Monday 13 October 2008

Have you ever seen a coffee tree?

Yes, Maybe, No,, does coffee grow on trees, well what do you think?

I don't know I buy mine at the supermarket!


This is a coffee tree and it in Besi's veg patch. It takes 4 years from the point of planting to the point of bearing fruit (the coffee beans)Besi doesn't grow enough to sell but were she to sell, she would earn 50pence per kilo. Her tree is for personal use.




This is the other side of Besi's vegetable patch. Here she grows bananas and for the benefit of those that have never seen a banana tree that is what it looks like. She grows other vegetables too and if she has more than what she needs she swaps with Mary and the others



In this village children do not normally go to school until they are 7 years old. The villagers felt that this as not ideal situation and thanks to their friend
Ann McCarthy their dream of having a nursery school. It is not quite finished as the floor is yet to go don and there are no windows. It is however usable, and on Ann's last visit she had a go at taking a class of 30 children for a whole afternoon!



This is a camping space outside the nursery school and doubles as a play area too.




This is papyrus, it is the main raw material in basket weaving and useful for making mats. This fascinates me because on it's own it is useless but with the concept of value addition it brings financial independence to Besi and the other women in the village




This is a temporary youth centre where the young people come to watch TV and video. It also double as a village hall, and although it is not completed in any sense they have electricity and oh those mats are made out papyrus.

Would you like to learn more or support our efforts in this village?

If so please drop me a note

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