Planting Seeds Project Updates
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Fruited Plains is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charitable organization. We believe everyone should have food to eat, a place to live, and an opportunity to provide for themselves and their family.
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| Fruited Plains Employees L to R- Peter, Sammary, Leonard |
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Planting Seeds Produces Abundant Fruit
So far, 2009 is turning out to be a fruitful year for Fruited Plains. We have hired two new employees. Sammary Sabila is our new administrative assistant. Sammary is from Mt. Elgon. She is bright, intelligent and incredibly efficient. She will oversee the day to day operations for Fruited Plains. Peter Sifuna is our new farm manager. He will manage the Fruited Plains farm and oversee the trainings of the recipients of the Planting Seeds Project. Peter trained at Manor House for 2.5 years and is passionate about farming. Leonard, also from Mt. Elgon, continues to be our lorry driver and farm assistant. We are very blessed to have such a great team working for Fruited Plains.
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Last February, we distributed "Miracle Maize" and bean seed to 383 families on Mt. Elgon. Since then, everyone has planted and the beans have been harvested. Some families received a 900% return on their beans yet others lost their crop to to hailstorms. We have learned from this experience for sure. In the future, we will distribute miracle maize with potatoes. Potatoes are a crop that once you have it, you will never need to purchase them again. Also, because they grow under the ground, they will not be impacted by hail. They also provide a ground covering in the event of a dry season (as this one has been). The ground cover will hold the moisture in the soil and in turn help nourish the maize.
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| We also sent 5 farmers from Mt. Elgon to Manor House for training this past May. Manor House is an agricultural education center. The farmers were educated about the Miracle Maize, and trained in compost making, companion planting, and the use of natural insecticides. They, along with Peter our farm Manager, will train the 600 families we will be distributing seed to in February, 2010. We had the opportunity to meet with the farmers who were trained this past August. They were all very excited to share what they had learned. One said, "We are farmers but we have lacked the knowledge in farming. We have learned so much and we can pass this knowledge on to others" The trainings will begin in late September.
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| Fruited
Plains decided to focus its attention on the Kopsiro region of Mt.
Elgon. If you have read past updates, you know there were clashes that
took place on the mountain for two years. Many people were killed and
homes were burned to the ground. Although the clashes have ended, there
are still thousands of people who are homeless. Kopsiro was one of the
hardest hit regions on the mountain which is why Fruited Plains has
decided to focus its attention on this area. Thanks to the assistance
of Mission Hills Community Church, Fruited Plains was able to
distribute food and blankets to some of the people most impacted.
Although many of the people no longer have a home to return to, they
still have their farms. They are only lacking the seed and fertilizer.
We at Fruited Plains look forward to changing that.
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Fruited Plains also purchased over an acre of land on Mt. Elgon which will be its future headquarters. We hope to begin building a warehouse and office in the near future. We also had the opportunity to meet with the Honorable Fred Kapondi. Mr. Kapondi is the Member of Parliament for Mt. Elgon. He agreed to give Fruited Plains ten acres of land on Mt. Elgon so we can grow our own seed. This is a true blessing! The last two years, Fruited Plains has been leasing five acres of land. Now we not only have land of our own, but we doubled the number of families we can assist each year!
As Always, we would like for you to hear directly from the people themselves regarding the impact the Planting Seeds Project has had on their lives.
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"I am grateful to the Lord for what he has done for me. Initially I had a very big problem because my mom was ailing with a problem with her legs and we were not able to plant our farm in good time. We could not afford to buy fertilizer and seed. We used to plant very late because we struggled to get seed and fertilizer. But with the Lord, through Fruited Plains, we got the farm inputs and I am so grateful to the Lord. We are able to plant our farm. We planted maize and other crops. When we harvested the first time, we had a harvest that we had not witnessed before. And we were from that, able to buy a cow. We are so blessed by the Lord for what the project has done for us. We used to go to church without giving. But now, through the project, we are able to give the tithe and offering. We also bought a sheep. The project has really assisted in the uplift of our living standard. If it were not for the project and the income we get from it, even to assist my mom who is ailing, I don't know what would have happened. Her condition was very bad. But I thank the Lord because through the project, I have been able to assist her."- Vivian
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"I am one parent who was about to be defeated to pay school fees for my child to enter Form 1 (First year of high school). Then God used Fruited Plains to help me. My child is now in Form 4 and I have not had a problem paying school fees. Formally, I would have gone without food because of scarcity. But since I have benefited from the project, today I have food to feed my children and my family and enough to pay school fees. When there were clashes, I received displaced people from Kopsiro. I had more than 25 people in my home. I want to thank God because through Fruited Plains I was able to feed them all."- Member of AIC Chebonet
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"This project has put our life from one step to the other. We now have enough food for consumption and sale to pay for other payments like school fees. This project has also enabled us to assist the needs among our neighbors who are in need of food. We have assisted them. And therefore this issue of assisting them enabled us to have love and peace to prevail around this area. It has also assisted us to have enough to tithe which we now can. Through Fruited Plains we are now able to give to each other so the work of the Lord can go forward. This project has really enabled us to boost our life. We were living in a small hut with a thatched (grass) roof. But what I have learned in all is that the love of God is great to us because he has used visitors (Fruited Plains) from very far to reach us. This gives to us the family to know the love of God is great. Therefore, we want to thank God in everything that he has given us." -David (David is one of the farmers Fruited Plains sent to Manor House. He is very dedicated to share what he has learned with others. )
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