In the next weeks the Mwinika in our village will hear for the first time about Christ’s death and resurrection. Many are open and ready to accept Christ as their saviour! However, the question has remained: what future does the Mwinika have in this area? What will happen to those Mwinika who might be rejected by friends and family because of their new believe in Christ?
Community projects are something Francois has been involved in for the last 16 years mostly in Mozambique, but also in other African countries. Equipping people to help themselves has always been close to our hearts.
We want to introduce you to some of the projects not directly connected with the teaching, but having the potential also put food on the table for the Mwinika: Project 1: The Fish Project: Fish is a main source of protein for the Mwinika, however the people in our area is just far enough from the rivers and ocean, that getting fresh fish on a regular basis is a real challenge. This project is introducing a way of farming with fish so that a regular income and food source is available. Papa Bakar is in charge of the project. He goes regularly to the Bible teaching.
Project 2: Small business: brick making. This project is run by two young guys, Dula and Rasu. They are making a new type of brick that stacks like lego blocks together and will therefore use the minimum amount of cement to build with.
Project 3: The Chapalansia: You have already been introduced to the BUV, or ambulance (see earlier blogs). Unfortunately the vehicle had a break down, but in this month we expect someone from SA to come and fix it.
Project 4: The Joseph Project. Every year there is a Time of Hunger when the new harvests are not ready yet while the products of the old harvests are finished. Year after year we see the old and the very young suffer and some die because of a lack of nutrition. One of the reasons for this is that the Mwinika have no way to store their food. Mice and other pests will eat and destroy the food and most Mwinika have learned to just eat the food while they have it before something else does! This project is still in the early stages since we need funds to get it up and running.
Project 5: The Rabbit breeding project. Nihid, one of the local clan chiefs (kings) who goes regularly to the Bible teaching, is in charge of this project and he is doing such a good job! He recently sold his first pair of rabbits at the market! We hope that this project, as well as others like it, will give the new believers in our area some means to make a decent living.
The more the Word is spreading, the more we see the need for sustainable projects that can help the believers to support themselves when they leave here to teach the Gospel in other towns and communities. We are praying for wisdom in selecting projects that will not only generate income, but also be a service to the community they go to. Pray with us!