RAIN News  

Summer 2011

Education and Food Security

Go Hand in Hand 

Nancy Daly on a trip to Rwanda and Kenya in 2006.

This summer, a new partner joined RAIN, bringing us one step closer to achieving long term food security in Niger by teaching agricultural skills to girls and women.

The Global Hunger Foundation (GHF) has awarded RAIN the Nancy Daly Memorial Grant to expand our school market garden program.    

Eric Schockman, Ph.D., recently founded GHF to provide tools and training for women in developing countries by providing them with access to sustainable, organic agriculture, addressing hunger on a grassroots level.

Dr. Eric Schockman

Dr. Schockman served for over ten years as the Executive Director of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. MAZON, a  RAIN grantor, is  a leader in supporting sustainable food generation worldwide. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone, Eric taught agriculture and sustainable development. He has followed his chosen path with great dedication to the world's hungry, and is a nationally known and respected authority on hunger and poverty issues. 

The GHF grant was made in honor of former Los Angeles First Lady and child advocate, Nancy Daly. Nancy established herself as one of Los Angeles' most prominent and energetic activists on behalf of neglected and abused children. To aid youngsters in foster care she helped found United Friends of the Children and The Children's Action Network. In addition, she served as a member of the non-partisan President's Commission on Children, which recommends Federal government policy reforms affecting children in the U.S.

This grant in Ms. Daly's honor will support establishing a pilot curriculum for schools in RAIN's partner communities, teaching children (with a special focus on young girls) the principles of sustainable, organic agriculture, hand in hand with lessons about gender equality, empowerment and leadership.

Eric reflects, "Honoring Nancy Daly, the mother of GHF Board Member Linda Daly in this way will create a lasting legacy of nurturing today's and tomorrow's women leaders among the nomadic communities of Niger."

RAIN wholeheartedly agrees, and we could not be more proud to be the recipient of this award - forging a partnership of parallel missions - food security, education and the empowerment of girls and women.   - Information and quotes courtesy of the Los Angeles Times. 

For more about The Global Hunger Foundation, visit  www.globalhungerfoundation.org.

Announcing the RAIN "Send Nomadic Kids to School"

Online Auction   Sept. 20 - Oct. 10

Do you have an antique or designer item hiding away in your attic?  

A favorite restaurant that likes to help a great cause? Can you offer a unique service?

Join us now, school opens in October!

Visit our auction page to donate items or dollars, refer friends, and
get a sneak peek at great  trips, memorabilia and fine art, West African items and more...  

Come back and visit after September 20th to bid on your favorites! 

Visit the RAIN Auction on Bidding For Good

 Meet Halima Hamza - RAIN's First Niger Country Director

RAIN is thrilled to announce the appointment of Halima Hamza as Niger Country Director. Halima, a native of Niger, holds an MBA and an MS in Education from Emporia State University in Kansas. She has worked tirelessly for the improvement of women's lives in West Africa, initiating women's savings and loans associations as well as programs in women's enterprise and education. Her combined expertise in business and education is a perfect fit for RAIN. She will be active in the field as well as in program planning and fundraising. Halima was our special guest for

Stars Over the Sahara in June, and we hope she can visit the U.S. regularly so that more of our friends have the chance to meet this dynamic and engaging addition to the RAIN team.