Welcome to Photo Friday! Each Friday, we share photo collections of our favourite shots from our sponsor sites around the world.
Fall has just begun, and for many in Canada, that means apple-picking season! And gourd season, and pumpkin season…in short, it’s harvest season.
Across the globe, many of our sites harvest at this time of year, too. So this week, we’re sharing our top 5 ‘Harvest Season’ photos! No matter where you are, we hope the harvest is plentiful.
#5: Cool Cabbage
If you’re not familiar with the African School Farming and Food Security Project, and especially the Starehe Girls School version, you’re missing out. Starehe Girls School is a boarding school in Kenya for girls from poor families throughout the country.
The school has a feeding program that includes growing all of its own produce. Chalice supports the garden, which regularly turns out delicious vegetables, such as cabbage.
Curious to learn more about the program? Click HERE
#4: Sunny Sunflowers
At our Neema site in Tanzania, a group of locals received some funding from the African School Farming and Food Security project. What did they do with it? Sunflowers! (Oh, and purchased one acre of land.)
Versatile and yummy, sunflower seeds can be used for snacking, oil, and chicken feed. The group plans to sell the seeds to others to bring in income, and hope to one do have five acres.
#3: Hunks of Husks
At our Mbinga site in Tanzania, Jane is a member of the Lady Utulivu (Patience) group in Mbangamao. In their first year, they planted five acres of corn and harvested 16 90 kilogram sacks. Their second year they planted 10 acres! The corn/maize production helps support their families.
#2: Great Goats
Most of the families of sponsored children at our Serenje site rely on agriculture for food and livelihood. Goats are a wise investment for family farmers in Zambia, as goats provide milk, butter, yogurt, cheese and income.
So when the Sisters who run the Serenje sponsor site told five family circles they were set to receive a gift of five goats, you can understand why they’re smiling! Each family circle is expected to care for and breed their goats, so that in a few years, each member family will have their own. Their communities can now be confident that the goat products they consume are from healthy animals.
#1: Vital Vegetables
At our Mikinduri site in Kenya, every sponsored child has a parent involved in a circle group.
“The circles have developed into strong communal working groups that are at the forefront in supporting schools and other community developments,” writes Carolyne, the site director.
The parents play a strong role in the school feeding program. In fact, the parents’ involvement helped Mikinduri triple the number of schools offering a lunch program. That meant 1500 more students received a hot meal at school each day.
The parents grew and dried vegetables, and they also contributed grains to supplement the lunches.
Follow Chalice on Facebook and Instagram for daily updates from our sponsor sites, impact stories, and more! Be sure to check back next week for another Photo Friday.