Updates <  2013 > 2013 Update Housing Porridge Club Day Care and Schooling Few updates and stories Green shoots A small world but I wouldn't want to paint it! Photo session Sewing machines Where the funds went this year support updates, the things we need and a few cost broken down

April 2013 Green Shoots We have mentioned Tega and her family on several occasions. We are sponsoring young Balutu at Day Care and her middle sister, Feleg we are sponsoring at teacher training. Enana is 13 and at school. This means that Truye the oldest girl aged about 21 is now responsible for the whole family. She is doing day work when available. This is a huge responsibility for a 21 year old which has been forced upon her since the death of their mother Tega at Xmas.   We looked at ways they could increase their income. Digging up the land around their home to plant vegetables was an option when Truye suddenly mentioned about land that they owned. This land was purchased by their now deceased father many years ago, it is not the best piece of land as it floods in the rainy season but it could be turned into an arable plot to grow fruit and vegetables. With this in mind we arranged to have the land ploughed, two teams of oxen and four men took half a day for the cost of 400 Bir about £14.00.  The next day Jane, Angie, Mike, Truye and Durbire went out at seven in the morning to dig over the land. Mike went back on a couple of occasions to help dig it over before planting seeds. The next issue was water, we knew a man Negero who has a knack of finding water. Negero said that he would need to dig 7 metres down and 2.5 meters in diameter, all by hand in 42C and in four days. To prevent the well collapsing in the rainy season it would be supported with rock and iron. We purchased seed, cabbage, carrot, tomato and spinach to start the planting. A week before we left we sprinkled some cabbage seed on the prepared soil and Truye watered it every night. On our last day we went over to say goodbye, we were amazed to see the small green shoots of cabbages popping up above the soil, can’t wait to see the full results next year. We hope that the land will provide enough fruit and vegetables not only for the family but enough to sell.

For further information on the Bahir Dar Projects and how you can help please email Angela and Mike on khyber.king@btinternet.com