Hero Spotlight: Pastor Sullay and the Ebola Widows

August 26, 2016

Joseph Koroma is a pastor in Sierra Leone who attended our initial agriculture trainings in the Lunsar area in March 2016. In May, we told you about how he was so excited by the possibilities offered by conservation agriculture, he immediately returned to his church and began teaching his congregants, who are mostly Ebola widows. (Read the story.) Affectionately known as “Pastor Sullay” to his church, he worried about their ability to care for themselves and their children, and he felt confident that these methods could be a solution to their problem.

Right out of the gate they planted 15 plots of corn, okra, cucumbers and beans, eagerly anticipating their first harvest this summer. They diligently mulched, weeded and watered as best they could, but they faced hotter than expected temperatures, greater than expected pests, and less than expected rain, all of which proved to be too much for the inaugural crop.

We often comment on the “remarkable” quality of the people we work with. Remarkability shows itself in many ways, and in Pastor Sullay and these women, it’s their resilience, determination and strength in the face of constant ordeal that makes them so remarkable. They are not giving up, and we are not giving up on them.

Not only have they not given up, with Pastor Sullay’s encouragement they are clearing MORE land in preparation for September, which typically presents a short growing season with mild rain. Furthermore, they have plans for the dry season that include a cooperative rice farm and individual vegetable gardens. Please pray with us that their undying hope, faith and perseverance will at last bring them the success they are working so hard to achieve.

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