By Michael LeBlanc, Development and Peace – Caritas Canada

End global hunger.

This was the central message of a reception welcoming Church World Service Programs Director, Mary Concepter Obeiro, to the Holy Family Cathedral in Saskatoon on April 19, 2023.

Mary Obiero knows a lot about ending hunger. She has over 20 years of direct experience feeding the hungry and improving the lives of communities across Kenya. She came to offer her stories, expertise, and witness across Canada as part of a 20-day Learning Tour coordinated by the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. During the Canadian visit, she is speaking at events across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba before heading east to Toronto and Montreal.

“There are 828 million human beings, created in God’s image and likeness, who face hunger on a daily basis,” Myron Rogal told those gathered for the event. Rogal is the coordinator for  Office of Justice and Peace in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, a member of Grow Hope Saskatchewan.

Pamela Obonde, International Learning Coordinator with the Foodgrains Bank, introduced Mary Obiero: “Mary is a wife and a mother. But above all: she has a heart for the poor.”

Mary Obiero began by relating grave news from Kenya. “We are having the worst drought in 40 years,” Obiero related. “There are some places that have not had a drop of rain in four years […] This means that if they are not provided with food they will easily starve to death.”

But there is some hope. Obiero recounted that life-saving work is underway. “In 2020, in partnership with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and the Primates’ World Relief & Development Fund, we started to support these communities. We have been providing emergency rations to 13,000 households or 81,000 people since that time.”

Obiero understands the situation first-hand, as the Relief Development and Protection Director with Church World Service in Kenya, a partner of the Primates’ World Relief Development Fund (PWRDF): the Anglican Development Organization in Canada. Both Development and Peace and the PWRDF are among the members of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

Obiero described how culturally-appropriate food is as important as providing the right levels of sustenance, requiring aid organizations to consult local groups in the planning stage. This level of consultation and expertise is not possible without directors like Obiero who can organize teams across affected regions to address this need for cultural consultation.

Generosity was on display that afternoon: individuals purchased pins made by local volunteer Katya Szalaszny with proceeds given to Grow Hope Saskatchewan.

Grow Hope Saskatchewan is an ecumenical fundraising partnership of five different Christian development agencies aimed at providing food for those in need by raising funds for Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Through Grow Hope, Saskatchewan farmers grow crops with the help of donors who cover input costs. The crops  are then sold, and the proceeds given to help feed people in places such Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

Everyday Canadians are invited to help the Grow Hope Saskatchewan farmers by donating the cost of what it takes to grow the food (fuel, seed, etc), which is currently about $350/acre. There are 421 acres made available by generous farmers through the project for 2023.

Those listening to this presentation were inspired to give by the example of everyday Kenyan’s facing food insecurity themselves. “They will go into the street to share their food ration with their neighbours,” Obiero said. “We have a saying, ‘No one is to be left behind in this famine.’”

The afternoon concluded with brief information on how to make a donation to feed the hungry through Grow Hope Saskatchewan, via any of the five participating organizations. Development and Peace is the Catholic development agency involved with providing lifesaving care to those in need through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank – donations to Grow Hope Saskatchewan are always accepted.

“We have worked with the Canadian Foodgrains bank in an extremely professional and organized way,” said Obiero. “They have helped us not just financially but with training for our staff.” She also summed up the generosity of everyday Kenyans this way: “People need to eat.”

The hope is that Canadians will respond just as generously.

 

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