CHICO, Calif. — Feeding Nations Through Education is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization helping those in less fortunate countries, making strides from Chico.
Alfred Koala, Founder and President of Feeding Nations Through Education, studied at Chico State and began Feeding Nations as a way to give back to people in countries who lack resources like water, food and education. He emphasizes educating people in West Africa to become self-sufficient to provide for the people around them.
“When I was going to school, I felt very fortunate that I had the opportunity to go to school for education, and I do know that growing up in Africa, millions and millions of kids do not have that kind of chance I have been given in Chico,” Koala said.
Children in school, supported by Feeding Nations. (Courtesy of Feeding Nations Through Education)
The non-profit provides different programs: the Bulls and Plows Program, which gives families a pair of vaccinated bulls and plow to farm crops, the International School Barkwende Program, to build schools and dormitories for children to get an education, the Clean Water Wells Program, to build water wells to provide clean drinking water, and a Women Microloan Program, which helps women start their own businesses to financially provide for their children.
As a result of the programs, over 1,000 children are receiving an education, over 172,000 people no longer starve, more than 116,000 people have access to clean water, and 1,090 women are running their own businesses to support their children’s education.
Bulls and Plows Program, which provides families with two bulls and a plow to grow sustainable crops for food. (Courtesy of Feeding Nations Through Education)
Koala says his educational experience has made education in children a priority.
I grew up in a very tiny, small village far from the city, and there were no schools. The government built the first elementary school in my village when I was 10 and my parents scraped everything that they had to pay for me to go to school. My education plateaued after sixth grade; I became a Christian and some of the people stepped in from my church to help fund my schooling so I could go back to middle school. Coming to the US from West Africa was a whole eye-opener to the rest of the world and showed me opportunities I would’ve never known existed. That experience and lack of food made me understand what famine really is and the impact it can have on one’s life. With all this experience, I hate to see kids suffer because they don’t have food and I can’t help but do something,” Koala explained.
Feeding Nations relies on donations from donors, the community and volunteers to make their mission possible.
“Local communities come together and fund our programs, and to the population of the Chico and Redding area, I want to say thank you to every single person who has directly or indirectly helped me,” exclaimed Koala.
Women who have become entrepreneurs utilizing the Women Microloan Program. (Courtesy of Feeding Nations Through Education)
Although much work has been done, Feeding Nations has a goal to expand to more countries and provide assistance for people in different nations.
Koala hopes people recognize how fortunate they are to live in the United States, and know there is potential in everyone to make a difference in the world.
Each one of us has something to offer. Each one of us has the skill, funding, to help make the world a better place for all. Please help us, help people, help themselves,” Koala concluded.
Source : ABC 7
