Changemakers: From Struggle to Self-Sufficiency
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” — 1 Peter 4:10
Over the past nineteen years, LUV’s anti-trafficking network has fueled a movement by local changemakers. Visionaries like James have been passing the torch to new leaders like Peter. They are now sharing their lives and legacies to invest in a third generation of Christ-centered agents of change in warzones.
We know that grassroots economic development is transformative. It helps individuals and communities move from dependency to self-sufficiency. In addition to job creation, we invest in large-scale farming and small businesses to create paths toward economic independence.
Struggling to Survive
Salma, a resilient 50-year-old woman from South Sudan, knows life’s hardships.
Her community, near the Ugandan border, is plagued by conflict and extreme poverty. Yet, despite these struggles, the area benefits from good rainfall, making it suitable for farming — a blessing that Salma has recently begun to fully embrace.
For many years, Salma and her husband, Joseph, struggled to provide for their family, which included their three children and Salma’s elderly grandmother. Their main source of income came from selling firewood and grass. These were grueling tasks that demanded long hours in the forest and exhausting treks to the market. Each trip was fraught with danger, putting Salma and the children at risk of abuse, kidnapping, and exploitation. Despite their tireless efforts, the family often found themselves on the brink of hunger. Anxiety about the future loomed over them like a heavy cloud.
A Turning Point
Everything changed for Salma when she joined LUV’s Farmer Field School (FFS) program supported by Rise Against Hunger. Becoming one of 30 participants to work at the Hope for South Sudan (HFSS) farm marked a turning point in her life.
The program gave Salma a job and extensive training in agriculture and nutrition. She learned modern farming techniques, like pit planting, composting, and crop rotation. She also received seeds to cultivate her own land.
The impact of this support has been profound. “Before, we used to have only one meal a day and sometimes none at all,” Salma recalls. “But now, we can have at least two meals a day, and everyone in the family eats both lunch and dinner.”
With her new skills and resources, Salma’s farm has flourished. She grows various crops, including groundnuts, cowpeas, and sorghum. She uses most of the produce to feed her family, but she also sells a portion to generate extra income.
Leading Her Community
Salma’s newfound success has not gone unnoticed in her community. “My neighbors used to underestimate me,” she says. “They didn’t see me as important. But now, they come to me for advice. They respect me because they see I can make my own living, save money, and even cover medical expenses.”
This transformation has also affected Salma’s household dynamics.“My relationship with my husband has always been fine, but now I feel equal,” she explains. “I have my own financial resources, and I decide what to do with them. This makes me feel that I am on the same level as my husband. I can plan better and rely on my own work. It gives me more control over my life.”
In the countries where LUV works, extreme poverty is the norm. Over five decades of war have destroyed lives, families, communities, and infrastructure. In South Sudan, an estimated 70% live below the poverty line. Before the outbreak of war in 2023 in Sudan, which only worsened the situation, 32% were living below the poverty line. This is the highest poverty rate in North Africa.
The FFS program helped Salma’s family and gave her a sense of self-worth. She recalls the day when providing for her loved ones felt like an uphill battle. Now, she stands tall as a respected and self-reliant community member. Her journey is a testament to the life-changing impact of farming education.
Sharing Her Gifts
Recently, Salma and other FFS members were overjoyed to learn that their efforts had helped the LUV community. Their farming work provided the critical diet diversity students in LUV’s school program needed. In fact, this effort led to a remarkable achievement: a zero-malnutrition rate among all the children for over a year! Not only are the children performing better in school, but they are staying healthier, which means lower medical expenses. They are excelling in sports and extracurricular activities.
Salma now looks forward to a future where food insecurity is a thing of the past for her family.
She is eager to continue sharing her knowledge with others. She knows she is helping to strengthen her community, one harvest at a time.
With the support of people like you, women like Salma are building brighter futures for themselves and their communities. Together, we are investing in lasting change, one life at a time.
Join us in making hope a reality for vulnerable communities.
Double your impact! Thanks to a generous matching gift, every dollar given by Dec 31 will be matched up to $250,000!
What your gift can do:
- $50 Equips students living in a warzone with uniforms and education supplies.
- $100 Meets the critical nutritional needs of four children for one month.
- $150 Stops human trafficking by providing safe housing for three children for one month.
- $208 Provides total care for a child through safe housing, food, medical, and education supports for one month.
- $300 Empowers one survivor with meaningful employment and resources.
- $500 Invests in an educator who will inspire a new generation of changemakers.
Your generous one-time or monthly gift will equip local changemakers, address root causes of exploitation, and grow hope and resiliency in war-torn communities.