Wherever Heaven's Family staff members travel around the world, we often encounter very poor families who don't have enough to eat, something that is unfamiliar to most of us who live in developed nations. The causes of food insecurity vary. Whether because of a natural disaster, a barely-functioning economy, greedy political leaders, foolish economic policy, war, or the death of a family's primary wage earner, hunger always breaks our hearts. What if it were us in such a situation? we ask ourselves.

Twenty-two-year-old Solange sits quietly at a sewing machine, concentrating as she carefully mends a seam. Her work helps her forget, at least for a time, all she has suffered during her short life, and it gives her some hope for her future. Methodically pumping the treadle with her feet, Solange advances the fabric one small stitch at a time, an effort that is, for her, emblematic of her dreams.