Food for the Hungry International came into being in 1971. Founder
Larry Ward established FHI on the premise that the hungry die one
at a time and therefore can also be saved one at a time. He took
FHI’s name from Psalms 146:7: “He upholds the cause
of the oppressed and gives food for the hungry.”
FHI
began as a relief agency working with refugees in Bangladesh,
earthquake victims in Nicaragua, and the people of Haiti and West
Africa. FHI still responds to humanitarian emergencies but has
gradually evolved into an organization that sees sustainable,
long term development as the means to transform realities.
FHI
exists to fulfill the God-given mandate to meet both physical
and spiritual hungers of the poor. Operating in 27 developing
countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, its primary focus
is on meeting the basic needs of the extremely poor by promoting
sustainable and holistic development, recognizing their dignity,
creativity and ability to solve their own problems. FHI staff
numbers more than 1,600 persons with over 30 different nationalities,
90% of whom work within their country of origin. Autonomous FHI
support organizations in nine countries (including the US, Japan,
South Korea, Canada and UK) provide resources. The international
headquarters are located in Bangkok, Thailand. Please see www.fhi.net
for more information.
Food for the Hungry International began operations in Bolivia in
1978 with a Child Sponsorship Program near Lake Titicaca, employing
a staff of less than ten people. The next few years brought little
growth in the program since FHI was awaiting official recognition
from the government of Bolivia. In 1983, when Bolivia was among
the countries affected by the El Niño drought, FHI was one
of the organizations asked to participate in the relief efforts.
Staff size and program variety subsequently increased. Today, FHI/Bolivia
employs more than 180 staff members.
One
of FHI/Bolivia's key goals has been to increase food security
among the most vulnerable rural populations in the altiplano and
high valley regions, where eight out of ten persons live below
the poverty line. The remoteness of such rural communities, as
well as the harsh climate and high altitudes associated with the
altiplano and high valley regions, help contribute to food insecurity.
FHI Bolivia uses a variety of interventions realized within two
specific programs: the Income Generation
Program and the Natural Resource
Management Program to bring appropriate knowledge and resources
to communities so that they are able to increase agricultural
production, improve animal husbandry, and protect natural resources,
thus improving their income base.
In
terms of health, FHI/Bolivia’s Integrated Health Program
achieved a significant decrease in the rate of child chronic malnutrition
in the target communities, from 59% in 2002 to 40% in 2004. This
19% decrease over a two and a half year period is a significant
accomplishment that has not been documented to date in Bolivia.
It owes much to the integrated fashion in which activities were
conducted with other programs, as well as to the focus on positive
deviation and the changing of participants’ attitudes, habits,
and behaviors that are inimical to the caring and feeding of children.
FHI/Bolivia
is also working to improve water resources and sanitation. The
departments in which FHI/Bolivia works are estimated to have the
highest percentages of population without access to water and/or
basic sanitation. In these areas FHI/Bolivia operates its Health,
Water and Sanitation Program, which works to improve
child survival and maternal health through preventive measures
and training in improved health, sanitary, and nutrition practices.
FHI/Bolivia
has a Child Development
Program which brings a variety of child and family-oriented
services to communities in impoverished regions in the Cochabamba,
Chuquisaca, and Potosí Departments. Through the CDP children
and their families have benefited from various health, educational,
and community development projects. The goal of the CDP is to
see children reach their full potential. For this to happen, CDP
staff work with children, teachers, parents, and community leaders
in order to transform realities at the community level.
Finally,
a new civil society initiative works to support the creation of
an organized local democratic leadership in rural Bolivia, a leadership
that is able to identify and address their communities’
shared problems and engage effectively in local government processes
that directly affect their development.
In
all areas and all projects, FHI/Bolivia believes that real, lasting
change comes only when individuals make their own decision to
adopt new behaviors. An individual’s decision to change
will invariably create a ripple effect on the household and the
community.
