This week I sent over our September wire - it's somewhere between Iowa and Zambia at the moment. That wire should allow our partners in Zambia to impact almost 3,500 families and provide clean water to another community for the first time. So amazing.
Meanwhile, most of the discussion has been around TRAINING. We are working with ZIAP (our agronomy partners) to build off the work done last year. Between November and February of 2024/25, Tracy led a very detailed training program in one centralized location for around 21 individuals, with a couple of village sessions towards the end to spread that a little be wider.
We are just building the plan this year, but so far the basic skeleton plan is to take 15 of the TRAINEESĀ from last growing season and allow them to take what they have learned, with some ZIAP documentation as support, and spread the message into SEVEN different regions where S2S is at work.
We hope to train THOUSANDS of people before and during the 2025/26 growing season.
The picture attached to today's update is of a "field day"Ā the group had towards the end of last year's training where some of the TRAINEES practiced their new understanding in as many as 500 local growers. Imagine this multiplied by SEVEN TRAINERS with TWO training plots each before and throughout the growing season!
Our hope is that we can impact THOUSANDSĀ of local growers in real time during the upcoming season with training on field prep and planting JUSTĀ BEFOREĀ the actual season is set to being and the training on other relevant issues ASĀ THEYĀ BECOMEĀ RELEVANT throughout the coming growing season.
Two different ways you could help financially: 1) You could send us a onetime donation that we would allocate directly to this growing season, either in helping cover logistics around the training sessions or inputs to get a vulnerable farmer started; or 2) You could become a monthly recurring donor and help us bridge the current gap between our recurring donations and what we are typically needing monthly to carry on our normal feeding program and provide for our in country team who is actually making everything happen.
Either of those things would REALLYĀ be helpful!! If you have any questions, either Rog or IĀ are always eager to talk about the work.
If you don't know the best way to contribute, let me just mention a few ways current donors get us funds: 1) I LOVEĀ to go to my mailbox because a few times a month, rather than bills, there is actually a S2S check, so sending a check is certainly a reasonable option - either from your normal accounts or if you have some sort of donor advised funds; 2) On the website there is a "DONATE" button that takes you through a relatively simple (hopefully) process if you prefer to use a card of some sort; 3) We receive funds through "Zelle" monthly; and 4) I am ALWAYS happy to set up a lunch or dinner with someone thinking about joining us in the work, and then IĀ am equally happy to just bring a check for S2S home with me. :)
Thanks for your interest, whether you are currently actively participating or not. IĀ believe LOVEĀ is the answer to most questions. And IĀ believe caring for our brothers and sisters who have been dealt a much more difficult set of cards than we have is a wonderful act of LOVE.
