Village Partnerships & Rural Development ANNUAL REPORT | 2015

1 | World Hope International • Village Partnership & Rural Development Annual Report 2015

Introduction World Hope International’s Village Partnerships connect US-based churches, schools or organizations with a specific village to address multiple needs and act as a comprehensive response to the cycle of poverty. Village Partnerships train and empower community leaders, focusing on supporting sustainable activities that result in economic stability and enhanced livelihoods. Spiritual growth, food security, education, agribusiness and community health are addressed in a coordinated way to being lasting improvement. By partnering with village leaders and the local church, WHI utilizes a carefully guided multi-year holistic development process designed to continue on its own after WHI involvement has concluded. WHI’s development philosophy centers on the belief that vulnerable communities need knowledge and resources that foster empowerment instead of dependence. This allows villages to take responsibility and ownership of the transformation process, advocating for changes that best address their individual community’s needs. As the goal of the Village Partnership program is community empowerment and transformation, WHI supports individuals in identifying their most pressing needs, and trains communities to make sound decisions and take action towards change. WHI’s responsibility as a successful development organization is to partner with each community to provide knowledge, resources, counsel and opportunity. Combining the unique assets each community has at its disposal, strategic material investments and individual and community-based training, village partnerships produce tangible results.

2 | World Hope International • Village Partnership & Rural Development Annual Report 2015

Cambodia Adelphé In Cambodia, 80 percent of the population lives in rural areas and almost half (40-45 percent) of this population lives on less than $0.45 a day. More than 70 percent rely entirely on agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods, but most do not make enough to provide their family with ample food or to send their children to school. Women and girls suffer disproportionately due to this extreme poverty. They not only work harder within the village, but they are sometimes forced to migrate to urban areas to work in garment factories or as domestic helpers or sex workers, and are often subject to domestic violence. More than one-third of women working in the sex industry in Cambodia came from rural, subsistence farms — poverty is a root cause of human trafficking in Cambodia.

Success Stories Savoeun beams about her involvement with the Adelphé project in her village since it first started. Their savings group has gained an interest of two million riels (roughly $500) out of the loans released to members. Savoeun said, “Recently our group decided to use half of the interest money to construct toilets for four families.” With a membership of 40 individuals, Savouen is a committee member working as treasurer for the group. She used to do this job as a volunteer but now she gets a little remuneration of $5/month. She has participated in the community savings and loans group which she spent on fertilizer for her rice paddy and cassava farm. Not only has WHI helped in organizing the savings group, it has trained Savoeun and others how to record income and expenses, loans, payments and interest. Having this skill is uncommon in the villages where most of the population don’t read and write. In addition, she received training in agriculture on how to improve her farming yields.

2015 by the numbers – Cambodia 5,772 | people served in 5 villages $992 | saved by women’s community group access to safe drinking water with 3 drilled wells 2,800 | having installed 4 | new farmers will be growing mushrooms 14 | trainings conducted in human rights, agriculture, hygiene 1 | Successful hydroponics project

3 | World Hope International • Village Partnership & Rural Development Annual Report 2015

Sierra Leone Far removed from the technology, commerce and infrastructure of modern cities, many people living in remote areas throughout Africa live traditional lifestyles characterized by acute poverty. The cycle of poverty for the people in these communities is perpetual and is due to a combination of several factors including, poor infrastructure, lack of education, and limited sources of food and income. World Hope International partnered with 10 villages in Sierra Leone – Kathirie, Kamaron, Masseleh, Mafaray, Mayinto, Mabum Station, Makonie Line, Makump Bana, Mafaray Loko and Rogbere.

Healthy Living “The combination of building latrines and a well with clean water access for us and providing us with knowledge on hygiene and sanitation has led to significant health improvements in our community. My children are less sick, especially when it comes to diarrheas and other water related disease.”  —Simiti Sesey, Chairlady of the VDC and mother of five

Inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure with unsafe hygiene behaviors have caused the death of over 4,000 children every year from diarrhea in Sierra Leone. Through the Village Partnerships Program, these achievements were accomplished in the villages: • 20 hygiene training sessions have been held to help people develop good hygiene habits and show them how to keep the water they pump from the well from being contaminated. • Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrines were built in five villages with the raw materials contributed by the community. • Ebola health kits were distributed to 10 villages

Ebola Recovery Ebola has had a devastating effect on Sierra Leone even in communities where everyone escaped the disease. Families were ordered by the government to be quarantined at several key farming towns and were told that they could not work in groups. This has led to a vast reduction in crops which, in turn, has reduced villages’ food supply and income potential. In July, August, and September, WHI provided farmers a bag of rice twice a month to help them get through the difficult time where people are without food (“hungry months”) and waiting for their harvest to ripen. This program was called “Food for Work” which encouraged farmers to continue working in their community and fields but provides them much needed food assistance.

4 | World Hope International • Village Partnership & Rural Development Annual Report 2015

Community Working Together The Village Cooperative (VC) in Mabum Station is doing exceptionally well as they keep the fields weeded and clean. Men and women are equally responsible to perform the different tasks. The VC was very happy to report many pineapples in an early fruiting stage! A few weeks ago, a VC member hurt himself when he was cutting down an unwanted shrub on the farm with a machete. He needed to be treated at the hospital. Since he couldn’t pay for the fees, the group decided to take money from the community fund and took him to the hospital where he had to stay for a few days. He has fully recovered and is grateful the fund existed when he was in great need.

Mothers’ Support Group Some of the villages were very fortunate to have Mother’s Support Group which started this past spring. The Mother’s Support Group is led by WHI trained implementers. The topics included are nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding, good hygiene and sanitation, and growth monitoring of their children. This group holds monthly meetings where they discuss health issues affecting their community.

Greenhouse Project Greenhouse Project was started to support women farmers who were pregnant or breastfeeding. Greenhouses offer farmers the opportunity to grow crops during any season. The first cycle of tomatoes was a huge success! The second cycle did not do as well, but staff believe this had much to do with the fear of going out in public during the Ebola scare. The current, third cycle, of crops is doing very well. The women are growing cabbage and have been excited to see the progress.

World Hope International is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible.

11639

“Even though our second cycle of crops did not grow well, these [cabbage] plants are growing well and the whole group is encouraged.”  —Fatmata, Women’s Group Leader

2015 by the numbers – Sierra Leone 6,121 | people served in 10 villages 10 | VDC’s trained in leadership 10 | villages trained in agriculture best practices 7 | drying floors constructed >100 | bushels of seed distributed 10 | villages supported with “food for work” 4 | grain stores built 5 | villages begin animal multiplication with goats

5 | World Hope International • Village Partnership & Rural Development Annual Report 2015