You’re invited to our webinar Alongside Hope is one of 15 members who make up the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a Christian response to hunger. Join us on Zoom to learn more about this partnership and how to get involved. Thursday, February 19, 12 noon ETAlongside Hope and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank: Together we are stronger This webinar will introduce you to the projects and partners supported by Alongside Hope through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Mary Obiero and Naba Gurung will be joining us from Kenya to describe the current context of international assistance and how Church World Service and Alongside Hope are responding through our membership in the Foodgrains Bank. You will also hear how you and your parish can get involved.

Register for the Zoom Link

Meet our Presenters

Mary Obiero is the Humanitarian and Development Director at CWS Africa, based in Kenya. For more than 30 years she has worked with partners implementing integrated programs in WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), food security, community livelihoods, education, migration and human mobility, youth empowerment, emergency response and disaster risk management with gender sensitivity lenses in Africa. She has helped develop strategic plans and engaged in capacity building, resource mobilization, institutional transformation and the formation of strategic alliances. Mary visited Canada in 2023 on a Canadian Foodgrains Bank tour and in February 2025, she welcomed a delegation of Alongside Hope volunteers to Kenya on a partnership visit organized by Church World Service.

Naba Gurung grew up on his family’s farm in Nepal. He completed a bachelor’s degree in agriculture there and worked as a Conservation Officer in the Annapurna Conservation Area Project. He then completed a master’s degree in Science at the Center for International Environment and Development Studies of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Oslo. Following a move to Canada, Naba joined Alongside Hope (then PWRDF) in 2002 as Program Associate and began managing Foodgrains Bank-funded projects when Alongside Hope became a member in 2007. As Humanitarian Response coordinator, Naba manages a range of projects both globally and here in Canada.

Alongside Hope

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