This collection presents creative strategies and programs designed to address needs of families in the context of rural communities. Even before the most recent worldwide economic crisis, many rural families in the United States struggled to meet basic needs. As needs in rural communities have expanded, services have shrunk. This book identifies rural families' needs, including social supports during pregnancy, identification of adolescent risk behaviours, child safety, and basic services such as food and health care, using techniques such as Geographic Information Systems and needs and asset assessments. Strategies to address those needs include program development, the use of technology, and community partnerships. The book reminds readers of the sense of independence and self-reliance found in many rural communities and the theme of diversity within rural communities runs throughout the book. The chapters are organized by identification of the needs of rural families, addressing disparities in rural areas, practice in rural communities, and human service organizations and professionals. Through research, practice, and creative works, the book contributes to a greater understanding of ways that service providers can advance their work with rural families and broaden their perspectives about realities experienced by families living in rural communities. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Family Social Work.

Dennis and Jeanne Cook are 1980 graduates of RHEMA Bible Training Center, called to the mission field in Panama. Sensing the Holy Spirit's direction to minister to the Choco Indians there, they established their base in the Darien Jungle, considered by National Geographic as the densest jungle of the world. Their work includes the establishment of churches throughout the various villages, a ministerial association to unify and mentor pastors from various denominations, Ministers Conferences in Central America, Colombia and Brazil, and a robust children's ministry, Children Reaching Children, that reaches into every village. In 2001, they erected a radio tower on their compound and pioneered Christian radio in the Darien Jungle through Radio Vida. Reaching 70,000 people daily, this station provides radio Bible school for the support and mentoring of pastors through sound doctrine and instruction, Christian music, and testimonies from local people about God's intervention into their lives.