Feeding Africa: Providing Food and Hope

A boy helps carry rice to the distribution station.

For most of us, Monday is not a day we look forward to. In America, Monday has a reputation of being gloomy, and exhausting, an unwavering reminder that the weekend is gone. But for those involved in our Feeding Africa program, Monday means something much different. Monday rolls around bringing a sense of relief and thankfulness. Mothers and children come with hearts full of hope to receive parcels of food that will provide nourishment for their families for the coming week. 

We are so incredibly thankful that for the last 14 weeks we have been able to provide food for these families during a time of crisis. We began with the little we had, feeding just a handful of families and with the generosity of others have moved to providing meals for about 1000 people each week! We have been able to provide our beautiful brothers and sisters with food bundles to feed their families 2 meals each day for a total of approximately 134,960 meals in just three months. We are seriously blown away!

Beth with one of the boys who receives food through Feeding Africa.

Margaret and Nifah who run the distribution sites have been constantly telling us of the impact Feeding Africa has had on those receiving food bundles. Stories of the relief of heartbroken mothers who previously feared they would have to watch their children starve, mothers who with tears in their eyes, express that this food has saved the lives of their children, stories of people finding hope where there seemed to be none, and stories of children transformed from sadness to joy. Beth, who helps her mother Margaret with the food distribution, has said of those who have donated, “You guys are amazing, I wish you could see the change. These kids used to be so dull, now it’s all fun and games. No offense, but they used to smell like goats but now they are clean and tidy. God is using you to change their lives.” Soon we hope to be able to share some of these stories with you, we want you to know that your kindness and generosity is having such an impact on those receiving food. Not only have their bellies been filled with food but their hearts restored with hope. 

Beth poses with some of the children at the Kijabi location as they pick up food bundles for their families.

The rainbow, a symbol of hope fills the sky over Kairobangi slum.

We would love to be able to continue providing food for these families, but as the program has grown so have expenses. It currently costs around $1500 each week to feed the 1000 people who are part of the program. We want to be honest and up front with you our donors that funds for feeding Africa are running low. We had told those in charge of the distribution that we would continue with Feeding Africa as long as there was a need and as long as God continued to provide the funds. When we told Nifah that funds were low and we may have to shut down the food distribution soon she sent us this heartfelt reply, “Today was very emotional for me and my friends, to the mums, we were here shining their hope. It is very hard to let them know that this feeding program might come to an end soon. I told my friends and we all prayed together that God will continue to touch more hearts there to keep giving. I was personally traumatized since I heard from you [about ending the program], every time I think about it I just whisper a prayer that things will not get worse...as you pray for this situation, pray for me.” 

We would ask that you would keep Nifah, Margaret, Beth and the many others involved in Feeding Africa in your prayers. We would also ask that you would consider donating to Feeding Africa to keep the food program running. Whether you are able to give little or much, a single donation or a monthly commitment, we know God can use what we have to change lives. Thank you to all of you who are on this journey with us. May God bless you. 

Feeding Africa: Multiplying Meals

For most people, these last few weeks and months have been filled with unknowns and adjusting to the unexpected. Most of the adjustments have been challenging, but we hope you are also finding the unexpected blessings in the midst of a difficult time. We began the Feeding Africa project 7 weeks ago in a small attempt to help feed a family in Kenya that we knew was struggling with the changes brought on by the COVID-19 crisis. We plunged into the unknown and were met with the unexpected. Through the generosity of many of you, we have gone from feeding 1 family of 9 each week to feeding 125 families…875 people…each week, a number that would have baffled us at the beginning. Since April 23rd, Feeding Africa has provided around 60,000 meals to people who are struggling. We are beyond thankful and praise God for those who have donated to help make this a reality. So much has changed from the beginning stage of feeding 9 people to where we are now; we hope you find this update helpful and get an even better picture of the impact your donations have had. 

“Providing food to people in Africa” is a pretty broad statement and we want to give you a better idea of what we are providing. Currently (in this second week of June) we are providing what we call Food Bundles to around 125 families each week…the cost for this is around $1,060. Each bundle provides a family with food for two meals a day for a week. The bundles include corn meal, flour, sugar, rice, milk, salt, cooking oil and soap (for washing dishes, clothes and bodies). These ingredients allow the families to make common foods such as ugali (a thick cornmeal “paste” that they dip into stews and veggies like a spoon and eat it along with the bite of stew), and chapatis (a flat bread thicker than a tortilla, sort of like a pocketless pita). These bundles are assembled and distributed by Kenyan volunteers in Nairobi and in Kijabi (you can read about Margaret and Nifah in our previous update). 

We are so grateful for what we have been able to provide so far, but there is still a strong and continued need. Each week there are more hungry people that show up hoping to receive a Food Bundle for their family. Many of these families have sent messages of gratitude expressing how the provision of food has saved the lives of their children. In Addition to the growing number of people in need of food,  Nifah has informed us that their lockdown has been extended for another 30 days, leaving many of these families with no way to work and even those who can are forced to work fewer hours due to an enforced curfew and no transportation outside of walking. Our hearts are joyful for the people who have been able to receive meals through Feeding Africa, and yet heavy knowing there is still so much need. 

If you are interested in being involved with Feeding Africa, here are some ways you can help. First, Pray. Please keep the families in Kenya and us in your prayers; we believe that God has answered so many of our prayers along the way. We have been blessed and amazed at how Feeding Africa has grown and we so appreciate those of you who have prayed for us and with us. Secondly, Give. If you are able to give, consider donating to Feeding Africa. 100% of donations are used to provide food in Africa.Third, Teach and Share. If you have children, teach them to give and be generous, teach them the importance of caring for others in whatever ways we can. Share with your children and your friends about Feeding Africa. Thank you to the many of you who have journeyed with us so far. Please know your prayers and donations are making a positive impact on the lives of so many others! God Bless you Richly!