program to supplement the school’s income.
The work that When I Grow Up has accomplished is awe-inspiring. Moreover, Valliwide Organic Farms’ dedication and commitment allow the fresh fruit farm to help others on a global scale. While Valliwide has a U.S. base in California, its vision is to help children worldwide.
The Parkinsons use their fresh fruit products to do veritable good for the world. The juicy flavors of their mandarins, plums, nectarines and oranges pale in comparison to their ardent and steadfast dedication to providing for the next generation. By using fresh fruit to fight poverty, Valliwide Organic Farms is picking the commendable route to profitability and genuinely taking the fight against extreme poverty into its own hands.
– Eliza Cochran
Photo: Flickr