April
29
2014

A delicate balance: My first visit to Sierra Leone

On my first day in Sierra Leone, I woke up in Freetown with traveler’s diarrhea and no choice but to get in a car for our 60-mile trip to Bauya. Leaving early and getting ahead of traffic is one way to cope with the narrow, bumpy roads of rural Sierra Leone. Even for this Mississippi-born… continue reading
April
14
2014

First team of farmers named in Sierra Leone

The most rewarding part of a recent trip to Sierra Leone was identifying and offering an opportunity to three groups of locals. The team of Joseph Gbongay, Abu Bangura and Dauda Koroma are our first farming entrepreneurs! They have committed to farm an acre of pineapples with Just Hope. For the next two crop cycles,… continue reading
April
11
2014

Installing Water Filtration Systems in Thailand

In northern Thailand, most of the people collect rain in barrels to use for drinking, cooking and irrigation. When that water runs out, they turn to nearby fish ponds that are quite polluted with animal waste. In pre-existing concrete pumping houses, we installed 30 double osmosis water filtration systems, which remove pathogens and reduce water-borne illnesses… continue reading
April
9
2014

Just Hope leadership team visits Bauya

A Just Hope team that included Ben Turner, President, and Phillip Crockett, Director of Projects, recently returned from a 10-day visit to Sierra Leone, where they met with our assessment team, witnessed the continued planting of pineapple suckers, engaged local people in an opportunity to grow pineapple, and fortified our “boots on the ground” project… continue reading
April
9
2014

Sierra Leone

In Sierra Leone, a brutal 12-year civil war destroyed infrastructure and reduced the nation’s people to among the poorest in the world. Near the village of Bauya, in the Kongbora chiefdom, Just Hope has identified pineapple farming as an income opportunity. We are leveraging local farming skills, assisting with start-up needs and connecting farmers to… continue reading
April
3
2014

Just Hope welcomes Phillip Crockett, Director of Projects

We are delighted to announce that Phillip Crockett has joined Just Hope as our new Director of Projects. In this role, Phillip will oversee operations for all our projects. He describes his main responsibilities as “creative problem solving” and leading the effort to establish a flexible, transferable model of economic development that can be used… continue reading
March
31
2014

Kongbora assessment includes soil testing

Domingo is a lab technician at Njala University, and he is helping us in our ongoing assessment of the people and land in the Kongbora chiefdom in Sierra Leone. He and his team dug test pits for taking soil samples. Here he is marking the depth of the pit with the blue and white tape… continue reading
March
28
2014

Keeping pineapples healthy during dry season

Sierra Leone is located north of the equator, and the climate there is tropical. Two seasons define its climate: the rainy season, which runs May to October, and the dry season, which runs November through April. Currently in the dry season, the Just Hope pineapple farm is watered manually by these local workers who tote… continue reading