Livelihoods and Food Security
At Dorcas, we place livelihoods and food security at the heart of our work, recognising that they form the foundation for resilient and flourishing communities.
Livelihoods are how people meet their basic needs, through access to food, water and the resources they depend on. They build stability, nurture resilience and open up new possibilities for growth and opportunity within communities.
Food security is central to this work, ensuring people have consistent access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food. Through inclusive, locally led initiatives, Dorcas works alongside communities to strengthen livelihoods and create lasting conditions for well-being, independence and self-reliance.
The Dorcas Food Campaign - holistic approach to promote food security
Around 673 million people worldwide experience hunger. This is caused by adverse conditions such as weather shocks, conflict, economic downturns and inequality. To address this global crisis, Dorcas organises the annual Dorcas Food Campaign. Through the campaign, we raise awareness, mobilise resources, and implement sustainable solutions that enable communities to flourish.
The Food Campaign takes a holistic approach to promote food security. As part of our crisis response, we distribute food parcels to those in urgent need. We also promote economic development by providing skills training to equip people in need to start their own businesses.
Through our Livelihood and Food Security programme, Dorcas supports marginalised households by training them in sustainable farming techniques and providing necessary materials.
The PIP approach
The Participatory Integrated Planning (PIP) approach is central to Dorcas’ work in advancing sustainable livelihoods and food security. Through PIP initiatives in Tanzania, Egypt, and Ethiopia, we partner with communities to foster resilience and lasting change.
PIP enables communities to address complex challenges such as poverty, water scarcity, and environmental degradation. It empowers smallholder farmers and their families to become drivers of transformation, strengthening their capacity to improve their farms, villages, and surrounding landscapes.
At its core, PIP combines practical planning with a shared, future-oriented vision - inspiring intrinsic motivation and collective action that lead to sustainable, self-directed development.
Watch the video below to find out more.
Stories and articles
The Dorcas Food Campaign: Fighting hunger and poverty
Food is a fundamental human right, yet hunger remains a global issue. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)1, around 673 million people around the world living with hunger due to adverse conditions such […]
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Building sustainable livelihoods and advancing food security in Yemen
Reading time: 2 minutes. Khalid is a father of ten from Yemen. He struggled with the harsh realities of drought and poverty, and found it difficult to provide for his family’s most basic needs. His […]
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Support for farmers in Ukraine’s conflict-affected regions
Reading time: two minutes Vitalii and Alona are raising four children, including foster children, in a village in the Zaporizhzhia region, 27 kilometres from the front line. When their apartment in Zaporizhzhia became too small for the […]
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Empowering communities through social enterprise
At Dorcas, we believe in creating lasting change by enabling communities to become self-sufficient. One of the key ways we achieve this is by developing social enterprises: businesses that exist to generate income and achieve […]
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Dorcas launches groundbreaking PIP project in Upper Egypt
In early 2025, Dorcas in close partnership with our long-time partner Life Vision launched a new three-year PIP project in Upper Egypt. This innovative approach – relatively new to the Middle East – directly addresses […]
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