Join Us On a Virtual Tour of Countries We Serve on World Tourism Day

on September 27, 2019

Since our founding in 1998, we’ve been able to provide nutritious meals and other critical aid in 77 countries across the globe. Each country has its own unique set of social, economic and cultural values. This World Tourism Day, we would like to take you on a virtual tour and highlight some of the countries we’ve seen progress as their communities continue to move forward and break the cycle of poverty!

VenezuelaDid you know?

Population Size: 31.7 million
Primary Language Spoken: Spanish
Fun Fact: There are 43 national parks in Venezuela, making up 15% of the country’s landmass.

To date, millions have fled Venezuela in light of deteriorating economic conditions and political turmoil. The migrant route into Columbia is both long and dangerous, taking the lives of many and leaving survivors in dire need of life-saving aid. With the migrant count expected to reach 5 million, the humanitarian need is great, and with in-country partners, Rise Against Hunger has been able to support 5,000 Venezuelan migrants in Colombia each week. As the country strives to make new changes, we continue to provide support for migrants facing instability and daily challenges in this ongoing crisis.

HaitiDid you know?

Population Size: 10.8 million
Primary Languages Spoken: French and Haitian
Fun Fact: Haiti is the second oldest independent nation in the Western Hemisphere after the United States.

In a small town called Bas Andre outside of Gonaives, Haiti, lives 22-year-old Duracier. She’s lively and hopeful for her future. However, because of dropping out of school at an early age and her mother’s low income, she knew that she needed to make money to support herself and her mother. One afternoon, Duracier decided to attend her first community farming group class. Walking a few miles to the class, she was determined to learn new traditional techniques to improve her garden. The community farming group is led by Telson, an agronomist hired by Rise Against Hunger. So far, Duracier is growing corn, rice, beans and spring onions. Providing access to new techniques in a saturated market gives women like Duracier the opportunity to generate and sell more competitive produce at their local markets.

ZimbabweDid you know?

Population Size: 14.6 million
Primary Languages Spoken: Shona; However, Zimbabwe has 16 official languages.
Fun Fact: Zimbabwe has won a total of eight medals at the Olympic Games in two sports — hockey (1) and swimming (7).

As our organization continues to invest in long-term solutions to hunger and poverty, especially in the area of sustainable agriculture, we recently launched projects in Senegal and Mali, and we’re excited to share a third new agriculture program in Zimbabwe! Planting Seeds for Strong Communities, in partnership with Adventist Development and Relief Agency Zimbabwe, will establish a sustainable home-grown school feeding program in five schools, providing a safety net for school-age children while stimulating the local agricultural economy in the Gokwe North District. The project will focus on horticulture, indigenous poultry, sunflower, biofortified cowpeas and small grains to strengthen household nutrition and promote women’s empowerment. Also aiming to increase the diversity of foods that school students regularly consume, our hope is that planting these seeds in Zimbabwe communities will become a lifestyle and provide food security for its people.

Burkina FasoDid you know?

Population Size: 20.3 million
Primary Language Spoken: French
Fun Fact: Burkina Faso translates to “Land of the honest men.”

Since our meal packaging program began in 2005, we’ve continued to grow the movement by bringing groups of all sizes, backgrounds and beliefs together to join on one common ground: a passion for seeing a world without hunger and providing nutritious meals to people in critical need. For countries like Burkina Faso, we know that our meal packaging events make a world of difference to the people that need it the most. Being a landlocked country in West Africa where one out of every five people are food insecure, our meals not only provide nutrition but a sense of hope for the future.

CambodiaDid you know?

Population Size: 16.5 million
Primary Language Spoken: Khmer
Fun Fact: Rice is considered to be the first crop that was grown on Cambodian soil since before the first century, AD.

In Cambodia, farmers have been developing their agricultural and business skills through an initiative to grow climate-smart crops. With Growing Hope Globally and in-country partner World Hope International, Rise Against Hunger has helped to pilot mushroom grow houses that increase resilience to climate change by reducing water consumption and making use of farming by-products. With the ultimate goal to invest in long-term, sustainable solutions to hunger and poverty around the world, project participants have received training in organic horticulture, basic business management and assistance with access to food markets.Since 1980, the United Nations World Tourism Organization has celebrated and recognized international communities that strive to reach sustainable development, while providing security, inclusion and peace for all people. As we continue to raise awareness and provide support for those in need around the globe, check out our Global Impact map to learn more about the countries we serve.Fact Sources: The United Nations and CNN.com

Strength, Stability And Hope

The gift that filled Nelly’s table.

“We were yielding very little, and the crops could not sustain us the whole year,” Nelly remembers. As a mother of seven and a farmer with two decades of experience, the stress of inconsistent yields was all-consuming. A poor harvest not only strained her family financially, but also limited their own meals to just two a day. Their story reflects that of many in their fishing and farming village near a lake in the Karonga district of northern Malawi. Here, heavy rainfall makes conventional farming methods nearly impossible. The entire village is, quite literally, saturated in food insecurity — a reality that leaves families struggling to survive season after season without a dependable source of nourishment.

In 2019, Nelly began participating in Harvesting Prosperity and Resilience, a sustainable agriculture project implemented by Rise Against Hunger in partnership with the Foundation for Community Support Services (FOCUS). The project works with 3,100 smallholder farmers in Malawi’s Karonga and Mzimba districts to strengthen food and nutrition security by improving production methods, nutrition practices and household income.

Just one year later, Nelly was ready to expand the variety of crops on her farm. What land once only produced maize began to flourish with sesame, cowpeas, rice and groundnuts during the rainy season (summer), as well as maize and vegetables during the dry season (winter). Through climate-smart agriculture training, she learned new techniques like manure making, pit planting and mulching, crop rotation and intercropping. Equipped with these tools, Nelly’s farm began to thrive.

After the 2023–2024 growing season, she sold enough produce to purchase an ox cart. Her harvests in 2024-2025 season yielded over 500 pounds of crops, including 22 bags of groundnuts, seven bags of maize, 12 tins of sesame and three bags of rice. With this surplus, she was able to invest in a motorbike, which she now uses to transport African doughnuts (mandasi) that she cooks and sells — creating yet another source of income for her family.

The transformation reaches far beyond her finances. Nelly now has the stability to provide for her husband and children. “I am able to eat different food types, pay school fees for my children and fulfill the visions that I have made with my family,” she beams. “I am now sleeping peacefully without any fears of food or paying school fees for the children.”

Her leadership has also grown. Today, Nelly serves as a leader in the Harvesting Prosperity and Resilience project, teaching other farmers in her district to adopt climate-resilient, labor-saving practices. By sharing her knowledge, she is multiplying her impact — empowering her neighbors to experience the same transformation she has achieved.

Across Nelly’s community, food and economic security are on the rise. Lombani, a government extension officer for the region, explains, “I can see the community is being transformed in the sense that in the area, there is food, income and nutrition security. Development is also happening at the household level.”

Nelly reflects on what it means to invest in holistic programs that address the root causes of hunger: “We are now healthy people. Children are going to school after eating their breakfast, having high yields and different types of crops due to conservation agriculture practices. With the support from the project, we have food, and we can access other food items from the market after selling our produce.”

This is the gift that fills: a future full of stability, strength and hope. It fills tables with food, families with security and communities with the resources to thrive. It’s an investment in futures rooted in resilience and hope.