FAQ’s
We seek to empower people to grow in the three areas where they are most broken: food, family, and finances. The I Was Hungry program does this through an agricultural entry point by teaching people how to feed themselves, provide for their families, and be faithful with a profit.
Through I Was Hungry, community leaders are trained to take responsibility and be faithful with their land and it’s harvest. Most importantly,
80% of the training is focused on addressing issues of the heart.
The training is designed to illustrate the very character of Christ, which every team member is taught to emulate.
Teachings of stewardship, faithfulness, humility, and unselfishness are woven throughout the skills training to develop character in the leader and bolster resiliency during various trials in life and opposition in the community.
Isaiah 58 talks about the true fast. It is about making a plan for the poor. Not just by throwing some scraps, or giving out of our surplus. It is about feeding the poor and breaking the yokes of oppression and poverty. It is the gospel with boots on, beginning with a love for the poor.
1. Partner with us in giving:
Give a New Beginning
Help equip a farmer to provide for his family of 6 for one year.
Give a Scholarship
Provide 2-week training, the New Beginning (Pfumvudza) starter pack, and 12-month mentorship program
Or
Sponsor An Entire Community Training
2. Take the Challenge
Help families free themselves by raising funds through your own Hunger Experience.
Join us in experiencing hunger to end hunger.
3. Get Your Boots in the Dirt!
Join us for a vision trip to Zimbabwe to see and experience the I Was Hungry training for yourself.
Next trip: The International Champs Conference in Zimbabwe + Hands on Training and Safari.
Chronic poverty & dependency
You’ve probably heard it before – Africa and other underdeveloped regions of the world have been gripped by poverty and hunger. Despite the $2 trillion of aid Africa has received in the last 50 years the number of people living in poverty has only increased.
Africa has 30% of the world’s natural resources and some of the best climate, rainfall and soils in the world. Africa has an abundance of cultivable land.
The GDP of Africa remains less than 3% of the world’s GDP despite having 30% of the world’s natural resources.Yet, a large portion of the population is still chronically undernourished and while world grain production has been increasing, Africa’s production has remained stagnant.
Why is the situation getting worse despite all the natural resources and aid being given?
This is not a resource issue, but a spiritual, training and relationship problem that requires more than traditional aid.
It’s not a resource problem but a training problem
We have sought God for a solution. Foundations for Farming and Crown seek to address these problems by bringing a very effective, proven, appropriate technology and implementation system while also dealing with the socio-cultural causes of the problem.
In order to properly train and empower the poor to create a better future for themselves, we believe it takes more than material resources than traditional aid offers.
Lasting change and transformation is possible within relationship with God, self, others, and the rest of creation. It isn’t simple or easy and it takes time and intentional relationships.
Solution:
To empower communities in the three areas they are most broken: food, family, and finances. Through I Was Hungry, farmers are trained in practical skills to bring back to their villages and restore the brokenness in these areas.
Teachings of stewardship, faithfulness, humility, and unselfishness are woven throughout the training to develop character in the community and bolster resiliency during various trials in life.
The benefits of learning how to farm and creating a profit spill over into other areas of life. This gives one purpose and dignity, provision for their family, money to educate their children, and the skills and resources to share with others and pay it forward in their community.
In order to produce a good crop these principles should be applied
- Do not burn! Maintain a mulch cover.
- Do not plow! Maintain the soil structure and preserve the natural environment.
- Crop Rotations
- Plant according to precise measurements and specifications in order to achieve optimal plant populations giving plants the best chance to thrive.
- Nourish your plants with organic (if available) matter, i.e. manure, compost, etc
- Weed regularly and thoroughly
Is this method profitable?
Profitability is essential for sustained production and development. The only alternative to profitability for survival in the short term is begging or theft, both of which cause poverty in the long term.
– Matthew 25:34
Crown is headquartered in Knoxville, TN but owns and operates a training center in Blantyre, Malawi where many of the lessons to serve the poor were developed and put into practice.
The I Was Hungry campaign is being operated from Crown’s headquarters, located in Knoxville, TN.
A minimum of 80% of your contribution goes directly to support trainings in impoverished areas. A maximum of 20% will be used to cover administration, state and federal compliance requirements and fundraising expenses.
All gifts to the I Was Hungry campaign are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. You will receive an acknowledgment from Crown Financial Ministries and your donation will be designated to the I Was Hungry initiative.
This is enough to feed a family of six for a year on less than 1/7th of an acre!