© 2007 AID AFRICA UK Registered Charity Number 1116336
As the doors of the plane open, Africa fills our senses.
The brightness, the heat, the smiles, the smells, the humidity. As we drive out of Blantyre, back onto the dirt roads, shaken and dusty, we see simple village life all around. But it’s tough here. Out in the bush, most live in acute poverty, and many struggle on a daily basis to feed their families. But we’re privileged to be here and the six weeks passes all too quickly. So what did we do?
The brightness, the heat, the smiles, the smells, the humidity. As we drive out of Blantyre, back onto the dirt roads, shaken and dusty, we see simple village life all around. But it’s tough here. Out in the bush, most live in acute poverty, and many struggle on a daily basis to feed their families. But we’re privileged to be here and the six weeks passes all too quickly. So what did we do?
All boreholes repaired are still working well, just in the last few months we’ve restored clean local drinking water to thousands of people There are still more to do!
by Lynda Mills
LOAN-A-GOAT SCHEME
This programme is still gradually expanding at a household level. As a pilot-scheme, it was decided to place goats in “Goat Clubs”, run by proven volunteers, the milk being given to vulnerable children in the villages. Two kraals have been built and each will initially house 3 females goats. It’s anticipated that this may ease monitoring and improve care, though each will still remain the property of OHP until redeemed by a female kid. Training in goat husbandry and milk production followed for all volunteers involved.
Over 60 rain-fed Agri-Gardens have now been harvested - so far many tons of maize has been treated and stored ready for distribution to the acutely vulnerable as the situation worsens. This will be the basis for tens of thousands of meals for the poor. Figures are a bit down - difficulties included waterlogging, unavailability of suitable fertilizer, and an invasion of Army Worms! A 50Kg bag of fertilizer has soared to K4310 (over £16) - manure training is urgently ongoing. Vegetable seeds and fertilizers have been issued for irrigation gardens. Red beans have been planted for food and to fix nitrates back into the soil - a harvest is expected in August.
