World Renew Partnerships

According to a study done by the Urban Institute in 2011 our world has a whopping 1.5 million nonprofit organizations. You may wonder if all of these organizations are necessary. Aren’t some of them working towards the same goals? Could they be stepping on each other’s toes? Does World Renew fit into this sea of millions of other organizations?

Yes, maybe, and by not going it alone.

At the time of the 2013 ministry report World Renew had 78 development partners and 3,755 communities active in development. So what is a development partner? World Renew does not work on its own. Together, like-minded agencies can learn from each other, work together, encourage one another, and focus on complementary aspects of community development.

World Renew works with a partner in almost every place where it has long-term community development programs. Partner organizations help to identify communities in need and work toward solutions.

World Renew partners with the Foods Resource Bank in some of its agricultural development programs. Through the Foods Resource Bank people in North America organize growing projects (learn more about them on the FRB website) to raise funds for food security and then World Renew and the Foods Resource Bank work to make sure those funds are used to equip communities around the globe to achieve food security.

Since 2010 World Renew has partnered with FRB in a Farmer Field School program to improve food security in Cambodia. One small plot of land is used to teach several farmers new techniques. They then use their new knowledge to farm their own land more effectively and share tips with their communities. Chen Dechorith (Rith) and Sok Kao (Kao) have worked with World Renew for more than five years and have witnessed the success of the Farmer Field Schools.

Together the attendees experiment and conduct research, share experiences, and learn about new agricultural practices on a small plot of community land. Trainings are provided by master farmers, agricultural specialists, and model communities several times each year. The students then apply their knowledge to their own land and share stories with friends, impacting the wider community.

Rith and Kao note that the Farmer Field Schools do not impact only food security—the influence of the program affects every aspect of life in smaller, transformative ways. After seeing the rejuvenation of their communities, people are excited to watch the Farmer Field Schools continue to grow.

Through the funding of the Foods Resource Bank for Farmer Field Schools, World Renew can also work to promote livelihood through agriculture & income generation, advocacy, health & sanitation, good governance, and education, all while staying conscious of environmental concerns and gender equality. In fact, most of the students in the Farmer Field Schools are women, as the men often work outside of the home. The cooperation of the Foods Resource Bank and World Renew in North America and Cambodia is helping to bring hope to people in need of God’s love and mercy.