Mackline is a bright, bubbly six-year- old who lives with her parents and sisters in a small Ugandan town. It’s a happy home where the family raises goats, pigs, chickens and ducks, and grows crops like maize and potatoes.

But school is where Mackline discovers a whole new world. Every day she looks forward to playing with her friends and learning new things from her teacher. She also loves the porridge she eats during the school day – it’s tasty and sweet.

But it wasn’t always that way. Her parents struggled to take care of their family and her school lacked basic resources. Many children stayed away due to hunger. That all changed thanks to the generosity of Canadians like you. As a sponsored child, Mackline’s family and community also receive support.

Before sponsorship, Mackline’s parents couldn’t provide the basics for their three girls. Now, thanks to their participation in a farmer field school, their farm is producing more food. The increased income means they can support their children.

Mackline’s school regularly receives supplies like pencils, crayons and exercise books. And a school nutrition program now provides daily healthy meals for the children.

Mackline’s eyes shine when she describes all the things she loves about school. “I like my teacher because she teaches us how to draw good things like mangoes and pineapples,” she told us.

Thanks to the support of caring Canadians like you, Mackline can practice drawing pineapples every day – and look forward to a hopeful future.

When Jolene’s school committee started a mushroom farm, she jumped in to help. Mushrooms are nutritious, easy to grow, and in high demand by Ugandan restaurants. Generous donors like you helped our local partner HUYSLINCI provide materials and training to get started.

“I love mushrooms,” Jolene said. “I hope to ask my mother to join me in growing such a garden at home.” With new skills and a passion for growing mushrooms, Jolene’s school earns an income and soon her family will too!

Maria, a 40-year-old mother of five, lives in the Northern Region of Ghana where there has been a significant decline in food production in the last few years. When invited to join a group of 80 women beekeepers in her community, she hesitated “because honey production here has always been the work of men.”

Now, Maria is a leading beekeeper and innovative marketer. Beyond selling honey, she has turned honeycomb into body ointment, pomades and sweet drinks. With the income she’s earned, she plans to send her children to university. Beekeeping has benefitted the community too: through pollination, farmers have increased their production of cowpea, a popular ingredient in local meals.

“I am grateful to RAINS and Canadian Feed The Children’s donors for creating such an opportunity for me and other women here,” Maria said.

With support from Canadian Feed The Children’s MILEAR project, Kelsuma was able to leave a difficult marriage. Although she faced a lot of criticism from her community, she found that MILEAR’s gender training stayed with her and gave her the courage to start her own farm with her eldest son. She’s done so well she was named Farmer of the Year in her community last year. She’s become a women’s rights advocate and was recently trained by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health as a local Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights instructor. From that first training, Kelsuma has transformed her own life and is now helping to transform her community too.

When you give a family, school or community a garden, you help provide healthy food and hands-on learning. This is true everywhere Canadian Feed The Children works around the world including here at home.

From vegetable gardens that help feed families, to school and community gardens that teach people how to grow and eat healthy produce, every gift you make helps nurture healthy and happy children.

Here are five gardens (of many!) you support around the world when you give the Best.Gift.Ever!

Four-year-old Amayda helps her mother tend their urban garden at home. Together, they grow healthy food and make nutritious meals.

Zenebech works with her daughter in the garden outside their home in Addis Ababa. She sells the surplus to help pay for her daughter to go to school.

Rebecca and her peers help care for their school garden. The food they grow is used in the school meal program.

Azure learned how to garden in the dry season in northern Ghana. Now she can grow enough food to feed her children.

Zoe likes to garden with her friends at school. They learn how to take care of plants and harvest food from Mother Earth.

Acclaimed photojournalist Allan Lissner visited three First Nations where donors like you are supporting change through Canadian Feed The Children.

Together with the Ontario Council for International Cooperation, the Transformations 2018 photo exhibit was launched in February this year.

The exhibit explores food sovereignty in Eel Ground First Nation, Neyaashiinigmiing, and Garden Hill First Nation.

Check out the Transformations photo exhibit online or in a community space near you.