Grandma's...

Thank God for Grandma's!!! That is what I have been doing since we started with Amecet. Most of our children are orphans, many have lost their parents because of HIV/AIDS. Many children have been resettled back home with their Grandparents. Mostly Grandmothers. Some of those old ladies are really tough, but they look after their grandchildren, sometimes even from different children of them, who have all died. I have a deep respect for them, instead of being cared for in their old age, they are caring again for children, sometimes very small ones. We started our Grandma project way back in 2001, it was very small, just some few families we started to support with seeds, ploughing their land and sometimes helping with  repairing their house, or supplying a mattress. Since that time we provide them every year with seeds and the number of families have grown. We have given a goat (which multiplied lost of little goats) another year we could give a cow, which will provide milk for the family in the future. We have given a bull and a plough, orange trees etc. This year we made a list and we also included some single parents who are needy and some other family members who have taken in the HIV+ orphans to care for. Most of the children have been in Amecet in the past, we know the families and we regular come to check on them. We have now 50 families on our list.

Elias made a family assessment form and Simon and Elias have been visiting every family on our list to see how the family is doing and what their needs are. We do want to help them with their needs, not with what we think they need. On the picture you see Simon (left) and Elias packing the bags for delivery in the villages.

This year we were able to give them also some trees. Pine trees, they plant them to border their land ans use the timber for building. Then Eucalyptus trees, they grow them to build their huts, when you cut one, many new small trees will grow from it. And also orange trees. All the families will also receive a hoe. You see some of the trees in the back of the car, ready to deliver to the families. And the last picture shows Elias sorting out all the seeds, which we bought in town. We give Ground nuts, beans, soya beans, cow peas, seeds for eggplant, cabbage, tomatoes. Mais and soghum.

 It is a lot of work, the families live far from each other, the roads are bad and the rain season  has started, so many hours driving. But it is worth everything, the people are so happy with the help we give them. It enables them to feed the whole family and even sell some, when the harvest is good. In the next blog I will tell some stories and show some of the grand parents.