Global Hunger Relief

Ana* and Luis* live with their four children in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Bogota, Columbia. Thankful for steady employment and their small apartment, they pass by people daily without either.

As believers like you, they see the physical and spiritual needs around them and know God has called them to act.

Ana and Luis are part of a church plant in their community, seeking to reach out to their neighbors who are hungry and hurting for the love of Christ.

Because of your generosity, Ana and Luis’ church plant gave away food bags to last about a week to 400 people. Each one heard the gospel and saw the love of Jesus.

Sharing Christ in one of Columbia’s poorest and most transient areas is not new to this tiny church. They have held Bible study and worship for months in the area, but you enabled them to meet the residents’ physical needs.

Your gift opened the door for Ana and Luis’ church to meet new people and share Christ with them. As a result, the small group of 15 blossomed to over 50 the following Sunday and continues to grow.

Join us in prayer:

• Praise God for those fed physically and spiritually through this food distribution!
• Pray for Ana, Luis, and their new church as they strive to meet their neighbors’ needs and share the gospel.
• Pray for this new church to grow into a biblically healthy and reproducing church.

Thank you for sacrificially giving and faithfully praying for those hungry physically and spiritually around the world. You make an eternal difference every single day!

*Names changed

Abbas* and his family experienced the unexpected: generosity and hope. Like over 7 million others in his war-torn nation, Abbas’s family lives in an internally displaced person (IDP) camp. Recently, he approached a member of our team.

“What you guys are doing is very unique! Having been an IDP most of my life, I have seen organizations come into the areas where I’ve been displaced. They do their assessments and promise to come back with all these things. Very rarely do they come back, and if they do, they don’t deliver on what has been promised. What you guys are doing is incredibly unique and special. You treat us with dignity. The food given is enough for my family and the neighbors we have living in the IDP camp.”

Thank you for the food you provide to Abbas, his family, and others in his IDP camp. Your gifts provide more than physical nourishment; you offer hope and the love of Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.

*Name changed for security

Thank you for your generosity to those struggling with hunger globally! Your gifts are making a difference in the lives of those seeking hope and help. Because of your generosity, 839,000 people received assistance last year through 226 different hunger projects, resulting in 51,000 new believers!

Here are just a few of the ways your gifts are transforming lives:

Americas: In Colombia, we partner with local churches to support vulnerable families in their communities. By providing food staples for several weeks, these families can put their income toward other necessities. Elena* is a mom of one who was previously kicked out of her apartment because she could not pay for food and rent. Elena said, “This food bag has allowed me to care for my family and remain in our home.”

South Asia: More than 200 rural farmers were recently trained in better farming practices and how to market their crops. They were also given basic supplies and seed for these families, and hundreds heard the gospel. To date, 630 people have followed Christ. Veer* is a pastor and area leader who received this training. Before the project, he looked diligently but could not find work sufficient to care for his family and give him time to minister. Because of the training, he grew a new crop and reaped a huge harvest, which helped him financially and increased his availability for ministry. Now, Veer is economically self-sufficient. He led 30 people to Christ last year and baptized them to start a new church. Many more pastors and leaders like him have overcome poverty by becoming self-supporting through this project.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Because of your giving, long-term workers are reaching the hungry with food and the gospel in a conflict-riddled area. Agar* and his fellow church members each received food assistance for their families and a food packet for an unreached family in their neighborhood. The group asked God to help them share Jesus, knowing their neighbors would oppose them. “We must purpose in our hearts to fight the spiritual battle and not be discouraged,” Agar said. Agar’s small church is in the midst of a Muslim community. However, they recently baptized 12 new believers from their community. May God continue to reconcile people to Himself through this little band of believers!

According to the latest UN report, 783 million people go to bed hungry every night. The number of those facing acute hunger more than doubled from 2020 to 2023. This year, hunger has continued rising in the Middle East, Central Asia, and all parts of Africa.

Thank you so much for your kindness, generosity, and partnership! Your prayers and gifts are truly making a difference through this project as we work together to meet the physical and spiritual needs of hurting people worldwide.

*Name changed.

Substantial Opportunities. We saw unprecedented hunger in 2022. In addition to regular cycles of drought and famine, COVID, conflict, and an increased number of forcibly displaced persons caused many to face acute food insecurity. We anticipate hunger needs will continue to rise globally, and Southern Baptists are actively looking for ways to address these critical needs. Your partnership is essential as we work with Send Relief (Southern Baptists’ compassion ministry, which meets physical and spiritual needs in Jesus’s name) to meet hunger needs and share God’s love in word and deed. Your gifts support crisis-hunger response during natural disasters and development of long-term, sustainable solutions to end chronic hunger. Current solutions include job-skills training, livestock and seed distribution, clean water, and medical care. Though the crisis sounds overwhelming, each statistic represents real people—mothers, fathers, children, and grandparents—who desperately need food and the hope of the gospel.

Eastern Europe. In Eastern Europe, 180 at-risk children are receiving hot meals twice a week at day centers run by local churches. Your generosity provided these meals. Children receive nourishing meals, hear Bible stories, and learn life skills. One 12-year-old girl often left the center early because of fear and anxiety. Over time, she began to stay and has had a significant life change. She even wants to start leading the Bible stories!

Sub-Saharan Africa. In Uganda, a community garden project impacted 300 people in two communities. This project enabled the community to grow and harvest nutritious vegetables to consume and sell at a lower cost than vegetables from other areas. Local believers received discipleship in conjunction with this project, and seven men committed their lives to Jesus!

Central Asia. A project in Central Asia impacted 1,500 people through training in better animal husbandry techniques. Trainers helped farmers improve cattle and goat herds and increase milk production. Cattle are a backbone for agricultural families in this region and having livestock that produces more milk allows for both the nutritional needs of the families and their income. In addition, the work opened doors for the gospel in six new areas in a difficult region.

South America. The U.N. has identified Venezuela as one of the top countries to succumb to famine-like conditions this next year. Your gifts equipped 330 churches in Venezuela with food supplies for soup kitchens and food distributions. The impact was huge, providing 70,000 people with food assistance. As they shared the food with families in the communities, 357 new churches started, and thousands followed Jesus! Praise God for these faithful brothers and sisters in Venezuela, making His name known as they care for their communities.

Horn of Africa. In the Horn of Africa, conflict has forced people to seek refuge in camps for the displaced. The needs are vast, and hunger resources are few. Your generosity helped 1,615 families in four camps with one month of food aid. This project impacted at least 4,000 people. Local believers shared why they brought the food and the hope they have in Jesus. At least 15 have come to faith through their follow-up and now receive discipleship.

Thank you so much for your kindness, generosity, and partnership! Your prayer and gifts are truly making a difference through this project! Please prayerfully consider making another gift to support this ministry in 2023 so we can share the love of Christ as we meet hunger needs around the world.

Over the past year, because of your generosity, Global Hunger Relief conducted 245 international projects (completed or currently in progress). Here are a few testimonies from people impacted by your gifts:

From an agriculture and water training project:
One of the ways we help alleviate physical needs is by giving rice seeds to those whose fields were destroyed by floods. Here is the testimony of Mr. I*: “Hi, my name is Mr. I. I am a local farmer on the north coast of my country. Just recently my entire rice field was destroyed by floods. This field was my livelihood — how I supported my family and how my family ate. I was depressed and stressed. I did not know how I would be able to survive. Then a man came by and started talking with me and provided rice seeds for me! What joy I had knowing someone cared for me and my family. Now I can replant my field and provide for my family. Thank you for finding me and helping me during this very difficult time in my life.”

COVID food distribution in the Americas:
“We met a woman who survived by selling chocolates on the street with her two small children and offered them one of the food bags. She shared with us that she was forced to leave her husband due to physical abuse at home and was now left to support three children alone. Each day she had to travel by bus to go to other communities to sell her products, earn money and purchase a small amount of food to take back home. Along with the supplies, we shared the gospel with her, and she was able to return home with enough food to feed her family for two weeks.”
Pastor D*

Testimony from a School Lunch/Dorm Project in Asia:
“Thank you for supporting [this project]. I learned how to take care of the kitchens and even how to sell eggs that I collected from the chickens. I hope that in May I will get to go back to school. I want to thank you for helping me have lunch every day.”
Student in the dorm/school lunch project

COVID Project in South Asia:
National partner B* reports that during food distribution he shared Christ with every person he visited. As a result, many responded to the gospel, and he baptized 18 people in three communities.

COVID food distribution:
A national Christian partnering with IMB personnel for a food distribution in another part of Asia reported that upon visiting a home to offer a ration food pack, the matriarch burst into tears and exclaimed, “This came at the right time! Today we had come to the last of our provisions.” The woman shared how she had been worried, wondering what they would do for their evening meal. The national partner had the opportunity to explain to the whole family about our generous God in heaven who gives, and that He is so generous toward people that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ.

On behalf of our entire Global Hunger Relief team, thank you so much for your sacrificial support to provide for the hungry multitudes around the world. Your generosity and faithfulness are changing lives!

*names changed for security