You may have heard of this: "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well." Yes! Food is not just something to fill the stomach. Food can be delicious, inventive, colourful, inspiring, and meaningful to all of us. But did you know that nearly 50 million people are on the edge of famine in 45 countries? Tens of millions of children and their families are confronted with starvation in a massive hunger crisis. 

Imagine if you were the reason a young family could go to bed with full stomachs and not worry about their next meal? Lebanon’s economic crisis is one of the worst in decades. The currency has collapsed and businesses have shut.

Saira*, 15, don’t have school or evening play time with friends to look forward to. What she has is her 10-month-old baby boy to look after. “I used to go to school where we learned how to read, write and count,” recalls the young mother.

Today we’d like to introduce you to two groups of people under our Community Development Programmes in Sabah who despite the challenges of the pandemic, have remained committed to the adage and are creating safe environments where their children can feel protected, supported and loved.

Since 2012, 11 October has been the International Day of the Girl. This day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges that girls around the world face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their basic rights.

The COVID-19 pandemic’s health impacts are well-known. What may be less obvious are its secondary impacts. Owing to movement restrictions and business closures, more people are out of work; this is especially hard on those who are already living in poverty.