From Mother to Role Model

Andean traditional meal on metal trayManju Thekre is a 23 year old resident of Ragiwada Village in the Darchula district of Nepal, where she lives with her husband, 17-month-old daughter, mother-in-law, father-in-law, and brother-in-law. Manju is identified as a “1000 days mother,” referring[...]

Spillover Effect of Keeping Poultry in Semi-Intensive Coops

Black chickens pecking grass in wooden coop“I was inspired to construct a semi-intensive poultry coop after learning about its importance during a mothers’ group meeting at Tachai village. I could not continue to stand by while my poultry was ruining my neighbor’s Homestead Food Production (HFP)[...]

“Just Because He Can’t See Doesn’t Mean He Can’t Think”

Smiling African children posing outdoors together"Just Because He Can't See Doesn't Mean He Can't Think"I carried out a field visit to observe first-hand the work that the Helen Keller Intl Niger staff had been conducting. One of our Niger offices is located in Zinder – a large town some 895 kilometers[...]

Village Model Farmer Makes Her Community a Model Community

Collapsed earthquake damaged building with debrisIn the wake of the devastating 7.9 earthquake that hit Nepal this past April, we went to the Nuwakot district to conduct field level assessments and focus group discussions with the communities in order to understand what needed to be done in order to rebuild[...]

Alleviating Vitamin A Deficiency With OFSPs

Farmers harvesting leafy vegetables in fieldOrange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes (OFSPs) have been scientifically proven to be the best source of vitamin A to combat the rapidly rising effects of vitamin A deficiency, one of which being blindness. At Helen Keller, we believe that it is the responsibility of[...]

“Grab a Root and Hang On, We’ve Got to Get Through This!”

Woman harvesting cabbage in garden"Grab a Root and Hang On, We've Got to Get Through This!"Ishowri is a Village Model Farmer (VMF) who lives in a small village in the Rasuwa district, situated in the north of Nepal’s central region. Most households in this community depend upon agriculture[...]

Spreading the Word

People tasting orange fruit at agricultural boothThe Reaching Agent of Change (RAC) project advocates for improved policy and increased investment in the distribution of Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes (OFSP). It is a highly nutritious crop, full of micronutrients that are crucial for reducing hunger and[...]

“A Creature With Many Legs”

Diverse group standing outdoors smiling together"A Creature With Many Legs"John Palmer, former President of Helen Keller International What attracted me to Helen Keller International wasn’t so much blindness, but the agency’s approach to international development. I think the paradigm that this agency[...]

100 Stories for 100 Years

Toddler eating green baby food on matHelen Keller International recently celebrated its Centennial Anniversary. In addition to a host of exciting commemorative events taking place in Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States, our global team members have taken on the challenge of sharing[...]