Fonkoze empowers Haitians, primarily rural women, to lift their families out of poverty by providing access to the tools, resources, and support needed to overcome and thrive. The organization’s approach to empowerment is holistic - addressing the many systemic roots of poverty: lack of access to education, financial and health services, and more.

Fonkoze’s health program Boutik Sante, in particular, serves approximately 250,000 households each year, offering health resources to communities throughout Haiti that include vitamin distribution, screenings for child malnutrition and therapeutic feeding treatments, hypertension screenings for cardiovascular disease, and preventative healthcare trainings. This program alone, which won the 2021 European Microfinance Award, has increased access to health services and education for more than 3.3 million people since its inception in 2014. More information.

On March 25, 2022, the Ibrahim Khalilullah Community Center, sponsored by LIFE, opened in Malicounda Bambara, in Mbour. The center's floor plan was expanded by 96 square meters with restrooms and wudu (prayer) areas built to accommodate more members of the community. The center will serve a community of more than 1,500 people.

Schools in Uganda have finally begun to reopen after two years of closed doors. Girls are especially vulnerable to permanently losing their education due to COVID-19, but they’re not giving up. More information.

Lutheran World Relief implements the USAID-funded Women’s Global Development Prosperity: Expanding Women’s Labor Force in Lebanon (W-GDP: EWLFL) Project. One of the pioneering women taking part in the project is Nancy Ghannam, a Lebanese entrepreneur and activist who is breaking gender barriers and creating jobs for other women in her community. More information.

LIFE for Relief and Development revitalized sports fields in Akito and Shalama schools in the Ainkawa District in Erbil. The rehabilitation project started with a clean-up of dirt and debris from the fields. Next, basketball and volleyball bases were installed, along with the nets. Fences and gates to the sports courts were also painted to complete the transformation. The schools were provided with sports equipment and sportswear, so students have everything they need to enjoy the new facilities. About 1,000 students will benefit from this rehabilitation project. More information.

Harassment and intimidation aimed at girls for being unmarried is often referred to as “eve teasing” in Bangladesh, as well as some other South Asian countries. It’s an umbrella term used to describe sexual harassment, sexual assault or other forms of violence toward girls who don’t have husbands. More information.

Climate change and food insecurity are severely impacting rural livelihoods in Honduras and increasing rates of migration out of the country. With more than 28% of youth not in education, employment or training, too many Honduran young women and men face dismal economic prospects. Lutheran World Relief is committed to building the next generation’s hope for a stable and prosperous life within Honduras. More information.

LIFE for Relief and Development has partnered with An-Najah National University in the West Bank to provide scholarships to medical students in need of financial aid. LIFE intends to help make higher education more accessible all over the world by contributing to scholarship programs in medicine, science, and technology at An Najah University and many other universities like it. This collaboration, where resources, ideas, and knowledge are shared, will positively impact communities by providing opportunities to more students to study in high-impact fields.

As the world's youngest nation turns 10, South Sudan continues to suffer from conflict and extreme poverty. We asked four 10-year-old girls to share their hopes for what the next decade will bring — for themselves and for their country. More Information