Protective. Loving. Compassionate. Hardworking.
Every day, fathers around the world wake up and work hard in the face of extreme hardship to help provide for their families. Whether they’re facing economic hardship, natural disaster or conflict, they do everything they can to ensure the safety and well-being of those around them.
In celebration of Father’s Day, we’re inviting you to make a gift in honor of a father figure in your life to help other fathers around the world.
There are countless examples of the sacrifices fathers make for their families. Today, we’re sharing two of them:
In Nigeria, Ezra works as a farmer to provide for his wife and two children. A disease started spreading across farms in his community, killing ginger plants — his main crop — as well as millet, rice, okra, and mango trees.
The devastation of his crops, a smaller income, and a lack of food nearly forced him to move his family to the city in order to find other kinds of work.
With Mercy Corps’ help, he and many farmers received business training on how to divest their income from farming and save for emergencies. Amid a tough ginger season and the hardship his family is facing, he stayed the course and plans to find alternative ways to earn an income and keep his family afloat.
In Colombia, Diego (name changed) works hard every day as a coffee farmer to provide for his wife and three-year-old daughter. After a year of saving and with a loan from a bank, he bought a piece of land to have a farm of his own.
This land had only coffee and coca crops, but he did not have the means to remove these crops and replace them with other fruits and vegetables.
With support from Mercy Corps, Diego received help to remove the coca plants and start farming yucca plantains, maize, beans, onions, and cilantro. He also started working at a mobile coffee kiosk that partners with Mercy Corps, where he is learning how to be an entrepreneur and earning an income.
These are just a few examples of fathers standing firm in the face of adversity to learn, upskill, find alternative ways to make ends meet, and provide for their families. Mercy Corps is working to reach fathers and families with the resources they need to be there for their children and help communities be more resilient.
On this Father’s Day, please give in honor of someone in your life and help Mercy Corps reach more fathers like Ezra and Diego.
Sincerely,
The Mercy Corps team
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