While Flowers of Hope seeks to support international work in the most impoverished countries around the world, we cannot deny that the USA has great needs in the same areas of work that we support abroad. Thanksgiving is a great time to appreciate all you have, and also to recognize the struggles of others with less. In the US, there are people all around us striving to survive and lift themselves out of hunger, poverty, and gender-based inequality and violence, and I encourage anyone to consider what you can do to help.

Two critical reasons that FoH supports women leadership are that women usually suffer disproportionately more than men during economic crises. As this report from OneWorld shows, the current economic crisis in the US is no exception. (OneWorld also provide a brief but informative guide on why gender matters in development work like the work FoH supports) It will be important to speak up about this inequality as plans for the improvement of the economy begin.

A report from Feeding America about hunger in America cites recent USDA statistics on food security, which show that more people are less secure about whether they will have enough food. The USDA found that over 36 million people, including over 12 million children, experienced food insecurity. The report also explains how the numbers of people accessing food banks have increased quickly since the USDA statistics were gathered, which indicates that much worse is coming.

Finally, the Family Violence Prevention Fund has this list of statistics about domestic violence in the US, which includes links to pdf reports on more specific issues related to domestic violence, such as children, housing and the workplace. The numbers they cite come from sources such as the US Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Violence and abuse clearly pose an under-recognized and far too prevalent challenge to the peace and happiness of millions of americans.

At FoH, we envision a better world for all. We reach out to communities in places with the most widespread poverty, but we should never fail to recognize the issues common to people of every country. During the Thanksgiving weekend, while we celebrate this beautiful American holiday of gratitude and togetherness, I hope you can take a few moments to consider how to build a better world, for people in the US as well as abroad.