Eating Like A Refugee
It was lunchtime on Sabbath and the fellowship hall was full of people. But rather than gathered around tables laden with potluck favourites, the church family sat on blankets on the floor, balancing plates of humble rice and beans on their knees. This was the 2nd annual ADRA Canada Ration Meal Challenge at … read more
Hope and Food both Sprout from the Ground
Serafine, her husband, and their three young children live in the Ndego district of Rwanda. When Serafine and her family returned from neighbouring Tanzania after the genocide in 1993, they returned to subsistence farming in their native district of Kirehe. They struggled to feed their family and build a life. The Ndgeo area … read more
Scared and Unprepared
Hurricane Matthew slammed into Haiti with a force that Emilien had not seen before in his 79 years. Emilien’s father had been a fisherman. He died in 1954. At the age of 17, Emilien was forced to leave school and start fishing to support his family. He lives very close to the sea … read more
Death Toll Rising in Haiti
As reports start to trickle in from some of the remote regions of Haiti, cut off by Hurricane Matthew, the sad statistics are beginning to be revealed. Over 2 million people have been affected. Over 1.2 million are in need of urgent assistance. The death toll has now risen to over 1000. The … read more
Hurricane Matthew
Hurricane Matthew, still a category four storm with winds of up to 220 km, swept by Jamaica without directly hitting the island. Flooding was reported, but thankfully the damage is not severe. It’s effect on Haiti is far more severe. Up to 40 inches of rain may have fallen in some areas. One … read more
Liberata
Liberata and her family live in Rwanda. For the last 22 years, her country has been slowly recovering from a horrific genocide that took the lives of over one million people. While the country has made a remarkable recovery, poverty is still a major problem. Like many young mothers Liberata struggles to provide … read more
Helping People in Conflict
The monsoon rain hammered on the tin roof, making it almost impossible to hear the story. I was in the IDP (internally displaced people) camp called Janmai Kawng, in Myitkyina, in Kachin State, Myanmar (previously known as Burma). This was my first visit to the beautiful country I had first heard of … read more
The Dedication of Rajan
Heart and Soul: World Humanitarian Day This is Rajan. He was the ADRA guide and translator for ADRA Canada team members, taking them from village to village to witness ADRA’s work and talk with the people we were helping. Seven months earlier, Nepal had been devastated by a 7.8 earthquake. This mountainous country … read more
Rations in the Bush
Agnes remembers a better life. She had a home, a school, and her family was together. They were happy. In hours, her life changed. Her village in Wonderuba, South Sudan was attacked. She saw people being killed. Her family fled into the bush along with hundreds of others. They found refuge outside a … read more
Students Making a Difference
Seven hours and five minutes. That’s how long it takes to drive the 754 km from Calgary to Fort McMurray. For the students of Chinook Winds Adventist Academy (CWAA) the geographic distance did not translate into a compassionate distance. They did not feel far removed from the people affected by the May wildfire. They … read more
