CRS Rice Bowl is Catholic Relief Services’ Lenten faith-in-action program. It offers opportunities for your family to engage daily with the spiritual pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. During the 40 days of Lent, we will encounter the stories about our global family in Nigeria, Guatemala, and Bangladesh. We’ll learn how hard-working families are overcoming challenges to build a better life and provide their children.
Amina Bukar, a mother of five, is a well-respected leader and small business owner in Muna Moforo, Nigeria. In her village nutrition
group, she teaches mothers how to prepare nutrient-rich porridge for their children to help them grow strong and healthy. This is
important because in Nigeria, more than 25 million people face extreme hunger and lack access to nutritious food. Amina makes
regular house visits to families in her community to provide support and knowledge for leading healthy lives.  Amina and her family used to live in their hometown of Marte. She owned a chicken farm and a store. Her husband, Garba, worked for a water and land conservation agency. But in 2014, violence in their community forced them to flee their village. “My husband placed me and the children in a pick-up truck and asked us to go my auntie’s house,” Amina says. “I left with just my purse, a small amount of money and the clothes on my back. I used to live well but suddenly, I lost everything. It affected me mentally.”
After arriving in Muna Moforo, Amina and her family had to start life all over again. Amina joined a Catholic Relief Services
program that provided food and cooking supplies. This enabled her family to eat.
Amina started a food grinding business to earn income. She also began preparing specialty foods to sell in the market, like
hibiscus drinks and gingerbread palm fruit. She earned enough money to support her family’s needs and now provides materials to
other women to help them start their own businesses.
“[Amina] is always here, listening to the women and their concerns,” says Garba, her husband. Because of her supportive
and caring nature, Amina was nominated to be a lead mother in her village. By empowering mothers and caregivers, she is helping
her community overcome the challenges of hunger so they can thrive!
Check out the short Stories of Hope and other Lenten prayers and activities at www.crsricebowl.org
Please help people like Amina and Garba and their family by supporting CRS Rice Bowl this Lent with your prayers, fasting and almsgiving