Title: “Empty Plates, Full Hearts: The Fight Against Hunger in Ghana’s Forgotten Villages”
In the dusty village of Kpalsako, 9-year-old Fatima* cradles her baby brother, gently tapping his lips with a spoon dipped in saltwater. It’s the only “meal” they’ve had today. Around them, the air hums with the silence of empty stomachs. Fatima’s family is among 1.2 million Ghanaians facing severe hunger this year—a crisis worsened by climate shocks and rising food prices. But behind every statistic is a child’s fading laugh, a mother’s desperate prayer, and a community clinging to hope.
Fatima’s father, a subsistence farmer, lost his entire yam crop to erratic rains last year. Her mother walks 10 kilometers daily to collect firewood, selling it for less than $1. “When the rain doesn’t come, neither does food,” Fatima whispers. She misses school to scavenge for baobab fruit, her tiny hands scarred by thorns. Yet, she shares her scraps with her brother. “If he eats, I’m okay,” she says.
We’re tackling hunger at its roots:
Last year, we helped 2,500 families grow enough to eat and sell. One mother, Ama, now runs a thriving soybean cooperative. “My children don’t cry from hunger anymore,” she says.
Fatima’s brother is just 18 months old. Without help, his future mirrors hers—scavenging, starving, surviving. But with your support, he could thrive. He could learn. He could live.