Out the windows of the land rover the landscape moves past us in jerks and lurches, the candelabra cacti and trees with frazzled, tangled branches that emerge somehow out of ground that is hard and dry. Vic Aniol, one of the doctors on the study tour, put it best when he said "just looking at the land makes you thirsty." It is an amazing landscape, especially because of the people who live in it.
Yesterday we visited several families, to see the imapct of Cpar's women's income generation projects. I loved meeting Angela and her family. She is a small, shy woman, almost bird-like. But the longer she spke to us, explaining how and why she planted certain trees on her compound and how she waters them, it became more and more apparent just how strong and progressive in nature she is. She told us how she used to have to walk several miles three times a day to get enough water for her mango tree and her family. Now, after learning about drip irrigation, she only has to walk to get water every five days or so. Her back is not so sore anymore, and the plants and trees are lush and productive. I was so surprised to see what drip irrigation means in this part of the world - it is not an expensive system of hoses, but simply a water bottle turned upside down in the mulch, letting water out a bit at a time. Angela has also benefitted from raising dairy goats and chickens. As part of the cpar project, she will then pass on their kids and chicks to other women in her community. I really appreciated Angela's hospitality. She gave us hugs before we left, and had her young son pray for our safety on the rest of our journey.
Nderingo, one of the Cpar field officers, made an excellent point yesterday. He told us "When you support a man, you support a man. When you support a woman, you support a family."
Yesterday we visited several families, to see the imapct of Cpar's women's income generation projects. I loved meeting Angela and her family. She is a small, shy woman, almost bird-like. But the longer she spke to us, explaining how and why she planted certain trees on her compound and how she waters them, it became more and more apparent just how strong and progressive in nature she is. She told us how she used to have to walk several miles three times a day to get enough water for her mango tree and her family. Now, after learning about drip irrigation, she only has to walk to get water every five days or so. Her back is not so sore anymore, and the plants and trees are lush and productive. I was so surprised to see what drip irrigation means in this part of the world - it is not an expensive system of hoses, but simply a water bottle turned upside down in the mulch, letting water out a bit at a time. Angela has also benefitted from raising dairy goats and chickens. As part of the cpar project, she will then pass on their kids and chicks to other women in her community. I really appreciated Angela's hospitality. She gave us hugs before we left, and had her young son pray for our safety on the rest of our journey.
Nderingo, one of the Cpar field officers, made an excellent point yesterday. He told us "When you support a man, you support a man. When you support a woman, you support a family."
1 comment:
"When you support a man, you support a man. When you support a woman, you support a family."
i love this sentence =D
Post a Comment