Project Report
| Jun 21, 2018
The Harvest and The Compost
![Greenhouse]()
Greenhouse
We want to share with you some of our successes (our harvest) and failures (the stuff we hope will compost into something useful as we learn from it) from the past few weeks. We are thankful for YOU and your partnership with us in this work and hope that you will find these new short reports to be of value as you join us in transforming Eastern Congo into a place of flourishing for all.
The Harvest:
1) We began clearing several hectares of swamp-land at our Rural Development Center outside of Beni where we are planning to build a small dam to create a large fishpond for raising tilapia. Fish are expensive in the local markets and we hope to provide affordable fish to fill the gap in local diets.
2) The construction of a second greenhouse, built with wood, at the Rural Development Center is well under way. The frame is up and we are purchasing the plastic cover for the building. We plan to have a total of five greenhouses producing tomatoes for sale in Beni and surrounding area.
3) We have started a new USAID-funded emergency project in partnership with Tearfund (a UK-based charity). The project aims to deliver seeds and tools to 4000 internally displaced families in our region of the country who have had to flee their homes due to fighting. The hope is that they will be able to grow small plots of food to sustain their families while waiting to return home.
The Compost:
1) Our first greenhouse was made with metal poles and came from Uganda. We had a lot of trouble erecting the structure and then regulating the temperature inside the building as it is not well adapted to our location. Additionally, it was more expensive than the wooden-framed structures we are now building. We have learned that sometimes it is better to go with our local options as they are better suited to our reality on the ground.
2) Several of the Grassroots Organizations (GOs) that we helped start over the last few years have recently held elections to vote in new leaders for their groups due to poor leadership on the part of the original leadership teams. Mavuno's mobilization team continues to work with the GOs to teach better leadership principles in the hope of reducing leadership turnover in the future.
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