You Are Helping Women Forge a Better Future

Hason Ara Begum and her husband have six children in southern Bangladesh. Up until a few years ago, her husband struggled to find consistent work to provide enough food for their family. They often skipped meals so that their children could eat.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) assists over 1.2 million people in Bangladesh through monthly food assistance, malnutrition services, school meals and other programs. The U.N. World Food Programme also knows that empowering women with tools, training and finances will lead to a food-secure future for their families.

Hason Ara is one of hundreds of women who enrolled in a WFP two-year entrepreneurship program to start a farming business. Each participant received a $180 grant, which they used to grow vegetables and raise livestock. They also learned how to prepare a business plan.

“We were taught how to take care of savings, how to negotiate with buyers and even how to protect and store our crops to prevent losses,” she said.

“Being so successful in this program built my confidence and inspired me to do more.”

Her crops provide enough food for her family of eight, and she can sell the rest to local markets to earn a steady income and send all her children to school. The benefits of this program extend beyond individual households: refugees in the area can redeem their WFP e-vouchers at local markets to buy fresh produce grown by farmers like Hason.

You are making a difference in the lives of women and their families all over the globe. To learn how you can change lives with a gift through your will, contact Karen Turney at 202-627-3954 or kturney@wfpusa.org.