Sydney Mwamba, AACDP general manager in Zambia, at the site of the future farm
In April the AACDP began the largest project in our 17 year history. In the face of the terrible economic crisis in Zambia that has tripled food prices in the past year and a half, we are buying land to create a communal farm so that our community of families with disabled children can grow and eat their own food.
Many of you contributed to our April campaign, “Delivering Food to Hungry Families in Zambia”, and we were able to buy provisions to deliver a month’s worth of food staples to 40 families for the next few months. We are also in the final stages of buying 20 acres traditional land available to these indigenous families. The next financial hurdle is raising $10,000 for an irrigation system to insure crops will grow with or without the rains. The rains were good this year, but for the previous nine years there was serious drought.
The country is in an election year and those in power seek to remain so by again employing Covid restrictions as well as ordering police to stop other presidential contenders from campaigning. So the economy suffers, a would-be democracy falters and food prices continue to soar.
My friend from Zambia writes last week:
“We are ordered to close the school amid third wave of Covid 19. Many people died last time not of Covid but poverty here. ..since that time things are expensive. Now only God can save us and especially the poor.”
Now we are aiming to put food security in their own hands. Growing crops of corn, okra, pumpkins, tomatoes and more is something that our families grew up doing in the villages. It is part of their culture and experience.
If you have been considering ways to share your blessings, to help the world outside your own sphere, circleWednesday, July 14th on your calendar now. That is the day when your gifts will have the most impact for the AACDP.
We will document our progress and share the results of your contributions with you.
I thank you for helping us live up to our name as a Community Development Project.