WEM has 55 acres of land across the river from the main AE, Abri De L’Esperance campus. In the past, the land has been used for agriculture by some Belgians, but recently it has basically been used by some locals to grow cassava trees. WEM would like to develop this land to grow crops that would not only be used for food for the orphaned children but also be sold on the market to make some hard cash. Both would provide support for the orphanage. It is the intention of WEM to have AE develop possibilities that can help it be more self-sufficient. On top of that, it will be an opportunity to teach the children about agriculture and its benefits.
WEM has built two two farmer houses; one on each end of the property. The buildings house a couple of farmers who are in charge of growing the crops. Since farm equipment is scarce in DRC, basically all of the work is done by manual labor. WEM may have some widows maintain part of the land in exchange for a share of the crops produced. The river at the bottom of the property affords a water source. WEM is experimenting with different crops to see which ones grow the best. This past year we planted green beans, peanuts and Cassava trees. Unfortunately, the green beans did not survive the heavy rains, but the peanuts and Cassava trees did well.
How can you help? To send a team from Engineering Ministries International, EMI, with an Agricultural specialist would cost about $8,000. That would include a couple of surveyors to document the land that has been purchased. WEM already owns the 55 acres of land mentioned, but would be open to purchasing more land if the funds were available. Also an agricultural non-profit in Muanda with farm equipment has offered to plough and prepare the land for $138 per hectare. WEM would also have to pay for the fuel from Muanda to the land and back. The total cost to plough and prepare the land by that equipment would be approximately $2,760 + fuel. If any of you is interested in going to Muanda as a volunteer, please contact Len De Zeeuw.
If you’d like to donate to this project you can do so here: https://newhorizonsfoundation.com/waystodonate?pid=72-whispering-eagle-ministries&Itemid=105