PROJECTS FINANCED SO FAR IN 2008 - £22,355
INDIA, Dharma Puri, Tamil Nadu.
£7,000.
Leper Rehabilitation Colony Seeds and Tools Distribution Project.
Funds for: seeds, tools and irrigation.
Thousand of people in this district live in broken down houses and huts in a Leprosy colony. They are permitted to live there by the government but they have no food or water and are starving; reliant on begging. Only some have managed to do light jobs.
Lepers are rejected from society and are chased out, ending up at the colony; many are dying there from lack of food and others have committed suicide.
A very hot, dry climate makes conditions worse.
Beneficiaries: 1500 lepers (incl. 500 children) and 500 farming families near to the colony.
It is hoped that there will be enough seeds from the harvest to benefit 5,000 people.
Irrigation channels have been dug and seeds planted. This will result in organic supplies of bananas, dhall, rice and vegetables.
A 1 year project, financed through Pastor Jesudoss (Madurai, India).
GHANA, Upper East Region, Builsa District.
£12,167.
Kandema Rural Regeneration Project.
Funds for: nut and fruit tree seedlings, technical support and training.
This area suffers from recurring drought, erratic rains and declining crop yields.
Deforestation, overgrazing and soil erosion has led to poor food security.
Most of the men have migrated to urban areas to search for work - leaving the women to provide for the families, in difficult conditions.
Beneficiaries: women's groups and villagers in 4 communities.
Tree varieties grown will be: cashew, cassia, mahogany, mango, moringa oleifera, neem, pigeon pea, shea, wild tamarind.
During this 1 year project - 27,400 trees will be planted and full training will be provided to set up the nurseries and to provide the knowledge to regenerate the eroded land.
Soil and water conservation techniques will be used and composting schemes set up.
This is part of a larger project; in which the project partner will provide other trees to be grown for fuelwood, building materials and income generating produce.
Food security will be provided by the whole project and surplus crops will be marketed locally. Financed through TREE AID (Bristol, UK).
BANGLADESH, Jessore, Vekutia District
£3,188.
Vegetable Garden Project at a Sheltered Rescue Home for Trafficked Women and Children.
Funds for: seeds and tools, a gardener and a water pump.
The DAM shelter home was set up in 2003, to provide safe accommodation to women and children who have been the victims of human trafficking.
The residents are mainly young women and children (often victims of rape and violence). The babies are often the result of violations to the women.
The home provides: food, warmth, support, healthcare, medical services, counselling, education and training.
Since 2003 there have been 187 women and children helped at the residential home.
The women and children are reintegrated into their families whenever possible, within 3 months.
Beneficiaries: 37 people currently living in the home (others as admitted).
These residents (and staff) at the home will benefit from the establishment of a small scale vegetable farm (1.5 acres); which will provide them with seasonal, fresh organic vegetables all year round. 27 types of local vegetables will be grown.
This project will provide enough produce to feed the residents and the sale of surplus crops will provide enough income for the annual running costs of the home.
The provision of a water pump will ensure a good supply of water for irrigation.
A gardener will be employed and training will be provided in vegetable growing; enabling the women to take the knowledge with them, to share with their communities when resettling.
Financed through Dhaka Ahsania Mission (Devon, UK), working with in-country partner Dhaka Ahsania Mission Bangladesh.
PROJECTS UNDER CONSIDERATION FROM MAY 2008
GHANA - over £1,000. Funds for: 2 water wells for tree nurseries (see project above).
KENYA - £14,000 to £17,000. Funds for: seeds distribution for communities affected by recent post election violence.
The violence in Kenya caused an humanitarian crisis. Food stuffs are in short supply and are very expensive, if available.
Businesses have been destructed and the economy is at a standstill. There is a lack of employment and income.
More than 300,000 people are internally displaced and over 500,000 are in need of emergency assistance. There is a high incidence of HIV/AIDS.
Nomads have lost everything and have been forced to adopt an agricultural way of life - learning to grow vegetables and irrigate crops.
Vegfam has been asked to help these people in 5 semi-arid areas which are suffering from drought.
We hope to be able to raise enough funds; whereby we can finance organic vegetable gardens, which will also produce enough crops to sell in local markets.
Training would be provided in nutrition and (vegan) food preparation.
KENYA - approx. £4,000. Funds for: a water pump and/or irrigation supplies and vegetable growing at a children's orphanage.
Many of the children at the orphanage have HIV/AIDS. They are being well cared for and have a good diet, provided by crops grown on a few acres, however, the water pump needs replacing.
We hope to raise funds to buy a new pump and provide seeds, so that more vegetables can be grown on the site; to provide essential nutrients required to help the children's health condition.
The more food that is grown, the more orphans can be fed.
SOUTH AFRICA - up to £20,000. Funds for: Nutrition programmes for HIV/AIDS orphans; Setting up projects to produce highly nutritious soya and fruit smoothies (milkshake drinks) and a long-term scheme to grow the soya beans locally.
OTHER HELP: Vegfam has recently received requests to help to fund vegetable growing projects and fruit trees; to prevent malnutrition and starvation at 2 orphanages in Johannesburg and Lesotho. We are currently assessing the needs of the organisations.
*We hope to raise funds to finance as many of the above projects as possible this year*.
Also, villagers in South India are desperately in need of safe, unpolluted water and food (crop production). Vegfam has been asked to help but this depends on available funding.