Introduction

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Rwanda, our farmers are legitimately concerned about their financial health.  Many businesses have closed, and people are focused on businesses essential to their community and which can help them survive.  Tools for Hope (TFH) is similarly focused on its farmers and their community.

Frank Mutesa (TFH-Rwanda employee) taught and prepared the Twisungane committee members to work together and to develop a sense of helping one another with in the cooperative.  By doing so they can elevate one another even those who are weak can be able to be resilient.  For example, when they help to prepare one another’s field in one week they can finish all the agriculture activities in all their individual farms working as a group.

The farmers just completed harvesting our trials and soon we will present the data after the analysis.

We are addressing the issue(s) of clean water.  Too often they are using water from the river which is dirty, and this has affected their health for so long.

Frank continues to look for and evaluate a new group to mentor.  There are many of them, so we are still considering which group is more in need.

 

Training Committee Members to Work Together

Meetings and training these days are done with few people, following the rules for combating the coronavirus.  Therefore, Frank usually only meets with committee members (coop group leaders).  Frank usually finds other cooperative group farmers in their field /farms as they are doing farm work.  There, they can have a little chat and discuss different issues.

During June, Frank put more emphasize on issues of working together, he has been encouraging them to work together to help one another so that the group can stay well and healthy, together.  An example is the activities we conducted in our no-till research.  That effort has been a collective effort and Frank used this example to ask them to do likewise on their individual farms.  This can be done by working together on each family’s farm.  For example, all of them may meet at one individual farm and work and, then the next day at another members’ farm and so on.

This concept has been well received and all farmers see the benefits.  The purpose here is for them to share and to care for one another.  Such sharing was not common in Rwanda before the Tutsi genocide in 1994.  People used to hate one another based on their tribes (Tutsi, Hutu, Twa).  TFH promotes the Rwandan government’s teachings on reconciliation and these strategies of working together is a proper path to sustainable development as well as sustainable peace and reconciliation.

The picture above was taken during a meeting and discussions with Twisungane committee members.  As you can see some of the group members are wearing their masks to abide by the rules.  Because Frank does not live in their community he has to talk to them when a wearing mask to show them that he cannot infect them with coronavirus in case he might have been infected in the city where he lives.

 

The extremely poor among the farmers live in mud houses, such as  shown in the pictures above.  However, we have a plan to use revenue from the motorcycle taxi business and goats’ projects to raise their lifestyle and be able to renovate their houses as well.  This is not the type of house in which they want to raise their children (dirt floors, walls that cannot withstand heavy seasonal rains, no water, sanitation, or power).  While some of them have been raised in such houses we do not want others to continue with such a life.  This is what TFH is fighting for.  We want to help raise the standard of living among the poor and, with a little help, get out extreme poverty.

 

Harvesting No Till Research Trials, Data Collection and Recording 

During June, we harvested our no till trials.  This was the most important activity related to the agricultural work our farmers are doing.  Their farming activities are not an occupation that is supplying them a good living.  Many factors have hindered and continue to hinder their farm’s productivity e.g., limited  land size, lack of proper techniques / methods of cultivation, soil fertility issues, lack of proper inputs (poor variety of seeds, lack of fertilizers and manure). That why we conducted no till research i.e., to see what kind of cultivation method can best help them to have good yields and to understand their soil fertility issues.  No till farming requires much less labor in the preparation of the farmland.

TFH has given our farmers goats for many purposes but among is to increase manure for their agriculture purposes.

The activity of harvesting our trial was well organized and every member was present, men and women working together.  Every plot was harvested separately using all the agronomic parameters.

 

The above pictures show what the farmers do to harvest their crops.  Briefly these pictures show the harvesting process and all the activities.  As you can see all the work is done by hand.  You can see how they are working together in friendship, women, and men together.  Beans require a lot of work during harvesting.  Our farmers do not have modern equipment for harvesting beans.  Lack of machinery is another constraint on productivity.  The pictures show how tough agriculture can be especially for poor people.

Apart from the agriculture activities you can see that they are willing to help one another.  This is what we are looking for, togetherness and get to where we want to be i.e., a good life with peace and harmony.

We are now recording data and soon Frank will supply the results and the analysis and the recommendations on the issue of no-till and till methods.

 

Water Issues

Water scarcity is a big problem in sub-Saharan African and in Rwanda.    It is a huge problem that the government is working day and night to solve.  However, in rural and remote areas it is not just the scarcity but the cleanliness of available water that has put the poor families at risk from diseases.  People travel long distances to just get clean water.  Sometimes they use water from sources near them which are not clean.

Frank took this picture when he was travelling by motorcycle around the community where our farmers live.  The person in the picture is one of our farmers and he was returning from fetching clean water in a distant area where the small container (5 gallons) of clean water cost 100 frw (~16 US cents).  So, the issue is not about the cost but the long distance.  Frank and the farmers are suggesting that TFH supply them Madidrop+ ceramic tablets to help purify water.  With those tablets they can try to clean (decontaminate) water they fetch from the nearby river.  Someday the government will be able to bring pipes to this neighborhood and supply clean tap water.

Way Forward

So far farmers are happy with all TFH is doing and they are more than ready to show that they have been learning a lot.   They know it is up to them to show progress in what they are doing.  By looking at the pictures in this report you can see they are looking healthy.  There is an issue with their kids, Frank is not always satisfied with how their kids look in terms of health and cleanness.  However, this is the fight and Frank is determined to continue to fight along with TFH.  We believe we will win and change these people’s lives for the better.  Therefore, on behalf of the farmers Frank would like to express their appreciation for everything TFH is doing “God bless you abundantly.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

As we started May, the lockdown in Rwanda ended but with some restrictions still in place.  Tools for Hope, Inc. (TFH) activities were still taking place.  With the end of the lockdown TFH employee, Frank Mutesa, was able to verify the farmer’s activities, to hold meetings, and to give technical support as usual.   The farmer’s motorbike taxi transportation business is coming back, now with a strong emphasize on showing people how to use the cashless ways in paying for services.  This is a challenge with our farmers, but we are obliged to show them its importance.

We have started to emphasize the necessity of growing vegetables and fruit trees in their back yards (kitchen gardens) to ensure they get the proper foods and thus improve their immune systems as one of the measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have been also monitoring our research trials, the no-till research trial, and the individual farms to see how they have been affected by the heavy rains that occurred in Rwanda during the April-May period.

We have been doing surveys, observations, and talking with various people about securing clean water and how they see the various technologies working in their community.

Also, we have been searching for other vulnerable farmer groups that we may be able to mentor as this is one of the goals for TFH.

Emphasizing and Training Farmers to Focus on Growing Vegetables and Fruits in Their Backyards

Vegetables and fruits high in vitamins C and E are particularly important in boosting the immune system, and they are rich in antioxidants.  TFH has been stressing to the farmers to cultivate these in their gardens.  Frank has been trying to make and grow his own fruits seeds for the farmers to use.  For example, Frank has tried to make orange tree seeds sprout from a ‘store bought’ orange.  Using his knowledge of agricultural science Frank produced good orange seed sprouts ready to be planted.  Frank planted them in a pot and soon he will be transporting them to the farmers backyards for transplanting after they have shown a good germination rate.

This is Frank’s own trial and he is going to plant the seeds and help the farmers to try to grow their own oranges.  If all goes well, after four years the farmers will not need to buy oranges in the market.  They will be selling their oranges in the market and eating fruit more often.  

They also have personal vegetable farms.  Below are two photographs of one such kitchen garden.  It is of Samuel’s (Twisungane group leader / president) vegetable plot which we are using as the farmer field school for our group and for other farmers around the community.

 

 

 

During the time that we have collaborated with them, the farmers have understood the logic of working together and of planting vegetables in their personal kitchen gardens.  In the picture above, Samuel is holding the beetroots that were planted in his backyard.  Our program emphasizes cultivating nutritious vegetables in their kitchen gardens.  This has been a strong message also from the government which is emphasizing people to eat a balanced diet as one of the ways to fight the negative impact of corona virus. (see https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/277432 for information about the benefits of beets)

Monitoring our No-till Research Trials and Other Individual Farms Affected by Heavy Rainfalls.

Usually in Rwanda, during April-May, we have rains, and sometimes heavy ones.  During this recent period, we had heavy rainfalls which resulted in flooding farming activities and even deaths in parts of the country.  In our no-till research farms we experienced slight flooding especially the plots that are near the river, but this hasn’t destroyed our data because we had replicated our treatments and therefore in the analysis we will use the remaining plots.

The picture above shows the small part of our no-till research that was destroyed by flooding of the river due to heavy rainfalls and the fullness of the aquifer in our lands.  Therefore, we have emphasized to our farmers to always accept the environmental awareness advice of not practicing any cultivation within 10-20 meters of the river, depending on their soil type.

Frank has been teaching them how to practice soil and water management measures.  For example, the ‘ridge and furrow’ method is a highly effective soil and water conservation method that can help in catching water, helps slow down runoff, and helps in infiltration rate (water into soil).  This is one of the best soil and water management practices.  Frank has encouraged the farmers to always think about this whenever they are going to prepare their lands.  Because most of the time the agricultural season starts few weeks before the start of the rainy season.

There are also other government infrastructures that were badly destroyed by the heavy rainfalls.  More than 10,000 acres of rice were destroyed.

Clean Water Issues

The lack of clean water is a major hazard in our farmer communities and, has been for years now.  They are full in accordance with any decision and strategy that will bring clean water to them.  We have been discussing this with farmers and now Frank is planning to discuss this with the local leaders to see how we can best help them.   We hope soon we will get the proper strategy for this issue and be able to deliver clean water to our poor families.

Possibility to Adopt Another Group of Poor Farmers for Mentor-ship Program

TFH has also surveyed different areas to look for other poor families who are vulnerable, need significant help and to mentor and to help them to help themselves.  Frank has been talking to them and assessing their lifestyles and he has performed analysis of the potential groups.

The groups Frank has seen are extremely poor and vulnerable.  We are still assessing our next steps.  Our decision will be based in large part by what they think it is best for themselves.

Our Way Forward

We are happy that we can now continue our work and that life has started to be normal as before.  Frank is planning to teach farmers about the use of the ‘cashless’ business model which is often now the only option for doing business, and thus will require the mobile money training (providing / using financial services on mobile devices) and how they can connect their banking accounts and their phones.

 

Tools For Hope, Inc.
1540 Robinson Road
Knoxville, TN 37923
http://www.toolsforhope.org/

Thank you for your continued support for Rwandan subsistence farmers.
Please send this newsletter along to anyone you feel may benefit from it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

During April 2020 Rwanda implemented a nation-wide lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tools for Hope (TFH) activities were still ongoing despite the COVID-19 pandemic. We continued our research trials on no-till experimental farming.

During the lockdown we provided food security for the Twisungane farmers. TFH provided rice, corn flour, and cooking oil enough to sustain them for 2 months. Normally, TFH does not give such free aid. However, the COVID-19 problem is unique. TFH provided the (Rwandan) funds to the farmers to purchase their food supplies from Rwandan markets. Providing free food to the farmers would have the effect of undermining local businesses i.e., no businessman can compete with free.

Frank made regular phone calls to the representatives of the Twisungane cooperative to give them current advice on how they should care for themselves and to encourage them to follow all the procedures given by the government as they are law abiding citizens.

Because their farms cannot produce enough food and income our smallholder farmers depend on informal day-work. The government of Rwanda put in place measures to minimize travel. This meant that our farmers could not travel to find work. Without income from day-labor and while waiting for their primary crops to mature they were down to one meal or less per day.

Germination Rate and Weeding on No-till Fields

The no-till experimental research at our farmer’s fields is doing great. Our farmers are managing all the activities and following all the research protocols as Frank has trained them to do. This is especially important to our farmers to learn for themselves and to experience diverse ways of farming without disturbing the soil structure and be able to get good yields

The initial research activity was to record the germination rate after planting. This is particularly important because it shows how good and healthy the seeds are, and how the seeds may perform in the field, and how the seeds are responding to that soil. The germination rate also shows how the abiotic factors are working to help seed germination in an area. We had more than 90% germination rate. This show good sign.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pictures above show times before planting and after the germination (just one plot) and as you can see the germination rate is above 90%.  This is exceptionally good in agriculture and we hope to have a good yield, if other agronomics parameters are done properly and on time.

When the rain started after 3 weeks of germination, we conducted another activity which is also very important, and that is the uprooting of all weeds that can compete for nutrient absorption with crops (Beans).

 

 

Weeding activity was done properly.  Frank had trained our farmers to do it as it should be done.  Frank also discussed with them the issue of social distancing while they were weeding.

The picture above shows farmers working on the field uprooting the unwanted plants (weeding).  This activity helps to alter the microclimate below plant leaves, it helps also to reduce humidity as the sun and wind can penetrate deeper and easier in a weeded crop-plot and hence have a positive impact on pest and disease control.

Helping Twisungane Farmers during the COVID-19 Food Shortage

Tools for Hope (TFH) gave the twenty Twisungane families food (25 kgs Rice, 10 maize flour and 3 liters cooking oil per family) to help them during these demanding times where most of them have lost their jobs during this lockdown.

The farmers were incredibly happy to get the food supplies from TFH.  Frank could not gather all of them together for a photograph because of the rules about not gathering more than 10 people.

Below is the Twisungane farmers committee with the post which says “ON BEHALF OF OTHERS WE THANK YOU TFH.  GOD BLESS YOU ALL”

 

Although it was not easy to move from one area to another because of the official lockdown, Frank managed to convince the local leaders to allow our farmers to travel between a distant market and their community.  The local leaders and government officials know TFH and the activities we do to help the farmers, therefore they granted farmers the permission to move from their village to the shopping centers located far from their village.  The quantity and quality of food supplies we wanted were more than the local shops could provide.  So, our farmers had to travel to the large shopping center.  We thank the local leaders for their understanding.

Below are some pictures taken during the process of buying and delivering the food, which was done on Friday 24th April 2020.  These Twisungane representatives distributed the food to each farmer that remained at home.  The process went well.  They thank you a lot and ask God to bless TFH.

They used bicycle and motorbikes to carry the food stuffs.  Our own motorbike (TFH motorbike) was also used to carry the food stuff.  Because it was not working for transporting people, but it can be allowed to carry food commodities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the happiness moments, when you get food to eat during these times of lockdown, it is like a miracle.  And this will sustain them for 2 months, because they have vegetables in their farms, therefore, because each family was given, 25 kgs of Rice, 10 kgs of Maize flour and 3 liters of cooking oil.  Now, they will have a balanced diet for not less than 2 months.

Frank and the farmers discussed nutrition and now they know how to modify their diet to maintain their health.  This is very important during these days as to boost their immune systems so that they can be able to resist so many diseases. Therefore, it was also a good opportunity for TFH to introduce this lesson of combating malnutrition among our farmers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smallholder farmers’ happiness is the most important thing that TFH is working on, because when farmers are happy, they can be able to secure their tomorrow with plenty of innovation and hardworking mood.  They just need a little help and encouragement like this.

 Way forward

The No-till experimental trial is giving hope that we will have good and reliable data that will help us to come with good recommendation.  Again, we believe this pandemic will soon be over and we continue our lives and even have better hope than ever.  Farmers are calm even if they do not understand what is going on in this world, but we still believe in God and we will see this through.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Twisungane smallholder farmers group did great work together with Frank Mutesa and Tools For Hope (TFH) in March.  Among the activities that we engaged in was the preparation and launch of our no-till farming research trial.  The launch process was a successful and we welcomed the fact that the farmers did exactly what Frank had been training them to do.

We also completed the process of buying and distributing goats to eleven farmer families, as planned.  This was the most important activity that the farmers had been waiting for.

No-Till Farming Research Trials Launched
In February, the farmers and Frank began preparing the land and doing all the important preliminary work.  On the 21^st of March we launched the research trial.  The results of this trial will help answer questions regarding soil fertility and the proper techniques that should be used to produce good crop yields on small pieces of land without disturbing the soil.  It may also provide information regarding protecting the environment as well.

After showing farmers the differences between the no-till plots and tilling plots, they started doing the land preparations for themselves and they continued with the preparations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frank showed them how to apply inputs (fertilizers and seeds) properly in all the plots while respecting crop spacing.  After finishing the preparation for the two treatments (no-till and tilling treatments), the next activity was to apply the inputs i.e., fertilizers, both organic farmyard manure (FYM) and inorganic diammonium phosphate (DAP).  The first thing they did was to apply the FYM, this took two days, because the farm is located at a distance from the homestead where we obtained our FYM.

Then followed the DAP.  The application of inorganic DAP was applied in parallel with the seeds.  Because they planted during a sunny day the seeds and the DAP were mixed with a little bit of soil to make sure the seeds were not burnt when they encountered the DAP.  The application of inputs was done successfully following all the best science of soil management and crop production practices. The planting day was followed with rainfall in the evening, so we hope everything will be OK and our crop will germinate and grow well.

The Twisungane farmers are the caretakers of this research, however Frank will be monitoring their progress daily to make sure we get good data for the analysis at the end of the trials.  This is the first such research trial that we have conducted with our farmers.

The farmers were cooperative and showed interest in learning innovative technologies.  They will provide us with valuable feedback and lessons learned about no-till farming in Rwanda.  The farmers are eager to learn; therefore, we believe that from here, our research work will be straightforward and easy.  We can direct all the farming technologies and be sure that the farmers will do their best to help make their projects work.

TFH Helps Eleven Twisungane Group Families Obtain Goats
It wasn’t easy to complete this task because the receiving families and Frank required a lot of discussion about loan repayment agreements for the goats.  They discussed the loan issues and came to a mutual understanding on how to repay the loan.  They also discussed how to take care of their goats before buying them.  Once everything was agreed to, we proceeded with buying the goats.

Frank and the farmers also had to do a survey to look for a marketplace where they could get good goats which can cope with the climate (micro climate) conditions in their area, to avoid difficulties in rearing the goats. They also had to look for female goats which can mate successfully with the male goats that are already in the area.

After discovering a good market in Nyamata Town*, they proceeded with purchasing the goats, another challenging task.  Selecting 22 goats of good health takes time.  They evaluated the goats one by one.  The process of selecting and purchasing the goats took seven hours. The distance from the market to where our farmers village is located is several miles so they had to hire a vehicle that could carry the goats, and a vehicle which could manage the rough roads leading to their village.

Goat purchase and transport was followed by distributing the goats to the 11 families.  The distribution process needed to be fair to all.  The distribution process agreed upon had each family pick their goats by chance.  Frank prepared 22 small pieces of paper, each with a number from 1 to 22.  He folded them so that no one could see the number written on each paper.  He also wrote similar numbered slips of paper and put one on each goat.  Then each family picked 2 folded pieces of paper.  They opened their pieces and found the number corresponding to the number tagged on a goat.  This was a quick and fair process, and everybody was happy.  Each family got 2 goats and the process was done peacefully.

 

 

The goat project has brought happiness to our farmers.  They are now waiting for the goats to multiply.  We believe this will happen soon and farmers will be able to repay their loans.

Their gratitude goes to Tools For Hope for making this possible.  This will help farmers in many ways and help them to continue their journey of achieving better lives.  The next steps of taking good care of these goats are theirs.  And we are also with them day by day and continue mentoring them in numerous ways.
*The town is also the location of Nyamata Genocide Memorial.  Located at the site where Nyamata Parish Catholic Church once stood, the memorial contains the remains of over 45,000 genocide victims, almost all of whom were Tutsi, including over 10,000 who were massacred inside the church itself.

The Way Forward
Farmers are grateful for the projects that were in pipeline and are now operating.  They are eager to continue working with TFH and they are committed.  They will succeed in conquering their abysmal former life and to prosper.

We hope that after this problem of COVID-19 ends, we will have many more projects (e.g., improved crop / food preservation techniques).  While the farming activities are on-going, the farmers are using precautions to fight the spreading of this virus, like washing their hands regularly and making social distancing of 1.5 meters.

We thank you once again for your support.  God bless you and your entire family, and we pray that God will protect you in these dangerous times our world is passing through.

Tools For Hope, Inc.
1540 Robinson Road
Knoxville, TN 37923
http://www.toolsforhope.org/

Thank you for your continued support for Rwandan subsistence farmers.
Please send this newsletter along to anyone you feel may benefit from it.

Introduction

In February, Rwanda had heavy rainfall that destroyed people’s houses with some loss of life.  We thank God that our farmers are all OK. They had minor losses to their harvests.

During February, Frank and the farmers began a research activity to determine the efficacy of no-till farming and to compare it to the usual way of preparing soil for planting.

Additionally, Frank and the farmers held discussions on their up-coming goat purchases through loans from Tools For Hope (TFH). The goats were delivered the first of March 2020. We will be able to report more about the project next month.

Their discussions also included the issue of clean water. The farmers were very much concerned because obtaining clean water is among the difficult issues that they have experienced all their lives. They addressed deposit time-periods and, methods for depositing their loan payments to TFH for their motorbike.

They continued their discussions about food preservation techniques and about how to improve their food supply security through better food / crop preservation. They also discussed the potential of solar energy providing electrical power to their households.

Frank and the farmers also discussed the significant issue of the government closure of the community school. We have asked Frank to gather the details about this issue for us.

Preparation for No-Till Farming Research Trials

Land preparation came after Frank had trained the farmers on the meaning of no-till farming and, the objective of this research. This was their first time to hear about this system.

This is an innovation to our farmers, and we needed to train them on how to do it and on the purpose of this research. They are used to tilling their land in every season, and they haven’t tried any other ways of farming.

Frank explained the technique to them and told them no-till is a farming system that is beneficial to crops and soils. It increases soil fertility and thus increases crop production, it also reduces fuel, labor, and equipment costs and it improves soil structure.

This method can also reduce erosion, as it leaves more residues on the soil surface and thus reduces the velocity of rainwater run off which causes erosion. In Rwanda, the country of a thousand hills, farmers know the damage that erosion can do to their lands.

Looking at the picture above, you can see the differences between plots prepared by tilling the soil and those prepared for no-till farming. In the tilled plots you can see that soil was disturbed, was lifted, and how soil was taken away from its natural state. Looking at the no-till plots you can see the soil is in its natural state. What the farmers did on the no-till plot was just to remove the harvested maize and cut some shrubs without disturbing the soil.

Planting began the weekend of February 29, 2020. Frank put some signposts indicating plots with the different techniques for others to look at and to observe the differences in crop growth for these two different techniques. We have 6 plots for no-till farming and 6 plots for tillage farming. The till and the no-till plots will be used to grow the same crops using the same inputs (e.g., fertilizers, etc.) for comparison purposes.

Meetings with farmers on projects and on their livelihood problems

Farmers have income producing projects that are on-going. These projects increase their earning capacity and their knowledge in adapting to business thinking. An off-farm income producing project for our farmers is crucial because their farms are too small to produce the food and incomes that they need to survive. Off-farm income is often the only barrier between them and malnutrition or starvation.

Eleven Twisungane Group Families Receive Loans for Goats

The (11) families thanked TFH USA for accepting their requests and granting them loans with which to purchase two goats per family. TFH invested ~ $1,870.00 to purchase and deliver the 22 goats. These eleven families needed the goats and they each agreed to the TFH loan repayment terms (i.e., they will each repay TFH for their two goats after 12 months to allow them time to generate income from the goats).

We (Frank, Deo, and TFH USA) have discussed the issue of a pending goat project since the time of our original employee Deo, in 2016. Because of the time lag, the farmers were concerned that TFH might not carry through on its promise to loan them funds for the goats. The project was delayed because everyone involved needed to agree on loan repayment terms and, because the farmers needed their transportation issue addressed as their priority.

Clean Water

Obtaining clean water is one of the most distressing issues the farmers face. The water they use mostly comes from a river near their farms. That river water is dirty. When it rains, many of the farmers get water from small ponds that are in the neighborhood however, the ponds are very dirty.

Above is a photograph of the pond located in the farmer’s neighborhood. Some people are using that dirty water for home consumption. Frank spoke with them about buying some water tanks to be able to catch the rainwater during rainy seasons and use rainwater instead.

They had waited for the government to provide them with clean water taps (hand-pumped water wells) but up until now there has been no action. The government did provide their community with a tank and guttering to collect rainwater runoff from the roof of the local one room school building.

Frank and TFH USA are investigating low-cost, viable, simple, and socially acceptable methods for cleaning the water from their local water sources. Currently, two technologies look promising. One technology involves ceramic water filters impregnated with colloidal silver. Colloidal silver is a mineral. Colloidal silver can kill certain germs by binding to and destroying proteins. A second technology uses silver ions on the internal surfaces of a porous ceramic tablet. The two technologies may be used together or separately.

From the CDC website https://www.cdc.gov/safewater/ceramic-filtration.html :

“Locally manufactured ceramic filters have traditionally been used throughout the world to treat household water. Currently, the most widely implemented ceramic filter is the Potters for Peace design. The filter is flowerpot shaped, holds about 8-10 liters of water, and sits inside a plastic or ceramic receptacle. To use the ceramic filters, families fill the top receptacle or the ceramic filter itself with water, which flows through the ceramic filter or filters into a storage receptacle. The treated water is then accessed via a spigot embedded within the water storage receptacle. The filters are produced locally at ceramics facilities, and then impregnated with colloidal silver to ensure complete removal of bacteria in treated water and to prevent growth of bacteria within the filter itself. Numerous other locally-made and commercial ceramic filters are widely available in developed and developing countries.”

The other technology is the Madidrop+.   See https://www.madidrop.com/how-it-works.

“Silver ions delivered by nanoparticles to bacteria promote lysis, the process by which cells break down and ultimately die, which makes silver nanoparticles a superior and widely used antibacterial agent. New research by Rice University found that silver ions, not the particles themselves, are toxic to bacteria. They also found that ligands in the vicinity of a bacteria can bind silver ions and prevent them from reaching their target.” (Credit: Zongming Xiu/Rice University)

The Motorbike Taxi Project

Frank and the farmers discussed the best ways of paying the TFH loan for the motorbike. They agreed on modified terms and conditions that will help them with depositing their payments into our bank account. The motorbike project is doing well, and they are depositing money to the TFH account every two weeks to repay their loan. At the same time, they are also depositing money into their own account as well.

Food / Crop Preservation

The farmers and Frank continued their discussions about food preservation. Frank learned that they only utilize a technique of preserving beans where they store beans in a sack and put some product (pills) they buy at the Agropharm (local agricultural supply store) which prevents their beans from spoiling. Other crops such as cassava they just leave in the field and take what they can consume and leave the rest in the field.

There are other techniques for food / crop preservation that they may be able to take advantage of. The photograph above shows a traditional way of drying maize grains. The dried grains are ready to transform to maize flour. This technique is usually used when the farmers need to quickly have their grain turned into flour.

Government Closes the Community’s School

The classrooms are not in service anymore. The government closed the community’s only school. The children are now walking a long distance to attend school in another village. The distance is extremely far for the little children to walk every day. We are afraid the number of children attending school will drop. Frank still encourages parents to keep allowing their children to go school. We are also connecting with local government officials to see if they can influence the central government to reopen their school and to provide salaries to local teachers to come and teach at the school.

Solar Energy for Electrical Power

Last but not the least among what the farmers and Frank discussed, is the issue of electricity. They have shown their interest in having solar energy, and they wanted to start with electricity for lamp lighting. Many of the ladies in the group told Frank that they suffer during the night especially in food preparation and in helping their kids with their homework from school. Solar energy may become one of the next projects that TFH helps with. Frank is investigating the issue(s).

The Way Forward

The farmers were encouraged to make their activities more business-smart and to think of projects that can improve their standards of living. They can grow these ideas into something big in the future.

Next month we hope to have photographs and videos of the farmers with their new goats. The farmers are on the right track for development and what we need to do is to give a little push and help them achieve their goals.