This was a two-day workshop with a new group, at a small Friends church seven kilometres up the road out of Kamembe towards Nyungwe forest. I've lost count of the number of groups I've worked with but it must be more than 10. This is the first time I've had a student who's been to the organic training at Gako, outside Kigali, where I visited at the beginning of this project, two years ago.
Having an ally in the group is a new pleasure. Of course Marie Claire may disagree with some of the things I say, and I invite her to do so if there's something I've forgotten or misunderstood. (The group has already had the line about how they and not I are the experts on their soil, climate etc.). Mostly she is able to add detail – it only takes 30 days to make usable compost if you construct the heap in one day; biogas can be made equally well from cow dung or human waste....
The second day is to end after a late lunch. We finish by planting seeds in the sack outside the church leader's house where we are to eat. I suggest that we just relax and wait for the food to be ready in 10 or 15 minutes. Oh no, we must go back to the church/classroom for the recommendations.
Mukarugwiza Mary, the woman who has led most of the singing and dancing and asked the most questions, wants to speak on behalf of the group.
'Thank you for two days' teaching. We have learnt how to prepare and plant a sack. Thank you for what you have taught.
'Also you have helped us to produce many vegetables in a small space when we don't have much land. And we have learnt about plant tea and ways to protect our plants from pests. Also we have learnt about compost. Altogether many new things. Thank you for choosing to come here to us.
'Now we have some recommendations. First, we would like to learn how to grow mushrooms so we can sell them for income and eat them when we can't afford meat. [This was not a good time to make sure they know mushrooms – a very fashionable commodity at the moment - are not nourishing!] Second, you can see how our church has foundations but hardly any building; we are a small congregation of 60 including children and we hope you will ask your church to pray for us and consider sending us money.
'We ask you to greet your family and your church.'
Dancing in the part-built churchI thank everybody for attending and wish them well. I leave a selection of seeds with Marie Claire, whom they appoint to distribute them. After lunch I am picked up and taken to Kumbya for a weekend's relaxation. They get on with their lives.
Marie Claire (left) and Mary
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