Combat child malnutrition and support learning in Ghana. Your donation promotes nutrition among new mothers and infants in the first 1,000 days through breastfeeding counseling; education on nutritious weaning foods; support growing those crops; and other interventions to support healthy growth and development. Support farmers, parents and schools to facilitate a school feeding program using locally-grown protein-rich crops so kids start the day nourished and able to focus in the classroom.

Self-Help International has been empowering women in Ghana since 1999. Empowering women is crucial to a thriving society. More than 60% of married women who are employed and earn cash make independent decisions on how to spend their earnings (2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey). By offering even illiterate women basic business skills training and the financing to put their skills into action, they are able to start small businesses, increase family income, and achieve self-sufficiency.

Girls in rural Ghana want to earn an education but struggle to stay in school once they hit puberty. Predatory men offer girls paltry sums of money so they can afford school or sanitary supplies, and expect favors in return. Our Teen Girls Club teaches girls about women's health, ensures girls have access to menstrual supplies, helps them advocate for themselves and their education, and trains them in income-generating activities so they can stay in school and break the cycle of poverty for good

Protein is often unaffordable for low-income Nicaraguan farm families, but Quality Protein Maize (QPM) is an affordable crop farm families can feed their children. Self-Help's interventions help improve food security for low-income rural families, by increasing agricultural production to improve nutrition. SHI provides trainings on improved farming methods and the importance of QPM, which is higher yielding than creole corn and has 90% of the protein found in a glass of skim milk.

Agriculture and Entrepreneurship Development (AED) specialists serve as a pillar of agricultural excellence in central Ghana, demonstrating best-practice methods and testing new and emerging agronomic practices appropriate for smallholder farmers. Staff extension specialists work with farmers and youth to address challenges in their agricultural ventures and demonstrate that farming need not be a last resort, but rather a viable business venture and the backbone of thriving rural economies.

Self-Help has been working to alleviate hunger in Nicaragua since 1999. We provide opportunities for women to learn business operations, and loans ($50-$200) to initiate these enterprises is proving to be successful in this mission. Training and loans for new groups of women, and value-added enterprises further strengthen women's income and voices in society. Funding is needed to support the objective to help 200 women in Nicaragua. Self-Help is also proud of its 97% return on business loans.

Diarrhea is the leading cause of malnutrition in children under five years old. Self-Help International is working with thousands of farm families in Nicaragua to improve food security & alleviate malnutrition. However, poor water quality is compromising these efforts. Water-borne diseases can be life-threatening and regularly prevent parents from working and children from attending school. Affordable access to safe drinking water improves health for thousands of Nicaraguans, especially children