“I had nothing left,” Maya said somberly.

Maya is the mother of three children, all of whom live with severe mental and physical ailments. Every day, she is faced with the challenge of raising them in the middle of one of the world’s worst economic crises.

Since October 2019, Lebanese currency has lost 90% of its value. Due to the fact that more than 80% of the basic goods sold in the country are imported, prices have skyrocketed. More than half of the population now lives below the poverty line. Protests have sprung up in areas already struggling to recover from the massive explosion in Beirut last August.

Combined stress from the worsening economic climate, her husband’s lack of employment, and hundreds of dollars in monthly medical costs sent Maya into a deep depression.

Convoy of Hope’s partners in Lebanon helped identify Maya’s needs and those of her family. Convoy of Hope then teamed up with others on the ground to provide hope to Maya and her children in the form of food, medicine, hygiene kits, and blankets.

“I want to thank all those who volunteered to prepare hygiene kits and prepare food parcels. Thank you for thinking of us,” Maya said.

What was once cause for despair for Maya’s family is now a source of hope. 

“Our life has improved. We no longer stress about the simple things like before,” she said. “Your help gave me hope and lifted my spirit. Today, I am able to feed my kids a decent meal — they love hamburgers — buy medicine, and buy them some snacks they love but hardly get. Convoy has made a change in my life and helped me in more ways than I can ever thank them.”

“We didn’t take anything from home,” Mrs. Ouedrago* recounted. “We left our village because of the terrorist attacks.”

The Ouedrago family fled their village at night to escape the violence erupting around them. Extremists had come into their town and killed indiscriminately. Young boys who resisted them were killed. After the local school was burned, the Ouedrago children were forced to abandon their education.

In the process of fleeing, the family left their belongings and livestock behind. They quietly snuck out of their village and walked all night in fear. They traveled 46 miles on foot to a location in the Centre-Nord Region, where other displaced families had gathered.

Once Mr. Ouedrago knew his wife and children were safe, he left to find work in another city. The rest of the family live in a makeshift camp with other families. Here, Convoy of Hope provides them with essential food and hygiene supplies.

“The problems we have encountered are many,” said Mrs. Ouedrago. “We survive thanks to the donations of people of good will.”

The attacks in Burkina Faso have displaced more than one million people. Individuals who now reside in camps for displaced families often struggle to find employment, education, health services, and food security.

For people like Mrs. Ouedrago and her family, hope comes in the form of food parcels, hygiene items, and other essentials. Together, Convoy of Hope has provided more than 260,000 meals to people in need there. Thank you for joining us in our mission.

*Names have been changed for the safety of those involved.