Update from Gideon and Jennifer

Recent Events

Meeting with Leaders

We recently had a meeting with the chief of Makamure community who was so appreciative of all the support that has been rendered to their downtrodden community. As well as the chief, we also met the representative of the member of parliament for the area together with the community councillor and other community leaders. The community leaders were so appreciative of our way of approaching community development. They felt that our way of approaching development leaves them empowered to bring the change which they feel should be brought into their community. They were happy because we involve them and make them participate in making decisions, making it easier for them to take ownership.

We thank God that we were able to meet the chief because he is the key person who has the power to stop people from doing stream bank cultivation which ends up with silting rivers and the dams. He promised us that he will do the best he can to involve the people of other villages to talk about the things they could do to reduce soil erosion.

The chief is very pleased about the possibility of scooping the silted dam so that the people can grow their veggies throughout the year. He also asked us to consider involving other villages up the stream with the Foundations for Farming training so that they could also practice conservation farming which is one of the best ways of reducing soil erosion.

The community agreed with their councillor to continue working on the road to the garden as a way of showing us how committed they are to the development of their community. They have already finished building a bridge on one of the rivers and are looking forward on building another one before the end of November. The bridge was commissioned by the representative of the member of parliament two weeks ago. They have done and will continue to do this to make their community accessible.  

Foundations for Farming Training

We are glad to let you know that Foundations for Farming training workshops are running currently in all three communities that we are involved in. It is really encouraging to see people working hard in their fields applying the farming God's way principles of farming. People from these communities are geared up to reduce hunger and starvation in their families and communities using the Foundations for Farming principles.

The community leaders and even the chiefs are also buying into the idea of using this way of farming as the only way to get out of the deep mire of poverty and starvation. In Makamure community the chief of the area also came for training and has been asking us to include every person from his community on this training because one of his kraal heads, Mr Madzivire, harvested something out of his fields in a drought year last season after using this way of farming. 

We are working on having our first field day in Makamure at the beginning of next month where we will meet with the farmers at the homestead or the field of the best farmer who would have prepared his land right on time and at standard. This is our way of encouraging them and also our way of making them encourage one another.

Please pray for good rains to come as the fields are all ready and waiting for the first rains. All the communities that we work in are from the driest areas of Zimbabwe and they always suffer hunger and starvation due to lack of rains. We are looking forward to making this a thing of the past as together with them we break the chains of poverty through practicing farming God's way. 

Comments

We are really excited by what the Lord is doing in this community. We will keep you updated as we continue to consult with the chief and his people concerning the resuscitation of the dam.

Thank you very much for partnering with us in equipping and empowering communities to fight out poverty and diseases.