All our humanitarian work is built on the hope for a better life for the impoverished children we serve around the world. We seek to provide them with an education so they may grow in knowledge and develop a passion for learning. We aim to increase access to healthcare and preventative treatments so they may be protected from diseases and illnesses. We work to empower them to escape the cycle of poverty.
None of these hopes can be achieved on an empty stomach.
Food is fundamental to life, and we recognize just how challenging it is to learn, move, and live our daily lives without the proper nutrition. That’s why at the International Children’s Fund, we have been leading the fight against starvation for over 40 years.
Where we see a bag of rice, the communities we serve see the nourishment they need to survive.
Food is fundamental to life, and we recognize just how challenging it is to learn, move, and live our daily lives without the proper nutrition.
As a part of a dual initiative to support local economies and lead meal distribution efforts, we buy food in-country. We purchase rice, beans, meat, gari, cornmeal, and powdered milk from local suppliers in Africa, India, and Pakistan. These local purchases, supplemented with food shipped from the United States or sustainably farmed on our missions, create a celebrated meal like the one shown below.
Children in Uganda share a meal together prepared at ICF-Uganda.
In 2023, we provided more than 1.6 million meals to children and their families in Africa, India, and Pakistan who otherwise would have gone without. Your support and generosity alleviated parents of the choice between feeding themselves or their children, or all experiencing starvation. Together we saved thousands of lives, lives vulnerable to starvation and disease. Still, the work has just begun.
International Children’s Fund’s aid does not end with serving the children in our orphanages, schools, and missions. Our dedicated indigenous partners travel from village to village to reach rural communities, despite poor road conditions. Here, they provide aid to those in desperate need so they may reach the unreached and maximize the gifts made possible by your donations.
Pastor Peterson Kasharu, Director of ICF Uganda, practices this outreach by serving the community in Ouma, Uganda. This village, located 40 miles away from the ICF Uganda mission, was recently devastated by drought. It was in Ouma that he met Petero, a 4-year-old child who collects sticks so his grandmother can cook. Petero, his grandmother, and their family would share a single jackfruit for dinner. This is not nutritious nor filling enough to allow the family to thrive; the meager amount is just enough to allow them to survive another day. However, Peterson was able to give them rice, corn, flour, and cooking oil. These truly life-saving gifts would not have been possible without your dedicated support and generosity.
Petero collects sticks so his grandmother can cook.
These sustainable projects also support micro-commerce initiatives, enforcing not only a secure food source but a prosperous local economy.
When we feed Petero or any child, we are not just feeding a single person. We are nourishing the next generation. Our support of the youth is immensely important because we believe in making every effort to provide them with the necessary means to grow in health and prosperity. If we can protect them from starvation when they are young, we can empower them to play, learn, and embrace their childhood.
In addition to food distribution, we support sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry projects at our missions. There are fishponds, farms, and projects to raise goats, chickens, and cattle. Through these efforts, we aim to empower those we aid with the resources to create long-term food security and a means by which they can lift themselves out of poverty. These sustainable projects also support micro-commerce initiatives, enforcing not only a secure food source but a prosperous local economy. As always, we also support education, skills training, and other opportunities to increase the self-sufficiency in families. Our commitment to providing these opportunities mirrors our belief that this empowerment is the best long-term solution to solving the hunger crisis.
An Update on the Girls College
We are very excited to announce that our Girls College is progressing on schedule. The exterior of the second floor is now complete, and the first floor is in progress. While the construction on the ground floor finishes, construction on the third floor has begun. A special thank you to HJ Martin & Sons, whose generous donation of approximately $164,000 worth of flooring materials has recently arrived in Liberia.
It is a beacon of hope for a life free from poverty and violence. It is an investment of their community saying to them, “We believe in you and all you can accomplish. We want you to succeed.” It is a truly life-changing development that will serve women from across Africa. Any donation to this incredible project, no matter how small, makes a big difference in the lives of women in Africa.
Please Consider Becoming A Hope Ambassador
Regular giving helps us support our missions in their efforts to make sustainable improvements in the lives of desperately poor children and their families. We call these donors Hope Ambassadors because they help ICF to provide hope to those who truly face life and death needs in Africa, India, and Pakistan.
Please consider becoming a Hope Ambassador. I encourage you to visit our website, www.icfaid.org or call our office at (920) 729-5721 to learn about this incredible program.
Please know that every gift, no matter how large or small, is an answer to our prayers and an investment in the life of a child. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your continued prayers and financial support.
Thank you and God Bless,
Dr. David Bruenning
Founder/Int’l Director
Matthew 25: 35-40: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
See children fed, educated, and empowered.
Become a Hope Ambassador
It can be easy to skim past this verse, but the historical context of an “ambassador” brings a wealth of meaning. Such ambassadors or delegates, whether Jewish or Greco-Roman, came with the authority of the sender, in his place, to secure his interests. The reality is, God is making his appeal through us, and wants to secure His very own interests.