That's a good question! It's something new that Joseph and Marusu taught a group of 31 new families during agriculture and veterinary trainings in December.
Joseph described it for families like this during the training:
These are the techniques which involve the intercropping of trees and field crops on the same piece of land. The trees are grown to provide timber, firewood, fruits, and fodder for livestock. An indigenous pesticide, trees end up improving soil quality. The trees provide additional nitrogen for corn and other annual plants. The main benefits from agroforestry are in terms of soil and water conservation.
Families have already been taught to contour the land, that is make rows of hills and valleys with the soil, so that rain water collects in the valleys and crops are planted on the hills. The trees would be planted along the contour lines. In time, this practice would allow families to get timber, firewood, possibly fruits, and crops from the same plot of land. Argoforestry also recommends using organic fertilizers such as from goats, which families are already doing. This practice could open up many hours that are currently lost as families go in search of good land to find feed for their animals or collect firewood. This time could be used in other income producing activities for families that already have several demands on their time and energy just to survive.
Another topic that was covered during the training was the planting of alternative crops that are more resistant to drought. Sorghum and Sunflowers are 2 such plants. They don't need much rain and are prolific plants that are ready to harvest about 3 months after planting and offer high yields. Lab lab plants also are high producers and are a good cover crop that play an important role in soil conservation measures. Seeds for all 3 of these plants are distributed to families during their training time.
Showing posts with label Minnesota. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Minnesota. Show all posts
2 Dollars
Wanting a snack in the middle of the day, I dug out two dollars from my purse. Grasping the two crisp $1 bills I headed to the vending machine. As I walked, an image came to mind. One from our volunteers in Tanzania.
This is Maria Qwardi from the village of Tloma in the Karatu Project. When she is able to find work, what is her salary? You got it, the equivalent of $2. In the photo she is talking to our program manager Honorina. Several things strike me about this photo. The first is maybe the first thing you noticed, the gigantic load on her back. I have carried heavy things on my back walking a distance: school books, a backpack during hiking or camping trips, but never has carrying large bundles on my back been a part of my job. The second thing I noticed was her age. Most women I know her age are encouraged to take it easy, let others do the tough stuff. In Tanzania where there are no government led social services and no retirement funds, every member of the family works for as long as they are humanly can. She is doing her part to care for her 2 children and grandson because she has no other choice. The third thing I notice is that she has not set her load down while taking time to talk to Honorina. I have no idea what it took to get the bundle on her back in the first place, but setting it down and getting it back up again doesn't seem like something she is eager to do.
I'd like to say, that walking to the vending machine with the $2 in hand and this picture in my mind made me pocket the money and turn around. But it didn't. It did, however, make me pause as I stood before the machine. In the end, the light lunch I'd had and the call of the Doritos bag won out and reluctantly, I inserted the bills. Walking back to my desk, I began to think more about Maria, about her life and her work, and earning $2 a day. I can say that I earn...well...more than $2 a day for the work that I do. Having visited Tanzania in 2011 and being immersed in the warmth of the African sun and African people, I was struck by the resiliency, joy, and peace of the people. Everyone has their struggles to be sure, but not much holds a candle to their experience. A new thought popped into my head as I headed back to work. One of intense gratitude for the comforts that I have, and a renewed appreciation for the salary I receive and the work Food For His Children is doing in Africa.
Dairy goats seem like a small thing, but this small thing can make a huge difference for the families we serve. The goats provide nutrition and hope for a brighter future.
Written by: Joni Hoffmann
This is Maria Qwardi from the village of Tloma in the Karatu Project. When she is able to find work, what is her salary? You got it, the equivalent of $2. In the photo she is talking to our program manager Honorina. Several things strike me about this photo. The first is maybe the first thing you noticed, the gigantic load on her back. I have carried heavy things on my back walking a distance: school books, a backpack during hiking or camping trips, but never has carrying large bundles on my back been a part of my job. The second thing I noticed was her age. Most women I know her age are encouraged to take it easy, let others do the tough stuff. In Tanzania where there are no government led social services and no retirement funds, every member of the family works for as long as they are humanly can. She is doing her part to care for her 2 children and grandson because she has no other choice. The third thing I notice is that she has not set her load down while taking time to talk to Honorina. I have no idea what it took to get the bundle on her back in the first place, but setting it down and getting it back up again doesn't seem like something she is eager to do.
I'd like to say, that walking to the vending machine with the $2 in hand and this picture in my mind made me pocket the money and turn around. But it didn't. It did, however, make me pause as I stood before the machine. In the end, the light lunch I'd had and the call of the Doritos bag won out and reluctantly, I inserted the bills. Walking back to my desk, I began to think more about Maria, about her life and her work, and earning $2 a day. I can say that I earn...well...more than $2 a day for the work that I do. Having visited Tanzania in 2011 and being immersed in the warmth of the African sun and African people, I was struck by the resiliency, joy, and peace of the people. Everyone has their struggles to be sure, but not much holds a candle to their experience. A new thought popped into my head as I headed back to work. One of intense gratitude for the comforts that I have, and a renewed appreciation for the salary I receive and the work Food For His Children is doing in Africa.
Dairy goats seem like a small thing, but this small thing can make a huge difference for the families we serve. The goats provide nutrition and hope for a brighter future.
Written by: Joni Hoffmann
Report from Tanzania: Family's goats attacked by bees
On May 28th Barikeli Basso, one of our goat recipients, came home to a terrifying sight. Bees were attaching the family's goat in their shed. Others said the bees had been chased from a neighbor’s property and had begun to spread over the area. Barikieli, father of four from the village of Qurus, rushed to save the animals. Barikeli's doe from Food for His Children, the breeding buck and two goat kids were badly injured. A two month old doe was found unconscious and didn't survive.
 |
| Barikeli's family with Honorina |
The other three goats were treated by our veterinarian, Joseph
Kwasalema. The family was also visited by program manager Honorina
Honorati. To treat their stings Joseph carefully rubbed the goats' skin using a rough brush to remove the stingers. He also administered a bee poison antidote called atropine
sulphate. For three days the goats were unable to eat their typical diet of grasses because their mouths were swollen. They were fed milk by hand instead and monitored closely. By the end of the three days the goats were beginning to eat soft grasses again and showed signs of recovery.
 |
| Goats back in their shed |
This was a fluke accident but we are so thankful to have Joseph working with us to help families provide care for their animals. Barikeli sustained a few bee stings as he saved the herd, but thankfully the wounds were minor and no one else was hurt. The loss of the baby doe was a blow to the family because they depend on the nutritious milk the female goats provide when they are older. Please keep this family in your prayers.
Transformation
(Adapted from an address to Messiah Lutheran Church in Fargo, North Dakota by FFHC founder, Kerrie Holschbach. 5,19, 2013)
When I became a Christian in 2001, the Holy Spirit did a radical and miraculous transformation changing me from atheist to missionary. The Holy Spirit filled me with a passion to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the poor in
Each Food for His Children volunteer has different gifts and they all come together to form one body. God is always faithful to provide someone with the talents we need to take the ministry to the next stage in God’s plan. As of this month, 182 families, about 900 people are involved in some stage of the program- starting training, preparing to get their goat, have received their goat, or have passed on a goat. Were it not for the work of the Holy Spirit, Food for His Children would not exist.
Through the Holy Spirit, Food for His Children goat
recipients experience Jesus’ love and go from hopeless to hopeful. They are better able to meet their immediate
needs and can make plans for their future.
For some it is to start a business, for others to send their children to
school.
On our mission trip, the Holy Spirit revealed God’s truth to
us during a visit to Esta Bura’s home.
Esta and Petro have 5 children under 10.
They live in a mud and stick home with a dirt floor in the middle of
what appears to be a desert. No running
water and no electricity. In fact, the
closest water is a 4 hour walk. Their 2
room home is about 5 ft by 15 ft. As Jon
and I sat in the fly infested home talking to Esta, one of the children carried
in a dirt-covered toddler. The flies
swarmed around her immediately. We were
overwhelmed by the poverty and the stark contrast to American life.
On the brink of tears, God gave me His eyes. Instantly, I saw the blessing the Food for His Children goats were bringing to the family. I experienced the entire scene differently. I saw joy and love rather than despair. We heard about Esta’s plans to sell goats and milk. There was hope and promise here. There was a smiling mother, loving her children and grateful for the promise her goats give her. Suddenly instead of being uncomfortable in the sweltering home, I was reveling in the God moment, the sights, the sounds, the feelings that I would treasure forever, the knowledge that God was making a difference here. We allowed Him to use us to do His work and help His children. The Holy Spirit opened our eyes and our hearts and showed us order in the midst of disorder, joy in the midst of material poverty, beauty instead of ugliness, freedom and peace instead of pain. We saw Jesus. We witnessed Holy Spirit transformation.
On the brink of tears, God gave me His eyes. Instantly, I saw the blessing the Food for His Children goats were bringing to the family. I experienced the entire scene differently. I saw joy and love rather than despair. We heard about Esta’s plans to sell goats and milk. There was hope and promise here. There was a smiling mother, loving her children and grateful for the promise her goats give her. Suddenly instead of being uncomfortable in the sweltering home, I was reveling in the God moment, the sights, the sounds, the feelings that I would treasure forever, the knowledge that God was making a difference here. We allowed Him to use us to do His work and help His children. The Holy Spirit opened our eyes and our hearts and showed us order in the midst of disorder, joy in the midst of material poverty, beauty instead of ugliness, freedom and peace instead of pain. We saw Jesus. We witnessed Holy Spirit transformation.
With the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Food for His Children
volunteers and staff come together to form the body of Christ. Working together, God uses us to transform, not
just individuals or families, but communities drawing together to help each
other and share what they are learning.
The Holy Spirit is working through God’s people to be the hands and feet
of Jesus and use their spiritual gifts for God’s glory. As 1 Corinthians 12:11 states, it is the one
and only Holy Spirit who distributes these gifts. Food for His Children starts with the
individual and the Holy Spirit transforms generations.
Of course, the Holy Spirit doesn’t just work in Africa . This
message would not be complete without bringing it home and talking to those who
are going through or who have experienced transformation.
Transformation is a process and often makes us squirm. Holy Spirit transformation is almost never without some
level of discomfort, or "stretching" as many say.
In fact, sometimes it’s downright painful, excruciating even. Envision, if you will, sunburned skin. First it blisters, then it bursts and
peels. Sometimes the layers just slough
off like flakes, sometimes they peel off in painful sheets. When we experience transformation, the Holy
Spirit is peeling layers off of us. He
is peeling
off layers for crying out loud, what do we expect but pain?! But do you know what? Under all those layers is something amazing
and beautiful. In fact, with every layer
we shed, more and more beauty is revealed.
We may have periods with lots of layers shed and periods of
healing and rest. We can fight it and hold on to the dead layers and prolong
the process, or we can choose to submit to the Holy Spirit completely, not just
on our knees, but laying flat on our face at the foot of the cross in complete
surrender, offering every bit of our spirit to Him to change as He wills. When we do this, the Holy Spirit works
miracles in us.
Let’s talk about Jesus for a moment. Jesus’s transformation certainly wasn’t without pain. When He was being flogged and beaten, he
didn’t fight back. When he was they hung him on a cross he didn’t command them
to stop. He didn’t even speak. He didn’t stop it Himself.
He didn’t ask God to stop it. He
submitted. He surrendered completely to
the pain, trusting that God the Father had it all under control and that
something beautiful was coming. He was
willing to endure whatever he needed because he believed and trusted God. And Jesus was transformed.
TRANSFORMED! And look at the
impact of his surrender, his transformation!
The savior of the world was revealed for all to see. Unimaginable beauty. Indescribable love and glory.
If you are in one of those seasons, you need to hear that God has NOT forsaken you. He has not left you. He is right there by your side. If needed, he will even carry you through the fire. He will not let you perish. AND He has a plan. He will be with you as your wounds heal. He WILL use this for His glory. And He needs you to know He loves you so very much and can see how much you are hurting. He has not missed a minute of it and there was not a moment that didn’t pain Him.
Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God. He will be waiting for you on the other side
of the fire, mirror in hand, to show you the beauty that was revealed. You will be refined, just like when precious
metals are put through the fire to be refined. We have seen the Spirit at work in Tanzania and in the lives of individuals.
"Proclaiming" the Good News!
 Proclaimer Along with helping the people develop economically we also want to help them develop spiritually. To that end we have partnered with a group called Faith Comes By Hearing. This group distributed an electronic device called a "Proclaimer." The Proclaimers play the New Testament in the local language. In our case it's set to Swahili, the national language in Tanzania. Last November we were able to bring a couple of these devices to be used in the community. |
Rev. John Safari with the Proclaimer at the canteen
Reverend John Safari is one of the local pastors in the Karatu District that we have had the privledge of partnering with. He sends his thanks for donations that made it possible for the Proclaimer to be brought for him to use in his work at the Karatu Lutheran Hospital. He is using it for the patients in the hospital during pray times, and at the canteen where patients, their families, and hospital staff gather for meals.
Visiting the Children's Ward
The Proclaimer allows for dicussions to happen with patients in the hospital that may also spark conversations about faith at home. The patients have commented that they enjoy hearing the scriptures and feel encouraged by it. Because it has helped him so much in his work and many are asking for it, he has requested another one.
Using the Proclaimer in the Men's Ward
The Heart of a Child
We received this email recently from 11 year-old Kiera. Her love and compassion for the families in Tanzania is inspiring!
December 16, 2012
Jambo (hello) Kerrie!
My friend, Rebekah, and I host a monthly Bible study for nine 11 year-old girls. We enjoy doing service projects, and thought raising money for Food For His Children would be a great idea. We decided to make our goal $200. That meant that each of us had to raise $25 on our own.
For our December meeting, we went caroling to raise even more money. When we counted the donations, we had exactly $300! :) We raised $90 just while caroling.
The girls were really creative about how they raised the money. One of them did extra chores around the house, another girl held a class on candy making, and some gave selflessly from their own savings.:)
We hope the money raised can help families in Tanzania support themselves.
Mungu Akabariki! (God bless you)
--
Your Sister in Christ,
Kiera♥
A special Thank You to all the girls for their hard work and service! If you or your group has a fundraising idea, we'd love to hear it! Contact us by visiting: www.FoodforHisChildren.org
December 16, 2012
Jambo (hello) Kerrie!
My friend, Rebekah, and I host a monthly Bible study for nine 11 year-old girls. We enjoy doing service projects, and thought raising money for Food For His Children would be a great idea. We decided to make our goal $200. That meant that each of us had to raise $25 on our own.
For our December meeting, we went caroling to raise even more money. When we counted the donations, we had exactly $300! :) We raised $90 just while caroling.
The girls were really creative about how they raised the money. One of them did extra chores around the house, another girl held a class on candy making, and some gave selflessly from their own savings.:)
We hope the money raised can help families in Tanzania support themselves.
Mungu Akabariki! (God bless you)
--
Your Sister in Christ,
Kiera♥
A special Thank You to all the girls for their hard work and service! If you or your group has a fundraising idea, we'd love to hear it! Contact us by visiting: www.FoodforHisChildren.org
Mission Trip 2012: Divine Appointments
November 5 Jublate was there waiting however the District Commissioner was not there yet. We waited for almost 2 hours.
About 12:30 the District Commissioner arrived. We waited a bit more and then were invited into his office. He said he could not come with us to Bassodawish. While I pondered other options for arranging this, Honorina (our Program Manager) respectfully tried to convince him by telling him about the people who were gathered there waiting for him. He asked how many goats were in the project. After hearing the number in Bassodawish, he said he would go and that he would bring his photographer and video man as well so it could be on tv. Go God!
So we headed off to Bassodawish with the District Commissioner (DC) and Mayor Jublate. There were 27 recipient families waiting for us with their goats. What a sight to see! I was able to hold a couple baby goats while there. The DC spoke to the group and had each of us: Pastor Kessy, Honorina, myself and the village commissioner, speak as well. All on video which will be aired on tv today or tomorrow. Did I mention that already?!?
Pastor Kessy and Honorina told me that the DC had very good things to say about the program on the video that was taken. It should be good publicity for us. He also mentioned that if anyone tries to come against us, we just need to inform him and he will take care of it.
After that Jublate wanted to show us and the DC his farm which was not far. The farm has bananas, coffee and a fruit I have seen only once in the US. He has a restal house, sort of like a country cabin, that he uses only on weekends. He said we can use it when we are in Tanzania for 2 weeks, free of charge. Not sure if he was serious or not, but I’ll take him up on it! It was nice with 1 or 2 bedrooms.
While we were at Mayor Jublate's farm, the DC invited Honorina and I to have dinner at his home tomorrow. Not sure what the discussion will entail, but what an honor! He also invited us to meet with him and the villagers on the 8th and mentioned that the President of Tanzania may be there. Upon further discussion, it was decided we will not attend the meeting on the 8th because the President will likely not be in the Karatu district until later in November. It sounds as though the DC wants to arrange for the President to be go to Bassodawish to see what Food for His Children is doing in Tanzania. As part of that request, he would like all the recipients and himself to have a ‘Give goat, Pass it on" tee shirt.
Total time with the District Commissioner, probably 2 ½ hours- but very productive!
After leaving Jublate’s farm, Honorina and I went back to Bassodawish to meet with the families a bit longer. In the Bassodawish Project only 4 families still need to complete their goat sheds. Gwandu is the chairperson of the Bassodawich project's committee. He and his 7 children are also goat recipients. Gwandu shared that once he has more goats, he has 7 now, he will sell them and use the money to send his children to school and maybe help other families also.
After all the Bassodawish meetings, we headed back to Karatu and had a very late lunch at 5pm. William, our driver while we are here, as it turns out, is the son of a member of Parliament, a politician in the Ngorongoro area and has a bachelor’s degree in Project Management and Community Development. He previously worked for Willy Chambulo managing one of his lodges. He decided to take a year off before he pursues his master’s degree in the above.
I watched God do many things today. He was in charge and we will continue to wait for him to arrange things. We are praying that the District Commissioner will offer land to us for the Development Center that we can register in our name instead of having on loan.
-Written from the Karatu District of Tanzania by Founder Kerrie Holschbach
Give to the Max Day Nov 15th
I know, I know, it's hard to believe that November is right around the corner!
November in Minnesota means... cold weather... (ick!)...Thanksgiving (yay!)... But First... Give to the Max Day for non-profits! Allow me to tell you a little about it and why you should consider joining us online on November 15th.
Give to the Max Day is sponsored by GiveMN which is an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to help organizations, from small organizations to large ones, even public schools and universities, connect with online donors, help spread the word about their work and raise money to be able to further their cause.
Over 26,000 non-profit organizations are on GiveMN!
How great right?! Give to the Max Day is an annual fundraising event for thousands to Minnesota based non-profit organizations. It is THE largest one-day fundraising event in the world- according to Give MN. This year will mark the 4th annual event.
It gets even better... on this special Day- Give to the Max- GiveMN has partnered with other organizations like Target, The United Way, The Bush Foundation, and others to be able to offer prizes though out the day. There are prizes for organizations that have the highest giving totals for the day. Our category is for "Small Non-profits" which means we have an annual revenue of under $100,000. For our category the prizes are as follows: 1st prize is $12,500, 2nd prize is $5,000 and 3rd prize is $2,500. There are also prizes throughout the day called "Golden Tickets." Every hour throughout the 24 hour period one person's donation will be selected at random to have $1,000 added to it. AND at the end of the day someone else's donation will be selected for a "Super-sized Golden Ticket" which will add $10,000 to their donation. Last year it was a $25.00 donation that won the Rapture Center an extra $25,000! Every gift is appreciated!
Wouldn't it be tremendous to be able to tell the people of Tanzania that we have raised money to buy more goats and move into more areas?! And better still to have enough money to really get moving on the Development Center and Goat Farm! But we need your help!!
Here's how it works:
On November 15th from Midnight to 11:59pm (that's the whole day of the 15th!) donations will be accepted at www.GiveMN.org . Once on the page enter Food For His Children where it says "Find cause or fundraiser" on the upper right side of the screen. This will take you to the Food For His Children page. Select a donation level from the suggested donations or give an amount of your choice, then click "Donate." This will take you to a page where you fill out your payment information and leave us a note if you wish. Your donation will be processed and a tax receipt will be issued from razoo.com (the online fundraising platform).
You'll be hearing about Give to the Max Day plenty as it approaches, and especially on the day of. If you're at the Mall of America on that day there will be live coverage from 9am to 9pm with interviews from local non-profits (not us this time- maybe next year!) and performances by local artists and musicians. You can also look forward to updates from us throughout the day on the 15th if you're our friend on Facebook. Should be a good time!
Help us help the people of Tanzania who are waiting for an opportunity to raise a dairy goat and improve their lives!
All donations are tax deductible
Food For His Children is a registered 501c3 non-profit
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