Inside MAZON
El Salvador Day 3 (March 12, 2009)
We spent the day in the southeast region of El Salvador visiting two cooperative programs. After our hour and a half bus ride, we visited Los Frailes cooperative with CONFRAS, a grassroots organization that cultivates organic and agro-ecological basic grains and vegetables. CONFRAS, with the support of SHARE, organizes the Peasant to Peasant program, where
El Salvador Days 4 and 5 (March 13 and 14, 2009)
The past day and half has been incredible. On Friday morning we made the two-hour drive to Chalatenago in the northern part of the country. We met with the leaders form the community of Guarjila to discuss their partnership with SHARE as the CCR, a grassrooots board of leaders in the neighboring communities. Many of
El Salvador Days 6 and 7 (March 15 and 16, 2009)
March 16, 2009 marked a day in history for the El Salvadorian people and we were able to be a part of it as we witnessed the nation’s presidential elections as international observers. At 5 a.m. we entered a polling place, a high school, in the southern part of San Salvador. In El Salvador, citizens
MAZON Mission to South Africa, Day 7
The MAZON mission started our day with a visit to the shanty-town of Alex (short for Alexandris). It was for many years called the ‘dark city’. Until 10 years ago there was no running water, sewage, electricity and was never accepted as part of the municipality of Johannesburg. It is a very dense place with
MAZON Mission to South Africa, Day 4
The MAZON Mission continued its journey to visit our grantees in the field and see first hand their effects and workings. Yesterday we visited IKAMVA LABANTU (“the future of our nation”). One thing we continue to see in the field of anti-hunger whether it’s in Brooklyn or the townships of Cape Town, is the importance
MAZON Mission to South Africa, Day 3
The MAZON mission started our day visiting one of our newer grantees: African Solutions for African Problems (ASAP). ASAP works at training women in the townships to care and feed for HIV AIDS children. We were all impressed with the level of commitment that the leadership that one individual can make. ASAP has been working
MAZON Mission to South Africa, Days 1 & 2
The MAZON mission members have arrived safely in Cape Town, South Africa and we hit the road running. On our first full day we did a site visit and volunteer work for an organization called the WAREHOUSE, which is operated by the Anglican Church. The executive director, Craig Stewart, gave us an overview of their
Reflections From Israel
I have just returned from leading another MAZON mission to Israel. For the past decade, MAZON has been a leading entity in targeting strategic grants to struggling Israeli-based anti-hunger organizations from Beer Sheva up to Haifa. For the past three years, MAZON has played a central catalytic leadership role in the Forum to Address Food
A Year Later: The Food Safety Network in New Orleans
I have come to New Orleans today to bear witness to the devastation and to the early stages of renewal of this city. It’s the one-year anniversary of Katrina, and the magnitude of the destruction is still unimaginable. The bleak landscape of flood damage stretches as far as the eye can see. The statistics and
