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Missed School Means Missed Meals for Many Children.

According to the World Food Programme, the latest record shows that 267 million children are missing meals because schools have been shut down.  
Education is a key method for addressing the issue of hunger in some of the world’s poorest regions. For many children including the ones we serve, going to school also means getting fed. Unfortunately, due to the spread of the coronavirus, kids are not only missing school but also the only healthy nutritious meal they will have for the day. 

We believe, by providing basic education for a bigger population there is an investment in economic development directly correlated with the overall development of society. Providing a better-educated future to a nation’s children is the stepping stone to improving the health care system, agricultural production, and political and domestic relations. Nutrition, however, is the building block of learning as a hungry child will not have the brain power to pay attention or understand what is being taught.

60% of the world’s hungry are women and children.

Despite efforts by notable world organizations to increase food supplies and eliminate hunger, the solution has proven elusive. The global hunger problem has been exacerbated by COVID-19 which has ravaged many communities around the world. Right on it’s heels was the devastation caused by desert locusts to poor areas which were already struggling. School Feeding programs were essential as they were often the only meal of the day for a lot of children. With the closure of schools, many of these children are going without food and malnutrition has skyrocketed.

What do you need to know about hunger after COVID-19?

Living in an uncertain time often we forget about the bigger picture and the consequences of the pandemic that struck our world where it hurts the most. 

COVID-19 caused enormous damage in the fight to the world famine that the number of people who will suffer acute hunger will grow more. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned that by the end of 2020, more than 260 million people will face starvation. Hunger and malnutrition have been known to affect more people than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. With COVID-19 spreading in affected areas the outcome is equalling disaster. Food deprivation was taking a child’s life every 3 seconds before the threat of COVID-19 hit the food supply with movement restrictions, economic shutdowns, and rocketing retail prices.

What do we do to help?

Studies show results that educated female farmers in Kenya were able to grow 22% more than male farmers, by using the same resources and knowledge, only smarter.

If women had agricultural resources, female farmers could lift as many as 150 million people out of hunger.  

Pockets of Promise understands the power of education and that’s why we provide tuition assistance to children who cannot afford it and also supplement the education children in impoverished communities receive with our after school literacy programs. We know that effective learning is fueled by proper nutrition and are keenly aware of the nutritional needs of the children we serve. That’s why we provide breakfast in our classrooms and healthy snacks for the kids in our after school programs.

With the COVID crisis, more families are needing help than before and Pockets of Promising is doubling down on our promise of no child left behind by providing monthly food packs to families and feeding children who are now attending school. Watch our latest video of children in Ghana, India and Uganda who had a great time this Christmas enjoying a hot meal and getting school supplies to get them ready to return to school.

 

Pockets of Promise is dedicated to providing nutritious food to underprivileged children in our Feeding Program. Learn more about how Pockets of Promise aids India, Ghana, and Uganda, and click to donate.

Work Cited:
– https://cdn.wfp.org/2020/school-feeding-map/index.html
– https://www.worldhunger.org/women-and-hunger-fact
– https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-famine-world-food-program-david-beasley/
– https://epodcastnetwork.com/how-education-can-reduce-global-poverty-andhunger/

 

When Grace Cobinah’s story came to the attention of Pockets of Promise, she was living in Punpunie, a small fishing village in the Western region of Ghana, with her mother and four brothers. Her father had passed away when Grace and her twin brother were three months old. Grace’s mother has a mental illness that is incapacitating to the point that she is unable to work and provide for her children. For a while, Grace’s grandfather would care for the children, but when he too passed away, the family no longer had the means to continue her mother’s treatment or buy food for Grace and her brothers. Grace’s uncles were able to send some financial assistance to the tune of $10-$15 a month, which barely covered the family’s living expenses. The five children and their mother did their best to survive while living in their late grandfather’s one room apartment, sharing a bathroom with other families.  

Their day-to-day existence was bleak. Their mother’s mental condition rendered her unable to provide proper care or supervision for her children. When Grace or her brother would cry to her out of hunger, she would stare at them blankly. Therefore, Grace and her brothers would beg on the streets for food in order to receive any sustenance. Their sporadic diet consisted of mostly gari (processed cassava root) and palm oil, with the addition of some fish during the fishing season. In addition, it was necessary for villagers in Grace’s neighborhood of Punpunie to buy water since their only water source produced salty water that was undrinkable. Since Grace and her family could not afford to buy water, they would drink water from a dirty pond near their home. Needless to say, the children’s clothes were in poor condition with no money to buy them new ones. 

Fortunately, Grace and all her brothers were all receiving an education. Due to the generosity of the local primary school principal, the children were all in school through a need-based scholarship program. However, without additional assistance, many children do not complete their schooling in order to find work or beg for food for their families. 

Pockets of Promise created the connection to match this family with sponsors. They took extra care in finding one for Grace, as she has had an undiagnosed eye disorder since birth and required special medical attention. Upon matching Grace with the perfect sponsor, their compassion and generosity has guided her to the treatment that she needed and her eyes have fully healed. 

Through their sponsorships, the family has received new clothing and receives a monthly supply of food as well as money for water and other essentials. In addition, they now have a caregiver working at their home to provide assistance to both the children and their mother. They are now thriving and able to continue their education without concern for where their next meal is coming from, and are enjoying a much more optimistic future.

 

Life can change in an instant. In just a few days, a happy life can turn upside down and dreams can be shattered. But where there is a will, there is a way.

A few years ago, Vennela was with her parents, living happily. Her father, while not properly educated himself, had big dreams for his children and was greatly invested in Vennela’s education. For most of her childhood, she was able to study in private schools in her city. But when her parents and elder brother suddenly died within a span of a few months, her life turned on a dime and everything changed. 

Vennela, only nine, was left with her seven-year-old brother, but could not care for him on her own. Her elderly grandmother was not in a position to support them either. Eventually, they were placed in the care of Vennela’s aunt, who treated Vennela horribly. Vennela was treated like a maid, not given enough food, and made to do all the housework. Vennela had to stop school because her aunt refused to pay her fees and rather forced her to stay home and work.  Two years passed and Vennela was still home. She began to lose hope that she would ever go to school again and escape her situation. 

One day, when Vennela was crying on the steps of a church, Sheeba, a representative of Pockets of Promise, found her. After understanding Vennela’s situation, they took pity on the girl and immediately reached out to Pockets of Promise (PoP) for help. 

A couple of months later, Vennela’s life had done a complete 180. Thanks to her sponsor, Hannah, Vennela moved in with Sheeba and her family and started school again. Overjoyed to be studying again, Vennela made quick progress and put in a lot of effort into her education. In the span of three years, Vennela finished grades 7 to 10, remaining a straight-A student all the while. Currently, Vennela is in her second-year intermediate (12th-grade equivalent) after getting a full scholarship from her college. She is studying to be a lawyer, determined to help other people like her improve in their situations.

During the COVID 19 pandemic, when schooling shifted online, PoP provided Vennela with a laptop. Vennela was extremely grateful for the laptop as it allowed her to continue her education during the pandemic. 

Vennela’s life had changed before when her father died and she lost her education. But through her perseverance and support from Pockets of Promise, Vennela is on the way to reclaiming her life. One day, she will surely be able to reach her goals and leave her mark on society.

Turmeric, a yellow-orange spice known for being a prominent ingredient in Asian cooking, has more benefits than adding flavor to your favorite curry recipe.

The spice’s bright color hails from Curcumin, a natural chemical in the plant and a prominent ingredient in some of the oldest forms of holistic medicine due to its anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties.

Golden History

Native to India and Southeast Asia, turmeric is a plant in the ginger family. India is the largest producer of turmeric in the world, accounting for 70-75% of total global production.

Farmers harvest the rhizomes by pulling them out of the ground and grinding them into a deep orange-yellow powder. Though the pungent, earthy spice is commonly used for cooking, Asian cultures often use turmeric in skin care, clothing dye, and naturopathic remedies.

How does turmeric fight COVID-19?

While waiting for the vaccine, experts say the best thing you can do to prevent the virus is boosting your immunity. According to the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, curcumin “reduces attachment, entry, replication, and activation and suppresses key cytokines involved in the cytokine storm of COVID-19.” This means that ingesting turmeric may protect your body by preventing the virus from entering and making copies of itself.

The renewed attention to turmeric’s medicinal properties has caused “the demand for raw turmeric [to] jump by 300%”, said Kaushal Khakhar, chief executive officer at Kay Bee Exports, India’s largest integrated exporter of vegetables to Europe.

Eating meals rich in turmeric can improve your body’s immune response—strengthening your first defense against the virus. Some hidden ways to incorporate turmeric into your diet are by adding it to rice, blending it in smoothies, or using it to enhance baked goods like banana bread. It is also recommended to mix the spice into coconut milk, a drink dubbed “the golden latte”.

Buying turmeric is a way to not only add spice to your life, but also to ward off COVID-19 and support Asian economies like the ones Pockets of Promise provides aid to. In our current situation, it’s as good as gold!

Pockets of Promise is dedicated to providing nutritious food to underprivileged children in our Feeding Program. Learn more about how Pockets of Promise aids India, Ghana, and Uganda, and click the button below to donate.

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Disclaimer: The heath topics discussed on this website are intended for informational purposes only. They are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on this site.

Keywords: covid immunity, covid 19 immunity, coronavirus immunity, coronavirus immune system, turmeric covid 19, curcumin covid 19

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As we have entered into 2021, a new year full of hopes, let us reflect on the last year. 2020 has been a year for the history books. Apart from being an election year in the USA and Ghana, the world came to a standstill by a global pandemic. Covid-19 brought lockdowns, zoom calls, face masks with cute cats on them, and many new changes. It impacted every person on this planet, attacking our mental health while taking lives at a scale greater than historical wars. We all had a challenging year, however, sadly, the impact of Covid-19 just as so many things in our lives has not been gender-neutral. Domestic violence saw a huge spike, the rate of child marriages went up. The UN and other agencies continue to combat these demons, but their impact has been undeniable and heartbreaking.

When it comes to education, the story is not much different. Education for boys has taken a priority over that for girls across the globe in the best of times. Fewer girls get enrolled and more drop out each year. So, when the pandemic came and hit the spending power of families, sadly education, a basic human right, was also compromised. Lack of proper education for girls does not only impact them but the balance of households, communities, and nations. Education empowers, to not only build a life of autonomy but also to impact change.

Entering a new year, saying hello to tomorrow is an act of hope and growth. It is important to acknowledge the current state for that growth. 2020 brought us face to face with hate living among us, but love is resilient. While we cannot fix everything and build a better future overnight, nothing is stopping us from doing what we can to take steps in that direction. Many organizations including Pockets of Promise took leaps forward, adapting, and discovering new ways to help communities in need.

Navigating through this tough year, Pockets of Promise launched our After-School and mobile computer lab programs to give children who had been home for months without learning, an opportunity to catch up with their counterparts who continued their schooling digitally. We also built a new website, organized a virtual fundraiser, formed new partnerships, and grew both in numbers and operations. 

The After-School and Mobile Computer Lab programs are game-changers. They teach children in impoverished communities basic literacy skills which will help them to build a better future. They strengthen their self-esteem, by dedicating time and resources to make children aware of their potential. Sadly, several of these kids, especially girls, are not taught about their value and do not receive the support needed to believe in their capabilities. Pockets of Promise is working to change that one community at a time.

This new endeavor does not stop our existing Child Sponsorship program. Donors can still connect with a particular child and direct resources to that child’s education and well-being. The After-School programs will have a wider impact, supporting the lives of several children by providing them with a comprehensive education and offering meals to take care of their nutritional needs.

So, what are you waiting for, with your help we can make an impact so that the education of girls cannot be compromised and we can start building a better tomorrow. Let us start 2021 off on the right foot!

(Cofounder Ernest with Annette a girl from Ghana in our program, check out the full video @ https://youtu.be/9K8Bg_-rmOY)

 

While the world economy is facing big problems, third world nations are struggling the hardest to survive. This is due mostly to the added disadvantages of inadequate education, gender inequality, weak employment potential, unsustainable international and local affairs, ineffective healthcare, and environmental challenges. 

Pockets of Promise is committed to helping alleviate some of these issues by educating children in the poorest areas in Ghana, Uganda, and India. We focus on education because we believe education is the key to addressing the issues these nations face.

It is estimated that 1 in 4 children between the ages of 4 and 5, is not in school in Ghana.

Meanwhile, education is such a perpetual issue for developing countries which lack the financial resources or the political will to meet their citizens’ educational needs. Providing basic education for a bigger population is an investment in economic development, which directly correlates with the overall development of society. Providing a better educated future to a community is the stepping stone to improving the health care system, agricultural production, and political and domestic relations.

One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the  world. 
-Malala Yousafzai 

However, the cost of education – tuition,  books, and school supplies -is far too high for families. Children end up quitting school because of the financial hardships their families face. With sponsorship and the help of our volunteers, we are rethinking ways of keeping kids in school and learning.

We know what works in poor communities. We are developing our Mobile Computer Lab to provide internet access to the children we support. We are also developing our After-School program to ensure the quality of their education.  

We are fighting for a better world by educating the ones that need it most.

 

 

At the age that children play pretend and dream of being heroes, 5-year old orphan, Joshua, had to step into his parents’  big shoes to provide for his brother and grandmother. He didn’t have a better option than to beg on the harsh streets. His parents had died in an unfortunate accident and he was responsible for supporting his three year old brother, Raja, and disabled grandmother. Every day, he went out in the sweltering heat to beg for money, earning just about a dollar daily. It was barely enough to earn each of them one meal a day. 

Then, miraculously, his luck changed. One day, while begging on the streets, Joshua met Pockets of Promise staff, Sheeba and Uday. After hearing his story, they fed him and took him back to his village to meet his brother and grandmother.  Their living condition was simply horrific. Both Joshua and Raja were thin, malnourished and dehydrated. They lived in a tent made of garment rags and were exposed to the elements. Sheeba reached out to Pockets of Promise for help. Joshua and Raja were soon sponsored by a generous donor, and their lives began to change. 

First, a new home. With the help of kind donors, Pockets of Promise built a small hut for Joshua, Raja, and their grandmother. It was a small step, but it made a huge impact on their lives, giving them a comfortable place to live.

Then, Joshua and Raja were put in a school. Their sponsor paid for the tuition and transportation expenses, and they were set on the right path.

Four years have passed since Joshua’s days of begging for money – his life has been rebuilt. Both Joshua and Raja, now 9 and 7, ace all of their exams and top their classes in all subjects. They moved in with Sheeba and her family when their grandmother got sick and moved into a care center. Pockets of Promise sponsors continue to feed them and pay for their schooling.

Joshua still recalls his father promising to make him a successful man one day. For a while, that seemed impossible. But thanks to Pockets of Promise, Joshua is now on the road to becoming a determined, successful person making his father’s dream come true.

In most developed countries we hear about programs such as STEM and how to motivate young girls to be interested in STEM. While I highly recommend and support such programs, I can’t help but think of the children The Bridge Foundation serves. In a world far away, we encounter children dying of starvation, children who have never stepped in a classroom and who can not dare to dream beyond today. Their entire lives are consumed by when they will have their next meal. While most children eat breakfast and head to school, the children in Ramapuram, India, walk several miles to the city to begin their day of begging. They stay out all day walking up and down the street hoping a kind soul will give them money or something to eat. Some of these children are very bright and full of talents that the world may never see. They could have been future scientists, programmers, developers, doctors, engineers, politicians, economists, actors, and writers but alas, many die of starvation, their talents, buried with them. The ones who survive continue to live a life of mediocrity and poverty with the world never meeting or hearing of them.

First, we need programs which will provide basic necessities to such children and give them an education which will introduce them to the world of reading, science, technology and computers. This will allow their young eager minds to soar and begin to dream again. See, the children in the developed world, your children, my children, start out in life with so many opportunities available to them. We tell them they can be anything they want to be and strive to give them every advantage in life. The children we serve in Ghana, India and Uganda do not have the opportunity to do 1% of what our children will get to do. That, my friend, is Social Injustice. The Bridge Foundation wants to be a bridge that these children can cross to arrive at a life filled with opportunities they didn’t even know existed. We want them to also have a choice of whether to pursue STEM, the Arts, Finance, or Economics. We want them to laugh and play as children.  We want them to worry about which book to read first and not when they will eat again.

Ramapuram is an impoverished village in South India where their own government uses their land as a refuse dump. About 80% of the mothers are child brides and almost 100% of them lack a viable employment. They lack basic amenities such as water, electricity among others. They walk about 4 – 6 miles daily to fetch water. Parents and children alike go days without eating. The only employment available is collecting ashes from the refuse dump and selling them for nearly nothing.

The Bridge Foundation is working feverishly to build a bridge for these children through the feeding program we have already started in Ramapuram. We currently feed 26 children twice a day for roughly $650 a month. The parents and grandparents hang around in hopes that there will be leftovers for them to also have. Right now, all we can do is feed them but they have other needs. We are painfully aware that it is not enough and we can’t stop there. The children will need to go to school if they are to have a chance to succeed in life. They need water, access to healthcare, and the adults need a viable source of income. For now the children are content. They don’t have to go begging again nor worry about what they will eat. The Bridge Foundation knows that there is a whole world of opportunities out there for the children to explore but it will start with them getting an education.

The Bridge Foundation will not rest until the bridge has been lowered for all the children to cross over to the other side where literacy, STEM, the Arts, business, sports, good health, and nutritious meals await them. We need your help to make this a reality. Help us with your financial donations and time to beautify this world one tiny corner at a time.

As I sit here and reflect on 2018, I am extremely grateful to our wonderful sponsors, donors and volunteers. Together we were able to touch many lives and fulfill our purpose of connecting the disadvantaged to opportunities.

I am often humbled when I hear the painful stories of some of the families The Bridge Foundation serves. One recent story was that of a father in Ghana whose 10 year old son has suffered multiple strokes as a result of sickle cell anemia disease and seizures. The Bridge Foundation sent him a small donation during Christmas to buy a treat for his family. He used the unexpected gift to fill his son’s much needed prescription. My family and I have been going through a very difficult trial with the health of my son and I am often asked how I continue to smile and have joy. Stories like these help put my own suffering into perspective. My joy comes from knowing I am part of an organization which strives to help so many disadvantaged children. My experience, and I hope yours as well, is summed up in this quote: “Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

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Child Sponsorship Program

The Bridge foundation added 11 new children to our sponsorship program bringing the total number of children in the sponsorship program to 38. Out of these, 25 have sponsors and 13 are awaiting sponsorship. Sponsorship means everything to these children. It means an opportunity to go to school, eat 2 nutritious meals a day and receive medical checkup. They also gain self confidence, a sense of worth and most importantly a deep knowledge that someone, even on the other side of the world, cares deeply about them. Their faces light up when they tell their friends at school about their sponsors. I want that same joy for the 13 children, who even though are in the program and receive an education, meals and medical checkup, do not have a sponsor to tell their friends about. I also want that for the many children who are waiting to join the program. In 2019, our goal is find sponsors for the remaining 13 children and add 37 new children into the program. Click here to watch how Joshua, Raja and Michael’s lives have been transformed through child sponsorship.

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Feeding Program

We started a feeding program back in 2017 in a small impoverished village in South India for severely malnourished children while they awaited sponsors. Most of these children were orphans who made a living begging and digging through trash for plastic bottles and other recyclable materials to sell for mere cents. We are currently feeding 34 children one meal a day at a monthly cost of $700. The program is a matter of life and death for these precious children. While waiting to join the program, 2 siblings lost their lives this past August after eating badly decomposed food from the refuse dump near their village. In 2019, we hope to find sponsors for the children so they can receive 2 meals and an education or enough funding to feed them 2 meals a day. Please watch the video to learn more.

Through Their Eyes Fundraising Gala

The Bridge Fundraising gala held on November 17th in Atlanta was a huge success. We were honored to have so many of you come and support us during our first fundraiser. We are looking forward to our 2019 gala which promises to be bigger and more fun. Stay tuned for more information. Click here to see pictures from that night. Click here to watch video one and video two from the event.

The Bridge Christmas Party

The year would not have been complete without The Bridge Foundation annual Christmas and End of Year party. 90 children in India and 60 in Ghana had an amazing time at the parties. Children in India got to eat chicken briyani, a popular Indian rice dish and one of my favorite dishes, cake and drink juice for the very first time. The children in Ghana, got a visit from Santa, played beach volley ball and participated in a dance offs. They were all smiles. See below for pictures.

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In 2019, I invite you to continue this incredible journey of partnership with us and together we can change lives and brighten a small corner of the world for a child. It doesn’t matter whether you are able to sponsor 1 child or 10 children or whether you can give a large or small donation, what matters most is you cared enough to show up for one child. I end with one f my favorite quotes: “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

Thank you

Sincerely,

Adwoa Adu Acquah

Co-Founder and President