Updates From East Africa

Greetings from lovely, GREEN Southern Africa! We're in a beautiful country called Eswatini with friends from Heart for Africa in support of their farming operation, Project Canaan.

Below are a few favorite moments from our Board Chair Kevin Stark’s recent trip in the region.

Farmers are more known for our work than for our play, but that doesn't mean we don't love to play too!

These days of learning and growing together in East Africa have been sweet. Pictured above on the left is Kevin with Peter Frans (blue shirt), the director of our one of our strongest partners, Dutch Nature, and the second picture top right shows our Board Treasurer, John Wallbrown, playing soccer with friends in Eswatini!

Below is Ben, an agronomist from the United States now serving in Kyrgyzstan, at the rotational grazing plot. More info on that seed genetics project and the real estate investment outside of Bishkek is coming soon, most likely to our investors first.

Pictured: This is Sifiso, Heart for Africa’s poultry manager. He and his team supply eggs to the orphans there and to children across the region via a network of over 30 churches. His hat says “Bless This Mess.”

Thanks to these generous partners at Heart for Africa and local friends for taking time to work AND play together as we consider what God has next for these partnerships.

Thanks to all of you who make it possible, people are growing food and growing in community together thanks to YOUR support!!

Here were two of the sweetest moments from our time in Eswatini: being a fly on the wall as these beautiful children worshiped and danced and sang together (pictured above), and getting to meet the little girl the Starks sponsor, Jane! (pictured below)

Africa Rising Conference

Not far from Eswatini in sunny Zimbabwe, we attended the Africa Rising conference in Harare with this crew.

Don’t let the goofy faces fool you, this conference held a great showing of strong ag businesses and a wide variety clear, practical examples of real impact agriculture is having in the region. We heard from a woman who now owns a gas-powered stove—simple to many, but revolutionary to her as she doesn't have to build fires to cook over any more, and her farming income made it possible!

We heard from a woman who put her child through college, an unimaginable dream, and another who bought a motorbike for better mobility, and yet another who built a nice cement pit latrine, an outhouse to make her home more sanitary and safe.

These are simple things that dramatically increase people's quality of life, and it was made possible by faith-fueled Aggies who refuse to quite working for the Kingdom!

Thanks to all of you who hosted us and made this conference happen, it was encouraging.

Pictured: Touring Farm Edene’s training greenhouse with Cabo, the farm’s manager and chief grower.