After 50 years, Ottawa-based Canadian Hunger Foundation will hand over existing operations

OTTAWA, July 30, 2015 /CNW/ - Despite being one of Canada's longest-standing international non-governmental organizations, after 53 years as a conduit for Canadian generosity to families living in poverty in developing countries, the Canadian Hunger Foundation (CHF) will cease active operations on July 31. CHF will be transitioning its remaining projects on to other organizations that will ensure their successful completion.

"We expanded our reach over the last few years so that we could support the families we now serve as CHF programming currently supports over 420,000 people worldwide," explains Nicole Goodfellow, Chair of CHF's Board of Directors. "Overly ambitious fundraising targets coupled with the loss of a major private sector donor have meant that we haven't been able to keep pace with our financial obligations."

The Canadian Hunger Foundation has worked in over 50 countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas. The organization has a distinguished reputation for helping families to produce the food they need in a sustainable manner and to build up their incomes to permanently lift themselves out of poverty.

"While we were reaching more people than ever over the last couple of years, we weren't investing what some other organizations were on marketing to donors, and ultimately that meant we couldn't keep pace with our fundraising needs," says Stewart Hardacre, CHF's President and CEO. "We've probably been a little too Canadian in how we told our story. We haven't boasted enough about the incredible successes we've had with our partners, and the results we've been generating in some of the world's most challenging environments. We will always be grateful for the support from our loyal donors over the years."

"It's been an honour to help some of the world's poorest to overcome hunger and poverty and to share the best of our country with families in need on behalf of Canadians," adds David Rhody, CHF's Director of Programs. "The most important part of our work may be that we supported families to lift themselves out of poverty—no one did it for them. So we know that the legacy we've built together will last long after we turn out the lights here in Ottawa."

Wherever CHF has worked, it has produced dramatic results. Examples of this are as follows:
In the wake of the famine in Ethiopia in 2003, CHF helped families to increase their harvests by as much as seven-fold;
In the wake of the earthquake in Pakistan in 2011, CHF supported families to rebuild their livelihoods, and poverty rates among them plummeted from 80% to 6%;
In South Sudan, where one in seven mothers die in childbirth, CHF improved delivery conditions for mothers, doubled families' harvests and improved nutrition and immunization rates;
In Kenya, households headed by women have tripled the size of their harvests, and doubled their monthly incomes.
CHF remains grateful for the many years of support they have received through the Government of Canada that has made these results possible.

"It's unfortunate that it has come to this, but it's also short-sighted to think that this is just a sad story," continues Goodfellow. "It's deeply moving that for over five decades Canadians have selflessly supported families they will never meet, that live very different lives, and believe in very different things, without asking for anything in return. That's inspiring, and it's a big part of what being Canadian is."

CHF will stop accepting donations July 31, but all donations received to that point will continue to support their projects and to reach families in need. CHF will be transitioning its remaining projects to World University Service of Canada and Canadian Feed the Children, who will ensure their successful completion.

More information for our donors, supporters and other key stakeholders will be available shortly at: www.chf.ca.

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For more information on CHF's important work, visit: www.chf.ca 

 

SOURCE CHF

Media Contact: In Ottawa: Michael Jones, Communications Manager, Email: [email protected], Mob: [phone]