We visited southeastern Nigeria recently with the intent of trying to find ways to help. We have friends there that we have already helped move out of the conditions they were in. By helping them attend college to better their own lives. Now working with them we are working on helping others move up out of the conditions they are faced with.
Rice is the main source of dietary substance in Nigeria and many parts of the world. Most rely on it to feed their children before the day starts. Many times they don’t even have the ability to purchase rice and go without until they have sold enough in the market, worked all day in the field, or labored all day building before they earn enough to even buy just a small amount to eat before they go to bed that night. Most only eating just that one time during the day. If they even make enough money during the day to buy it.
Many are not even lucky enough in their craft, skilled labor or selling abilities to even afford the things we consider the basics, like rice, to even eat once a day. With adults it is one thing, but when you see the children who have not eaten for a day or more you begin to realize they are being held back and their potential is not able to be utilized. What if they could eat and grow their minds to learn of the world? What if their family already had rice and then could afford to send their children to school? What if they even could just play and be kids and have at least one meal a day to eat.
Recently while we were in Nigeria, we brought suitcases and suitcases full of clothes for some kids we learned about whose grandmother took care of them. When we gave them simple toys we had brought with us from the dollar store to hand out their faces lit up. Later we gave their grandmother the clothes we had brought and her face lit up knowing her grandchildren would have a fresh set of “new clothes”.
As we packed up and got ready to head back home we both were still uneasy about if we really made a difference. How can we better the lives of the people so desperately in need? The governments are so corrupt and the culture so skewed in many countries, that even pressuring the officials would not make a difference to the person at the bottom. So we thought about it for a very long time, How can one person make a difference?
Right as we left, we gave enough money to buy the sweet grandma that was responsible for taking care of her grandchildren, an entire 110lb bag. There was more joy and thankfulness just for that simple bag of rice then any other gift we gave. That one bag of rice will feed her family for a couple months or more.
Since we visited the cost of one bag of rice has nearly doubled. More and more people are going without. Recently the corrupt government’s Agriculture Minister stated that ” … I think there is no hunger in Nigeria… When people talk about hunger in this government, I just laugh .” Oct 15, 2019 punchng.com
We knew then that their own country, while getting money in their own pockets and food on their own table, where over looking the exact people that needed it the most.
So how could we help individually? How could I help that child on the street? How could I help that family working all day in the hopes of earning enough that day to buy a small cup of rice to bring home to share with the entire family?
So we started our own campaign. The A Thrifty Mom Bag of Rice campaign. What if we could purchase a Bag of Rice to give to a family and see our results from it? What if we could see where that bag of rice was being delivered? What if we could know that the bag of rice we purchased was actually going to someone in need and not a huge “nonprofit” corporation who kept most of it?
With the A Thrifty Mom Bag of Rice Campaign 100% of the money donated goes to the purchase of the Bag of Rice and the cost to hand deliver it to that family. That way you’ll know that your donation actually ALL went to the right person.
Currently one 110lb bag of rice costs about $106 USD to purchase and deliver. We have set up the donations so that you can even help just as much as you can. You can purchase a 1/4, 1/2 or full portion of each Bag of Rice. Don’t forget you can always set it up to donate monthly as well. And you can rest assured that 100% of your donation goes directly to the Bag of Rice. We keep nothing. In fact we are covering the extra difference that it costs to deliver it and we are personally paying Parker, our deliveryman to deliver and write a post showing the family that is receiving it.