Moringa Field--Chelsea Carpenter

Here is an update on the Moringa business from Chelsea Carpenter:

Ubuzima Moringa is a business that Debby Thomas started as a way to minister life and show God’s love to Rwandans. The business will enable them to buy moringa at a cheap price which will help them very much nutritionally. The business also has a vision to be Christ’s light in the communities in which it works , through relationships with farmers, workers, salespeople etc!

Ubuzima Moringa is growing its moringa trees right outside the city of Kigali in a low-lying swampy area. Moringa leaves need to be washed with water once they’re harvested but dirty, slimy, swamp water would have had to do the job since wells are very expensive to dig, about $15,000 at the least. Debby inquired into having a well dug on their property, but the business did not have the necessary funds.

One organization that Debby had contacted had problems with some equipment and had to have a foreign team come to repair it. Once it was repaired, they needed a place to test the equipment, but it couldn’t be on one of their contracted sites. Out of all the possible places, they thought of Ubuzima Moringa and of the well that they wanted at their field! Having a well dug to test the equipment would cost exactly nothing.

As I was finishing my lunch with the school kids the other day at the Thomas house, Debby announced that the well-diggers were at the moringa field about to start digging…and would we like to go watch? This invitation included all the students as well, once the parents were asked, and since the digging would start any minute, we had to hurry and get everyone packed into the vehicles and onto the road.

We had barely started our twenty-minute drive, however, when the timing belt broke on the Thomas’s land cruiser and Dave had to pull over. Our car went back to get another car so we could still all go see the digging, but then realized we were almost out of gas so stopped on the way. We finally all got to the field, having found enough vehicles and drivers, and got to see the magical well-drilling machine and workmen.

There is no way I could explain the mechanics of it all, I just knew that when we got there, a hole was already in the ground and a few people from the community were watching the whole process. We gladly joined them. When we reluctantly turned around to leave, the workers started digging again! This was the exciting part, the loud noise, the spinning drill, the dirt flying up out of the hole (and the poor operator getting covered with it). I saw a child holding two jerry-cans (water containers) and thought of the blessings that this water would bring - not only to help provide moringa, but also as a water source for the whole community around the field.

Discipling For Development Seminar

Last week we had all of the currently active community voulenteers (24 in all) come to a three day seminar in Kiagli. It was encouraging to hear the storeis of change in the communities. We also noticed that their world view has gone through some major changes since we first started teaching them a year and a half ago.

The lessons were fun! We used a lot of discussions, pictures, small groups, etc. so that the participants were actively involved in the learning experience.

We are moving into the stage of teaching lessons about the topics that the communities identify as their biggest problems, the things that keep them from moving out of poverty. Its a big step for all of us, we are moving into unknown ground. But there is a sense of hope and expectation among them.

The communities so far have identified animal husbandry, farming methods, health issues (especially malaria, worms, diarrhea, and dirty drinking water) as major issues they want to be trained in.

Pray with us as we start this new phase in our communities. We trust in God's transforming power to be working in and through each of us.

Thank you for your prayers!

An excerpt from Molly about Moringa

Molly is one of our new teachers. Here are her reflections on going to the Moringa field:

A few days ago I went to Debby Thomas’ moringa field. Debby is one of the main Friends missionaries here. In January she started a business with a plant called a moringa. Moringa trees have a huge amount of nutritional value and are really easy to grow here in Rwanda. Debby has bought a few acres of land and has started planting. She has hired several Rwandans to work for her. The business has many purposes, but Debby’s model
is to do business as missions. She is hoping that her interactions with the local community and the impact of this nutritional plant will bring God glory, bring nutrition into more Africans’ diets, and bring people to the Lord.

Going to her field was really neat. She has worked really hard and learned a ton. I enjoyed getting to see all of the different ways to farm moringa, and the view of the valley was an added pleasant surprise. Alandra, Gwen, and Aren kept all of the neighborhood kids and us entertained. Those kids thought we were the best things they had seen in awhile. They all stood on the edge of the field and just watched us walk about. I think it was because of the girls’ really fair hair and skin, as well as the Thomas family dog Kenzie. Rwandans tend to be really afraid of dogs! The idea of having them as pets is crazy to them.

Love, Molly