Saying YES to children urgently waiting for help!

You’re giving more than a meal…

As you and I look to the future, we can see the bright hope of limitless possibilities for our families and us. But as I was contemplating the various plans I have for the future, it struck me:People who are hungry, afraid, and vulnerable don’t have the luxury of planning for the future. They are simply trying to survive another day. But I don’t believe that’s what God intends.

In Jeremiah 29:11, God gives His promise to all people: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” That’s not just a promise to those living in relative comfort. The Lord wants everyone to have hope for the future. And there’s nothing like the feeling you get when you see a child who begins to have hope for the first time.

There are no words to describe the holiness of the moment when a child who’s suffered so much begins to believe that the future can be better… when she begins to glimpse the possibility of a full life. The smile you see on that child’s face is the very essence of what “a full life feels good” really means. It’s not just a full stomach.

It’s a life in which a child can imagine growing up, learning, pursuing dreams, and even spending eternity with the Lord.

Because you heard their cries for help and said yes by giving, many of these little ones are now experiencing a full life… and the difference for them is incredible! But even as we celebrate that all these children are being fed, there is a harsh reality you and I must face: tens of thousands more are in desperate need.

And to meet the growing needs brought on by war, conflict, drought and natural disasters, Feed The Hungry must strengthen programs in some of the most desperate places in the world today.

Here are just three regions Feed The Hungry is working to bring a full life to children in the direst of situations…

In Uganda, Feed The Hungry is the only ministry providing daily meals to refugee schoolchildren who have fled the horrors of war in the Congo, South Sudan, and Burundi. The need is immense and growing daily, and we’ve struggled to keep up. Every single day, children crossing the border wander into the camp alone, traumatised, and desperate for help. We must have the resources to help them.
In Southern Africa, severe drought continues to threaten thousands in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Lesotho with malnutrition and starvation. We’re being challenged to find new ways to provide food for widows, the elderly, and vulnerable children, even as the food crisis grows.
In Nicaragua, there’s so much opportunity for growth, and the chance to help the neediest children in our hemisphere. Hundreds of churches have seen the transformation of the daily meal program and begged us to start the same thing in their remote parts of the nation. They’re also asking for the Word of God. There’s also an amazing openness to God’s Word among the young – and we must

Your support has made it possible to build trust in the communities in which we serve.

The Every Child Every Day program has been a success because the hungry know we will be there for the children day after day. It’s not just an emergency feeding program. Children trust they can come back every day and find nutritious food and staff members who care about their physical and spiritual health. And one thing I’ve learned is that trust is the foundation of hope.

When children trust, families and communities can trust. And it becomes so much easier to hear the Gospel message. As an old proverb states, “Empty bellies have no ears”.

Transformation comes through relationships. As Feed The Hungry is there day after day, spending time with the children, listening, learning and sharing, it becomes easier to feed the soul as well as the stomach.

Today, there are thousands of hungry children who desperately need our help. But to say YES to the children who are waiting, it will take continued support from compassionate Christians like you.

Thank you for your faithfulness. Your continued support means a YES to many more hungry kids waiting urgently for help… and it means a YES to their ability to dream with hope for the future!

Refugee children in Uganda have a brighter future thanks to friends like you

Landing at the Entebbe International Airport in Uganda can be a painfully deceiving experience. Beautiful homes lining the lush banks of Lake Victoria provide a stark contrast with what life is really like for desperate refugees just hours away.

These refugees, 80% women and children, have poured into Uganda by the thousands, fleeing violence in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They arrive weak and frightened, bringing with them only what they can carry. Many of the children have seen their own families executed. And some have experienced unspeakable acts at the hands of murderous thugs.

There are simply no words to describe the pain on the faces of these precious boys and girls. But thanks to the support of friends like you, Feed The Hungry is right there to give food and relief aid to more than 33,000 children across 30 feeding sites in Uganda.

And as we care for their physical needs, we’re also ministering to them at their schools, and working hard to encourage local church planting. One camp already has 13 church plants, and many young boys and girls are coming to know God’s love for them.

Helping desperately needy children touches the heart of Jesus, who said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these… you did for me” (Matt. 25:40). Uganda is filled with the “least of these” – innocent little ones who are suffering through no fault of their own.

So, thank you for your willingness to serve these children with us, and for praying they will become spiritually and physically strong in the coming months, on their way to a future bright with hope!

Stefan Radelich
President, Feed The Hungry