May Project Roundup

May 25, 2016

Ghana

West Africa, including Ghana, has been experiencing unusually strong winds and a grasshopper infestation, and we are working with our farmer teams there on strategies to cope with these adversities, including the use of neem tea as a natural insect repellant. Abnormal weather patterns continue to challenge agriculture throughout the region. Read more about our agriculture efforts in Ghana…

Just Hope Ghana is now serving 18 active savings groups. Our six external demonstration sites display plants that are larger and with deeper color, and those factors alone are catching the eye of more locals, who are showing increasing interest in what we are doing. See more about our savings groups in Ghana…

Congratulations to Collins on his wedding in April!

Bauya, Sierra Leone

Nine savings groups are actively meeting with mentoring from Joe and Sullay. We are serving nearly 250 people in the area, with 54 percent of them women. Jenneh and Joe have been training many of the groups on sustainable conservation agriculture techniques. Jenneh is especially effective at encouraging and engaging women and appears to have found her calling! The myriad societal benefits from these savings include access to affordable loans that keep both the principal and the interest in the community, sustainable financial services, insurance against shocks, a path to community trust and leadership development opportunities. We are incredibly proud of the work that Joe and Sullay are doing, and the work of the savings group members themselves.

The same grasshoppers that are distressing the farmers in Ghana are also a nuisance in Bauya and Lunsar, where they have been eating the corn and bean plants.

Lunsar, Sierra Leone

Due to the explosive growth of sustainable conservation agriculture demonstration plots in the Lunsar area, we have hired John Bangura, a member of Ebenezer Baptist Fellowship, to help Shanty with oversight and farmer support. The demonstration plots have become so plentiful and busy that Shanty can no longer manage them all alone. John is a civil engineer who worked for the mining company prior to the Ebola outbreak. When the mines closed, he enrolled in Foday’s seminary school and now serves Ebenezer as director of agricultural outreach. He attended all of our trainings in March and has been a great source of support and enthusiasm since then. Read more about our efforts in Lunsar…

Togo

We are in conversation with Jesse about next steps, which may include a two-day training that ends with participants receiving a starter kit of rope, seeds, manure, and other resources to start their own demonstration plot. See more about work in Togo…

Panama

The survival skills classes are progressing smoothly, and the girls are very engaged and keenly interested. They realize these classes provide the best hope for successful transition after aging out of the orphanages. We have hired an English teacher for the girls in Malambo, Cheryl Carmago, and are still seeking an English teacher for the girls in Colon.

We enjoyed successful leadership team meetings in April and early May during which we met all of the students and participated in a few survival skills lessons. The students experienced their first field trip to a restaurant. With the help of the Survival Skills teachers, the students mastered several new skills including navigating transportation and bus routes, wading through a menu, communicating with a waiter, practicing manners, and paying a bill. For most, this was the very first time to eat in a restaurant or take a bus, and they were very nervous. But their excitement quickly conquered their fears! All the girls said it was a wonderful experience and they learned so much through each new step.

Some of our time there was spent investigating job placement, college opportunities, and transitional housing as we plan ahead for when the first girls age out of the orphanages this December.

Honduras

The second half of the dwarf banana farm is now planted. The farm employed an average of 10 workers per week in April, and many will continue working in crop maintenance until harvest time. Keep up with the banana plantation…

The MMA tournament earlier this month was a huge success. Two of the boys won their matches, while Kevin (the underdog to a champion) reportedly “left it all in the ring.” According to reports, spectators are still talking about Kevin’s match as a true battle. Read more about our survival skills program in Honduras…

We are awaiting a complete inventory of shoes from Raul to determine next steps in the shoe program. Follow along…