Welcome to 2020!
As Macarthur locals we have been devastated by the extreme weather events experienced over the past months locally and throughout our country. Today we email with a heart-warming story from another community battling drought far away. A story of resilience and gratitude in an area of extreme poverty and need.
As you may have read in previous emails, one of our key projects is our sustainable garden workshops – providing support and training to individuals, enabling them to become self-sufficient.
This week, our team of interns ran one of their frequent youth camps. (Another of our most powerful projects). In the lead up to the camp we received a tear-jerking email from Vusi our team leader.
Vusi messaged to say that even though the area is in extreme drought, despite having to carry buckets of water from the river to keep gardens alive, his is flourishing! After having received so much support from AAF in the past, Vusi and his team banded together and donated enough veggies to feed the entire camp!
AAF is strict in its spending. We offer ‘A hand up, rather than a handout’. This has now come full circle in the most humbling way. To have our team members provide food from their own gardens to feed the children at camp is a testament to the power of our life skills program.
You, our Australian financial supporters are funding a team of incredibly dedicated interns – young adults who are so grateful to have these opportunities in an area with 70% unemployment that they spend much of their free time farming in their communities and spreading our message of self-growth.
May we be encouraged to see the difference that every single donated dollar makes in changing lives for good in Africa, where little gestures in the work of providing a home-grown meal can change a life for good.
Vusi, our interns and the thousands of vulnerable youth they are working with desperately need continued support, not just to survive these circumstances but to break the cycle of extreme poverty in their communities.
We look forward to inviting you to our 2020 fundraising events soon.
With gratitude,
Dr Jane Gray & The AAF Board.
