Category: Moringa
Progress Report
Moringa project beginnings
Firstly Jenny and I would like to acknowledge that our Lord God has been the driving force behind this project together with Hillcrest Presbyterian Family Church and Lifestyle Ministries of Canada. To God be the Glory.
On 12 February 2013 I woke with the pressing idea that Jesus fed 5000 families.
The project is presented
Matthew 14:21 “and those who had eaten were about 5 000 men besides women and children”
The project was written and agreed to in principal within 1 week. The final go ahead was given by HPFC and Lifestyle Ministries on Thursday the 21 Feb 2013.
Jenny and I presented the proposal to the HPFC congregation on Sunday 3 March where an overwhelming positive response to the project was received.
First trees planted
On Tuesday the 5 March Pastor Brian Smith and I put the proposal to Debbie Wells director of Sethani. The project was accepted with enthusiasm and the first 10 trees were planted at Sethani by that weekend.
During the week of the 4 to 10 March 2013 Our Sister Church led by Rev Mashabini of Hammarsdale Presbyterian Church accepted the project in principal and Jenny and Brian presented the project to his congregation on Sunday the 17 March. The congregation accepted the project enthusiastically. Brian delivered the address in Xhosa/Zulu.
The project grows
A planting ceremony for the first 20 trees took place over Easter. Many congregants offered financial support and others are interested in buying trees themselves. They wanted to plant 200 trees but we will restricted the first lot to 20 in the pilot and will look to sponsor greater no’s in phase 2 and 3.
The Inchanga Country Park adopted the project and Jenny and I made a presentation and handed over 20 young moringa trees early in April.
On Sunday 10 March Jenny and I presented a progress report to the HPFC and again received an overwhelming response.
Highbury Junior School has adopted The project in principal and as part of their outreach program will sponsor the school at Bothas hill which is already part of their outreach program.
Empelwini and Lothando groups already being worked with by our mission team was visited.
Schools sponsored by Thousand hills Spar were visited.
An orphanage sponsored by our farming partner Dave Rigby was visited.
Project phase 4
Phase 4 of the project will be the setting up of co-ops to buy leaves and process in mini drying factories. This will be run on similar lines to the coffee and tea co-ops in Kenya which have been running for over 40 years. This phase will only start in 2 years time when there are sufficient trees in the community. Phase 1 ,2 and 3 are intended to help supplement home nutrition.
We have received R1290 in donations and R600 has been paid out for trees to Sethani. Please pray for more donations for trees. We have had extremely generous donations for compost. Two donors have donated enough compost for phase 1 and a third donor has donated 2 tons of horse manure/compost per week – enough for phase 2 and 3 and plenty left for our farming project.
Sue Nagel has already over a thousand moringa seedlings for phase 2 and she and Jenny and I are busy planting a further 5000 moringa seeds for trees for phase 3.
Before going to Hammarsdale Church our reading for the morning was from Angus Buckans daily devotional “a mustard Seed “ for 17 March. It was about Jesus feeding 5000 families. Not a coincidence but Gods blessing for the project.
