By Janet T. Cook | Project Director
TEACHING CONGOLESE FARM FAMILIES TO FEED THEMSELVES FOR A LIFETIME
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Give a family some food and you feed them for a day; teach a family to grow food and you feed them for a lifetime.
The project to Break Near-starvation Cycle for Congolese Farmers is a classic example of teaching families to feed themselves for a lifetime.
In the first 12 months of the project (Nov. 2017-Nov. 2018), over 55 subsistence farm families in the Kafubu Valley did not risk starvation in order to save enough seed for the next planting.
These families were taught by professional agronomists how to properly prepare their acre plots of land for farming. These families learned first-hand the value of quality seed and fertilizer. They were taught to recognize the best time and process to plant their precious seeds. They learned how to care for the new plants. They came to understand the importance of proper harvesting and crop rotation to reinvigorate the soil.
These families not only harvested enough to feed themselves while saving seed for the next planting season; for the first time in generations, they had a crop surplus to SELL! Money for children's school tuition, required uniforms, and paper! Money for a tin roof! Money for a bicycle! Lives were changed!
In 2019, thanks to over 60 generous new donors and several recurring contributors, the number of families being taught almost doubled. The year, almost 100 farm families' lives are being changed forever as they learn how to feed themselves! Your continued support is breaking the starvation cycle. Thank you!
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