Our most recent update email sent on July 5, 2017
"By the time we
end these trainings our lives are not going to be the same again."
What’s Going On?
Our Community Training
Initiative (CTI) is in full swing! As a quick refresher and for
those who are just now partnering with us, we have decided to launch our CTI as
a way to provide education and bring resources to villages where community
members are often isolated and with very little
education. Considering that land is the greatest resource in the
village, we have started with an agricultural and livestock
training. Specifically, community members are learning about farming
potatoes and keeping pigs at a household level. To date community
members have received 10 hours of training and an average of 65 people attend training
each week. The agricultural and livestock training will run every Thursday
until the end of the year. Beginning in August the training will be
moved from the churches to the land for hands-on training and
demonstration. The quote above clearly shows how these trainings are
being received. Many people in the village have an elementary level
education and spend 6-8 hours every day farming the way they’ve always done;
with little education and no updated information.
What’s Next?
In the past week
we have met with both a financial trainer and a local healthcare organization
for additional trainings. Dustan, our financial trainer,
specializes in teaching communities how to start their own Village Savings and
Loan Associations (VSLA). Think of these as banks on a very local
level. Starting July 23rd Dustan
will meet with each community for 4 hours a day for 6 consecutive
days. He will teach them how to elect board members, create bi-laws
and keep written records for their association. We feel strongly that if we are
giving community members the information needed to increase their household
income, then we should also provide education on how to save money in a secure
way. Oftentimes lack of education and understanding prevents people
in the village from using local savings co-ops and banks. This
training will provide them with a secure avenue and the necessary
resources. Dustan will also provide monthly check-ins to help
troubleshoot any issues and provide continued guidance.
What Do We Need?
We need additional
funding for the trainings. We need $500 to complete the agriculture and
livestock training and $300 for the VSLA training at the end of July.
Please consider contributing to the education of our community members by partnering
with us.
Keep updated with the
trainings on our Facebook page.
Have a wonderful summer
and thank you for your continued support!
With love,
Cara
