On behalf of the staff, Board of Trustees, and the tens of thousands of villagers whose lives you have helped improve thank you for being a part of the CHOICE Humanitarian family. Together, we reached new heights in 2017, and we owe this success to you for two reasons. First, you believe that extreme poverty can and should end in our lifetime. And second, you trust that CHOICE Humanitarian is the organization best suited to achieve this goal. Quite simply, you are the reason CHOICE continues to flourish and, on behalf of the entire CHOICE team, we can't thank you enough! 2017 Impact Report 

We are fortunate enough to have a great relationship with Salt Lake Community College. Maisoon is taking an English class that is participating in a service-learning program. Maisoon was born in California and loved it. When she was six years old, her family moved to Palestine for several years. While she was there, she married. Eleven years ago she and her husband came back to the United States and now live in Utah to be close to family. She has three daughters and wants them to get a good education and feels strongly about setting a good example.

I have the great privilege of being the Field Director for CHOICE Humanitarian. Recently I was working with our Kenya team and some communities there, and I came to realize the true meaning of unity. Muungano is a Swahili word meaning come together or unity. In this small village in Kenya, Muungano is more than a word, it is a culture. In Dzugwe the population is predominantly Muslim with the largest minority group practicing Christianity.

Cade, a young man of 12, was working to receive his Eagle Scout award. He wanted to do something impressive. Something that no every Boy Scout does, so he went big. He knew that his family was going to Bolivia with CHOICE on an expedition to help a local community there build a school, so he decided to gather enough supplies for the whole school.

How humanitarian work happens at our home office.

Not all humanitarian work happens in the field. We often forget that in order for humanitarian organizations to make change happen, they have to be run like a business; there’s paperwork and finances and people to keep track of. For every program, initiative, and expedition launched to help end extreme poverty, there is someone in an office making sure that it all runs smoothly.

May 2018 was a significant month for the Pop family.  In addition to carrying out all of his duties and responsibilities as the Director of CHOICE Guatemala, Olger has been 'moonlighting' as a student at the University of Rafael Landivar.  Olger has worked diligently for two years and now he has received his Master of Science Degree from the Faculty of Environmental and Agricultural Sciences in Tropical Agroforestry at the Campus of La Verapaz. CHOICE Humanitarian is extremely proud of Olger's accomplishment and would like to share his achievement widely.

"This past summer, I accompanied CHOICE Humanitarian on an expedition to the Altiplano of Bolivia. Our mission was to assist in the construction of classrooms in the town of Taracollo, home to indigenous Bolivians. Along with my sleeping bag and work clothes, I packed my camera and watercolors supplies. Although I knew I would be giving the majority of my time to the humanitarian work ahead of me, I wanted to record what I could of the village, its people, and my experience in watercolor and ink.

As part of the Spring Into Action campaign running from April 16 – May 1, we will be posting daily about topics related to extreme poverty and how anyone and everyone can join the movement to end it.

Once I got salmonella after eating elote from a street stand in Mexico and I thought my life was over. After two days of excruciating pain, the ungodly effects of the illness, and plenty of antibiotics, I as good as new. Well, almost -- I never ate street elote again.

As part of the Spring Into Action campaign running from April 16 – May 1, we will be posting daily about topics related to extreme poverty and how anyone and everyone can join the movement to end it.  

Creating leadership and business opportunities for women continues to be a central focus for CHOICE. Once a woman living in a rural village has coped with her family’s most pressing needs, she can then focus on income generating opportunities which allow her to sustain her family and contribute to her community. With the ability to earn an income and contribute to the support of their household, women are helping to pull their family out of poverty while also gaining traction as respected leaders.

As part of the Spring Into Action campaign running from April 16 – May 1, we will be posting daily about topics related to extreme poverty and how anyone and everyone can join the movement to end it.

How often do you take time to consider where your food comes from? Think about it -- the eggs you ate for breakfast were laid by a chicken on a farm. The salmon you’re grilling for dinner is a fish that used to swim in a body of water on the other side of the country. The chocolate milk you’re dipping your favorite cookie in was milked from a cow living somewhere in Montana. Due to an extensive supply chain, you can get all sorts of animal products from your local grocery store in the blink of an eye! Unfortunately, this is not the case for those living in rural villages around the world.