An unsolicited testimonial

Yesterday evening Augustine and Gaudance had visitors for dinner, the pastor and his wife from Kamembe, the part of Cyangugu where the Friends School is and I got so stuck in mud last visit. I think I'm getting better at looking awake but not bored while the conversation gets ever livelier and I don't understand any of it. (It was salutary to find how easy it was to do the same to Antoine when he was my visitor.)

Then as we were finishing, Augustine turned to me. Madame Pastor wants to give you a testimony, he said. I had the presence of mind to ask them to wait while I got paper to jot down what she was to say - Dave Z, AGLI co-ordinator, and others often ask for quotable quotes. This is her story:

A cooperative of 30 women from several churches, the 15 who took my workshop and 15 more, called Shining Light, has been formed and meets every Saturday to make sack gardens in different homes. They all contribute 200 Rwf (20p) a week, which pays the rent for a small piece of land at 36,000 Rwf (around £35) for two seasons(ie a year).

They have already sold the maize they planted, and saved some of the proceeds to rent a second field further out of town. The next step will be to buy a goat for every family and the manure will feed the kitchen gardens and fields. They will buy a few every now and then depending on income. The aim is for every member to have one.

I asked if they are eating differently.

In the beginning some of them neglected the teaching. She herself now plants kale, parsley etc. At every meal they have different vegetables. She has three sacks at home. It's good to work together and difficult to construct a sack garden on your own. So others learn by helping. The money they used to spend at market every day can now go to other things.

Did all this happen after my visit?

We had the idea before, but Elizabeth opened our eyes and we saw real possibilities. Now FHI (Food for the Hungry International, presumably a US Christian charity) are teaching us about nutrition and keeping us encouraged.

Has people's health changed?

Her husband cuts in instantly: Look at my wife, how healthy and beautiful she is! (I'll post her photo when I can.) Then he asks if I can get him a simple book on nutrition for him to teach adults and children at church. I fetch my 2 pages of notes on vitamins and minerals and give them to him on one of the many 2nd hand flash drives scavenged for me by Eleanor.

I think that counts as success.



Kanukaze Venance is really more beautiful than this picture suggests.