Rog and I got to enjoy breakfast with two champions of education in Zambia this week. We met Tracy Blackmer, agronomist from ZIAP, responsible for a training program that has exploded to impact over 10,000 small Zambian maize growers over the last two years, and Dr. Curtis Youngs, professor of animal husbandry at Iowa State University, and more recently responsible for a brand-new training facility built just last month in Chipata, Zambia. One of the topics we tackled at that meeting was a conversation about how we might do with Dr. Youngs animal training what has been accomplished with Tracy's maize training. We did NOT solve that problem, but it is ever at the top of our minds.
First, we have to make demonstration farm number 1 successful. That is currently top of mind in Zambia and among our S2S leadership outside of Zambia. We have several young hens laying eggs presently but are not up to full capacity just yet. Keep in mind the eggs, and the opportunity for us to share that wonderful source of protein with our Zambian brothers and sisters in the area, are just a by-product of the desire of Dr. Youngs to be able to help our brothers and sisters learn how to be better managers of their own animals. Plans for making this new facility successful and the multiplying the effort are still being worked out. But what an exciting opportunity!
Meanwhile, I have wired September funding, and the team has received it this week. Due to the trip in August, much of the August feeding program has only begun, so we will be hoping to wrap that effort up over the coming days so we can get to the September program much earlier in the month and get ourselves back on schedule. You have seen pictures of some of our largest churches and the many recipients of maize lined up having received their allotment for the month. The pic this month comes from our SMALLEST church community. This community is near Chirundu, in south central Zambia, and is led by Lukas Simuyenda. The diversity of our communities is fascinating. Large or small community, urban or rural community, modern looking church building or pole structure with no sides, they all have one thing in common: they are peopled by our Zambian brothers and sisters, who are all just trying to manage a life that is VERY different than the life we live here in America.
And each of these communities needs our help. All have some destitute members. Many have a need for a clean water source. And we are just trying to do what we can with what we have been entrusted. If you aren't one of the 150 donors that have shared through us with these wonderful brothers and sisters, we would love to have you with us. Thanks for your consideration.
