SCIAF has four key themes which help guide our work in some of the poorest communities in the world.
Farming and Livelihoods
There's enough food in the world for everyone, but 1 in 7 people don't have enough to eat. Every year 2 million children die from starvation, malutrition & related illnesses. 1 billion people go hungry every day, and the effects of climate change is making it harder for people to grow crops.
Donations can provide seeds, tools and training to people who can't feed their families. With the help they can learn modern farming techniques, grow enough food for their children and even start small businesses selling their crops. When you donate you are helping people to help themselves. SCIAF teaches people business skills and start community co-operatives which lift people out of poverty for good. Last year they were able to helped more than half a million people provide food for their families.
Peacebuilding
Life in a conflict zone is almost impossible. Farmers cannot work their fields, and children are too scared to go to school. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people are killed in wars and conflict zones. In times of conflict men, women and children may suffer horrific sexual and physical violence, or be robbed of their land and homes. When the fighting stops, communities must try to rebuild. Survivors of violence are often severely traumatised and destitute, and may have no choice but to live side by side with people who have hurt them, or even killed members of their families. People's lives, and whole communities, can be shattered by violence often driving them into extreme poverty.
SCIAF works through local groups to help child soldiers, survivors of sexual violence, and war torn communities to forgive, rebuild and live in peace. They help unite communities once seperated by violence, encouraging them to working together to build a better future for themselves. Working together helps heal the wounds of war and conflict.
Education
Education is vital to help people lift themselves out of poverty, but often it's the poorest children who cut their education short, or don't attend school at all. When families are struggling to survive even young children must work in the fields, or spend hours fetching water. With their time spent supporting their family and not attending school they don't recieve the education they need and the cycle of poverty continues.
SCIAF helps more young people to go to school each day and get an education. They set up skills training so people of all ages can earn an income. These new skills last a lifetime and make a huge longterm change to peoples lives.
Emergency Work
When disaster strikes, SCIAF works with Caritas Internationalis (the global network of Catholic aid and development agencies) to get help to those who need it - fast. As well as providing immediate shelter, food, water and medicine, we give communities the support they need to help them recover, rebuild and get back on their feet in the long term.
