Livestock for 300 Orphan Families in Zimbabwe

The Sandra Jones Centre horizon in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe is now dominated with a beautiful white greenhouse dome and we are so excited about the potential and prospects of this project. You see, young ladies will learn how to become farmers and business owners here. This is so exciting for them and for us, as we walk beside this adventure with them.

It all started with the dream of helping young girls already affected by AIDS and who were later victims of abuse.  They live in the Sandra Jones Centre and start a new life there, full of hope and a vision towards the future.  They receive counseling and so much love, helping them come to grips with their past while learning that they are precious and cherished.  They also learn a skill set so that when they leave the Centre, they are able to hold down jobs for which they were trained and which they like.

The beds in the greenhouse have all been dug by the girls - a huge task -  and they are waiting expectantly for the seedlings to be planted in the next few weeks.  They decided to grow their own seedlings from scratch rather than buying them already prepared.  It is all part of training – if the girls learn this skill, they will be able to propagate their own seeds when they return to the rural areas and this will be a cost-saving measure for them. 

They are planting red and yellow peppers, as research has shown that there seems to be a lack of fresh, healthy ones on the market at the moment.  They also bring in an excellent return and are full of nutrients!  They are very expensive in the shops and we have already begun to get a market for them through some of the private school parents.   We are also planning on planting various types of tomatoes and, in the future, we hope to venture into strawberries. The benefit of strawberries is that what they don’t sell, the girls will make into strawberry jam. This will not only benefit the Centre financially, but has the secondary effect of teaching the girls skills they can use later.

So we are all excited about this embryonic project and what benefits we can see for the whole Centre.

Thank you SO much for being part this! Without YOU, it sure wouldn’t be happening.