Koinadugu Women Fight Hidden Hunger through Farming

Woman holding a two sweet potatoes outside with lush green trees in backgroundOn a frosty Sunday morning, a group of farmers wearing brightly colored African waist scarves, called lappas, gather together in front of Haja Conteh’s house in the Koinadugu district of Sierra Leone. The all-women farmers group, called “Denkola Two[...]

Making meaningful change in Cambodia’s health systems

Little girl in pigtails holds a large piece of bread in her hand while looking at the camera outside in rural setting.Cambodia has some of the highest rates of malnutrition in Southeast Asia, and over the past decade, Helen Keller Intl has been driving sweeping improvements in nutrition for mothers, infants, and young children.   “Finding better ways to address[...]

Taking Action to Combat Hunger 

Child is being measured with a colored mid-upper arm circumference tape to detect malnutrition.In just three years, the ravages of COVID-19 reversed decades of progress in the fight against malnutrition. Compounded by the damaging effects of climate change and armed conflicts, most notably in Ukraine, this crisis fuels increased threats of famine in[...]

Wonderful to be Back Home

Man in blue shirt holding baby and interacting with two women each holding a child in a medical or community setting.My last day in the Helen Keller Intl regional office in Dakar, Senegal, as Vice President for our Africa programs, was July 31, 2013. It was a bittersweet moment: I left behind work I love, a wonderful team, and had great anxiety about leaving Africa, where I[...]

Building resilience against climate disasters in Bangladesh 

Woman tending to compost bin beside flooded fields.Hosne Begum was living in extreme poverty as her husband struggled to support their family of five in remote Bangladesh. Her husband, who was working as a day laborer, was the sole earning member of the five-member family, but his income varied greatly[...]

As hunger mounts, children are at greatest risk

Healthcare worker screening young girl for malnutrition using colored MUAC tape.The combined effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate crises, and war in Ukraine have delivered a terrible blow to families already struggling with decades of local conflicts, terrorism, and broken food and healthcare systems. Widespread food and fuel[...]