Pineapple Farm

Facing Farming Challenges

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Together, Pastor Sullay and the Ebola widows in his congregation diligently mulched, weeded and watered...but things haven't gone as well as we'd hoped. See how they are coping with the challenges...

Pineapple Project Wraps Up, New Businesses Launch

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With the culmination of a three-year pineapple farm project, we are excited to see what our friends in Bauya will do now. While our original goal of selling five acres of pineapples (about 90,000 fruits) was derailed by the nation’s year-long Ebola epidemic, dozens of local workers acquired valuable job skills while they were earning an income, but most importantly, they were inspired and enabled to envision possibilities for themselves. Former long-time employee Ibrahim Siaka has planted his own pineapple farm, using the discarded pineapple crowns and the knowledge he gained from working on the Just Hope pineapple farm to start a business for himself. Others, encouraged by earning a steady income, are entering into other ventures, such as goat farming. Our boots on the ground in Bauya, Sullay Turay and Joe Lassayo, have shifted from crew management to business mentoring, and we are excited to report that Sullay and Joe have purchased and delivered 17 goats (by motorbike!) to former employees. Follow these entrepreneurs as they start new businesses on our Business Building project page.

Sierra Leone Officially Ebola Free!

As of November 6, 2015, Sierra Leone has been declared Ebola free! Having gone 42 days without a single new case of the disease, the country has finally achieved Ebola-free status. We thank God for an end to this devastating year, and stand with our friends as they work hard to rebuild their economy.

Pineapple Harvest Comes to a Close

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Just prior to our arrival in Bauya last month on September 15, our third load of fresh pineapple was delivered and sold in the Freetown area. Upon our arrival to the site and an inspection of the farm, we made the difficult decision to cease harvesting, due to fruit spoilage. Our harvest window came and went very quickly for several reasons: all plants had been forced to ripen at the same time in preparation for a juicing harvest that was thwarted by the shutdown of the juicing processor; heavy rains made for a slow fresh market sellout; and government law does not allow Sunday markets. Some local “will call” markets absorbed many of the fruits, as did some of the people in the village. A small number of pineapples continue to ripen, but the quantity does not justify the cost of fuel or transportation to market. Sullay reports many are being given to school children, and some are being taken as gifts to people in the new community health office that opened in Bauya last month. However, after the many struggles we faced with Ebola, new boots on the ground, and often limited access to information of plant status, it is heartening that many of our employees still want to be pineapple farmers. They have learned so much about the process of planting, maintaining, forcing and sales, that many are now clearing land for their own pineapple farms. We will provide them with the suckers from our crop to help them get started. On our recent trip, we listened to security team members discuss business ideas they feel empowered to pursue now that their services are no longer needed as a Just Hope employee. At the end of September, Just Hope provided a severance package and other benefits to assist them in getting their businesses started. Joe and Sullay will remain Just Hope employees as they monitor, evaluate and support our past workers as they embark on developing their new careers. After three long, bittersweet days in Bauya, Ben and Phillip left the community in the hands of locals.

Nearing End of Ebola-Free Countdown

With no new cases of Ebola in the last month, Sierra Leone is nearing the end of the countdown to 42 days with zero Ebola cases, at which point the country will achieve Ebola-free status. During our recent visit, it was impressive to see the entire country working hard to reach this goal!