Feed the Hungry

Feed the Hungry
Every Child Every Day

Monday, 8 September 2014




Saturday, 12 April 2014

Mongolia 2014

Over the next 2 weeks I will be posting a blogg when i can  letting you  know how I am getting on in Mongolia - in the meantime I hope you enjoy this short video

http://youtu.be/YrM-ELPCj8Q

Monday, 11 November 2013

Philippines Emergency Relief



Regarding the relief project, 


Our goal is to provide an initial one million meal rations to people in need.  

Pastor David Sumrall and teams from Cathedral of Praise in Manila are making assessments and organizing logistics through church network associations they have in Tacloban, the city/area most severely affected by the typhoon.  Pete mentioned that the mayor of Tacloban visits CoP when in Manila, so government connections and clearances for relief work are favored at the highest levels.

CoP will purchase bottled water, rice, sardines, and other primary necessities in Manila to ship to Ormoc City via RORO vessel (Roll On Roll Off).  From there relief supplies will travel 20 hours overland to Tacloban. 

Having been in similar situations, we assume port and road facilities will be under extreme duress due to damage from the storm and increased capacity from relief organizations, so time needed to move cargo from Point A to Point B will likely be longer and harder than expected.

Armanda is working on moving 175,000 or so rice/soy meals from  Singapore and Malaysia to Manila or better yet, Ormoc City.  

We are working at sourcing 800-900,000 additional rice/soy meals fideally looking for any inventory they may have elsewhere in Asia/Pacific Rim so as to expedite delivery to Manila or Ormoc City.

Funds will be needed either for purchase of goods in Manila and/or ocean freight for rice/soy meals.  

As we know from experience, the first several weeks are a critical time in the relief process for potable water, water purification systems, proper foods, and hygiene items to be put in the hands of survivors.  And food supplies will be helpful and welcomed for a few months to come.
http://www.everydayhero.co.uk/event/philippines-relief/preview/a5779afd9417

Friday, 29 March 2013

Thai Refugee Camp Burns


Easter is here! A time to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made and the hope his resurrection brings. It’s a time where Christians all around the world commemorate the crucifixion and live in the resurrection power of the Son of God.


Today we can demonstrate the hope of new life to people in great need. Two nights ago Charlie Milbrodt, our missionary partner in Thailand placed an emergency call saying, “As of today there are 2,000 houses destroyed with total loss, 37 dead and others still missing, over 3,000 people living under the stars waiting for relief help.





This terrible tragedy has happened to Karen refugees in Mae Surin Camp on the Burmese border. A wildfire, possibly intentionally set, razed every bamboo home to the ground. Thousands of Karen refugees who escaped persecution faced in Burma are now living out in the open with nothing to call their own.

A ranking government official, who graduated from Charlie’s bible school over 20 years ago, has opened the door for ministry teams to come and help the refugees in this military restricted area. Food and plastic tarping is on the way, but cooking supplies, kitchen utensils, and simple shoes are some of the items most desperately needed.

Your gift today of £16.50 will provide these relief supplies to five refugees; £33will give ten Karen refugees the items they need to feed their families.

As we rejoice this weekend in the hope of new life in a risen Saviour, take action to spread his message of hope to these families suffering such great loss. As ministry teams deliver food, water, and the supplies they need to keep their loved ones alive, they will be doing so in Jesus name… listening and praying with the Karen, encouraging them and ‘being there’ as a shoulder to cry on.


Never forget that you are making a difference in this world as a partner with Feed The Hungry.

Feeding the hungry with you,

Gwyn Williams
Operations Manager
Feed The Hungry UK
 

Monday, 24 December 2012

Merry Christmas From The Team at Feed The Hungry


Merry Christmas to you all in this season of celebration, as we settle into  a week of festivity , a time of rejoicing, reflection and catching up with family and friends.  

On Christmas Eve I wanted to extend my thanks you for following my footsteps throughout this year, and partnering with Feed the Hungry in helping the Last, the Lost and  the Least.  Thank you also for following me  in my voyage of discovery from sitting on a doorstep of an orphanage cradling an abandoned baby, to sharing out food to drought ridden villages in Sahel region of Africa.



Working for Feed the Hungry is a God given privilege, and through your continuing support, friendship,  encouragement and partnership  much has been achieved.

From establishing an office/warehouse - thanks to the assistance of All Nations Church i Leicester - to the assistance of Street Pastors in Hinckley dedicating funds to provide a Transit Luton Van, to work with local foodbanks and other charities to provide a partnering resource.  To establishing partnering programs so that Churches,  companies and individuals can be more closely informed on the development of specific projects.
Whilst in the UK,  the intensity  of the activity was in establishing a strong base for the future growth of Feed the Hungry , much has also been achieved in breaking new ground abroad.

Earlier this year,  Andrew Pemberton (FTH Volunteer)  and myself drove across Europe delivering food to Romania and then went on  to take the first fruits of your kindness to establish a new work in Bulgaria.  Later in the summer,   I co- led an International team on mission across Romania.

Later in the year I was privileged to see the establishment of a new EveryChild EveryDay program in Burkina Faso, established through the suffering of a 3 year drought in the Sahel.  Through adversity, hope has been planted in many people’s lives.  We will be starting the new year by sending our first container of a 100,000 meals to Burkina Faso.  In November this year we reflected and celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of Feed The Hungry.


Over the coming year the UK office will be taking the lead in establishing an extension of our program in Romania and out into Moldova.  Also the UK office has been at the forefront of establishing the extension of  the EveryChild EveryDay program into Mongolia in working with Help International Mongolia in bringing hope to the street kids,  taking  them out of living in sewers and rubbish dumps,  into a place of hope of rest, food and an education.

In the summer of 2013, I have been cornered into participating in what’s called the “ Rat Run” coast to coast bike ride from the Irish Sea, ending in dipping my toe in at Scarborough sea front to raise awareness and much need funds for the future growth of Feed The Hungry – an “ off- road “ bike ride of around 160 miles over 3 days.

But in all these activities, our focus is always on those in need, may it be here in the UK or in the furthest reaches of the Amazon jungle, or the plains of Mongolia.  Our goal of feeding 100,000 children every day is a step closer and has grown from a couple of thousand to over 42,000 in just five years, thanks to you.
Thank you again for your dedication to help others in need,  at a season when we remember Jesus who  Himself was a refugee,  born without a home,  in a stable with nothing but a bed of straw, was maligned and suffered  much, yet always had a heart for the Lost, the  Last and  the Least.

May God bless your path in the coming year for the sacrifice, love and dedication you have shown this past year.
With Much Thanks and Blessings


Gwyn Williams
Operations Manager
UK and Ireland
 Tel  0845 519 6025 
Mobile  0784 679 8179
www.feedthehungry.org.uk 
www..twitter.com/feedthehungryuk / www.feedthehungryuk.blogspot.com

Donate by Text to Feed The Hungry UK by Texting CHILD to 70444 (£3 every month) or visit this link for Regular Giving - 

Friday, 2 November 2012

Lost in the Jungle

Feed the Hungry – Stop Press - East Africa Office Kampala Uganda Pastor Solomon Mwesige


Refugee Crisis: D R Congo - Uganda Relief

Urgent Report: Rwamwanja Refugee Camp

Committed to feeding 2,000 in Jungle over 30,000 in the camp



Cannot wait for containers will buy food locally – food prices have soared. Please send funds

 Pastor Solomon’s raw account of what is happening on the ground in Rwamwanja may not have the silky smooth patter of a PR press release, but expresses the urgent need of a people running scared and living in desperation that we cannot even begin to comprehend.

“It's horrible. The water they can't use its horrible, it's shocking because when I stopped and was giving out some rice to the few little hearts that were close to the road you would see children running to me to receive something… anything…. and I said I can’t believe these are human beings that are starving and living the way they are, and living the way they were living. It is just unbelievable.

They've been there since April. When I went there it's because I wanted to move back some of the children that were in Kampala that had been brought to me by the police for help. So because I knew there was a refugee camp I wanted to see if I could help take them to the refugee camp and that's when I got to see what was actually happening there. (Congolese children in Kampala helped thanks to you)


That is the worst I have ever seen. This is way beyond what I have ever seen. Nothing anywhere close to what I have seen in my life.

Starvation is what you see on everybody's face. Wrinkled, sickly. One old guy that…a lady was seated dizzy because of hunger.... but I gave out food. I had some boxes of rice even. The very first time they denied me…I still had to …to be able to come with the letter and also come with more help.

It's a jungle. They have left these people in the jungle. It’s just…. you see nothing but you know the forest and even monkeys, you see monkeys and people are living together. I would say this, I have never seen this in my entire life. And one pastor ; Pastor Thierry came to me , he introduced himself as pastor in the camp, and he asked if they could pray with me. So they made a circle and wanted me to come into the middle of the circle and all of them laid hands on me and said “You are a Moses. We believe God is going to use you to take us out of this Egypt”. And that really touched my heart, so this is why I have to tell the story. I don’t know….it's a disaster.


My plea would be could we have an immediate support so we can buy at least some corn and beans inland so that we can at least save the most vulnerable, and that is children and women, at least the children and women. At that is really needed because you never know what could happen tomorrow. People could start dying.

They walked miles through forests. Others even went through swamps to be able to run out. All of them tell you of different horrible stories. There were even cases of rape, killing, stealing, and gunshots everywhere. And the people run. Some people were even being reunited with their families that they thought were dead but made it in the camps.”

“FURAHA NAPASKALINI is a tiny 5 year old girl that I randomly picked from a population of 2051 kids at a Congolese refugee camp compound in Rwamwanja. This camp of 30.000 people where over 60% are below 18 years, was reopened for the refugees from Congo after it had been closed in 1996 when the refugees from Rwanda went back to their Country.

Furaha is from a place called Uvira in Congo, she is very shy and got very frightened when I started asking about her experience and how she escaped to come to Uganda.

I asked her why she came to Uganda and she told me that she ran and ran away from the bullets. I asked her how she feels and she said that the sound of bullets made her heart hurt pain like it was coming out of her body.



She told me that her Father and Mother were both killed when they were in the bush running away from their home. 4 of her elder brothers and sisters were also killed while running from Congo and she was left alone. She told me in tears that she saw them die and a man by the name of Mackley Mapendo carried her when she was sitting next to the bodies of her dead members of her family and told her to go with him because he was going to protect her if they make it alive.

She says that as they run through the forests, she was scared of wild animals that she saw, and snakes and bugs. Again and again they had to jump over dead bodies in the forests.

I asked her about the condition she was living in here in the camp compared to her former home in Uvira Congo and she said, apart from hunger and the bad situation she lives in, she is actually happy that she is safe.( Mackley Mapendo is keeping his promise and is keeping her safe.)

She said she will never go back home to Congo because of the flying bullets.

Feed the hungry has already committed funds for Pastor Solomon and Pastor Thierry to start working amongst the refugee thanks to your donations for emergency stocks. We need to do more, and food prices are rocketing in the area.

But still we can feed a child for £6.30 for a month. A family can be supported for £25 for a month. He are praying that the prices will drop when the harvest comes in in January. But we need to act now.

You can help right now     
TEXT   
FEED Congo  to  70444
and donate just £3

Please tell a friend of how they can help to feed children Lost in the Jungle.

Thank you












Wednesday, 17 October 2012

Romania August Trip


Marko and I from the UK and the team from Australia arrived a day earlier than the rest of the team and we were therefore able to pave the way in some of the preparations, in purchasing food,  in preparing family food packs as part of the planned work for the week that we were to engage in as well as purchasing some paint for the orphanage we would be staying in later in the week. The afternoon was spent putting the food packs together for 70 families that we would minister to during our time in Romania. That evening when the rest of the team  arrived,  we had a time getting to know one another and discussing the program for the next few days before going out for a team meal.

Our First visit was to Chiselet, like Manastirea, is a mainly Roma village with a large unemployment problem. FTH has a feeding program based at the Church which assists around 85 children.  Here we had the opportunity to take some of the food packs out to needy families in the area, One mother who had nine children thanked us for making the time to.  Through these encounters our partners were able to also monitor the condition of the children, and with the mothers consent took into care 4 of the children, as she was struggling to feed all of them. 


The children came up to the Bread of Life orphanage the following day with the pastor’s daughter and friend as company until they settled in to their new environment.( please note that this process had taken a period of a few weeks to discuss this thoroughly with the mother and social workers and setting out boundaries for visits and contact for the mother to be able to keep in touch with the children.)

From there, we then went to the church to help with the children’s lunch which they receive every day, from either the soup mix or pasta mix that Feed the Hungry supply, supplemented with beans and a hot drink made from dried fruit, also provided through FTH and accompanied by locally produced bread.


After the meal we then spent the afternoon with the kids playing with balloons, face painting and playing football, which the team enjoyed as much as the children.


From Chiselet we travelled back to the Hotel in Bucharest, for our long trip to Brosteni the following morning. Our itinerary including stopping in another of the feeding programs newly started in Padureni, where together with Bread of Life we had initiated a program to feed 30  children every day.  We also distributed food packs to  a number  of  widows  and vulnerable adults in the village. The situation in this village was again dire and the Bread of Life team agreed to help out one family by taking into care  3 children who where  severally malnourished . From Padureni we continued our travel up north to Brosteni and arrived at the orphanage later that evening.

The Bread of Life orphanage was to be our mainstay venue for this ministry trip to Romania, as we spent time giving the kids some quality relational time, participating in games,  mountain walks, developing a song for recording, painting a mural, as well as painting some of the bathroom facilities at the orphanage .

One of the highlights for the men on the team was to participate in their ‘meals on wheel s’  program -  where the older lads take out meals to widows and vulnerable adults in the locality every day of the week.  This  was a humbling experience,  as the lads expressed their enjoyment of being able to help out those more in need than they themselves.  

Mironeasa the final visit for the team, in the middle of a forest,  we had to drive over a so called road that looked worse than the field . The feeding station in this locations was a home under construction but with a decent kitchen that could hold about 20-30 children.  The brother said:” my wife and I have no children; if she agrees we will receive the children in our home and feed them here.”  Guess what!  ... after two words and a wink the decision was taken.   A few days later over 50 children were waiting in line for their turn at the Bread of Life Mironeasa MFC.

It was to this new location that we bought the team.  These were probably the poorest,  most deprived looking kids that the team had seen all week.   As well as understanding the need of the feeding programs in such locations, this was also a reminder of great work that was already being achieved in more established feeding locations in Romania.

Can you help us help 2,000 kids, by providing clothing, food or blankets. email me today at gwilliams@feedthehungry.org. Or donate £4 to feed a child for a month online at www.feedthehungry.org.uk