Those cabbages deserve a hearty, “Congratulations!”
Actually, the gardeners who tend these crops are the ones celebrating, and deservedly so. The residents who care for the Mashinga Cluster Garden in Zimbabwe have collected this fantastic harvest after months spent carefully planning, composting and watching over their efforts.
The Mashinga community previously hosted a Survival Gardening workshop, and local trainees learned about composting, raised planting beds and drip irrigation methods. They discussed lifestyle and health improvements for better long-term results, and after promising to put their knowledge to work, these are the fruits of their dedicated labor!
Thanks to HHI’s donors who generously support the Hunger to Harvest program, HHI workshop trainer Nesbert was able to visit the Mashinga community to conduct a Garden Maintenance seminar as a follow-up to their original training. He was encouraged to find the gardens flourishing, and he shared further instruction on preventing and controlling weeds, insects and diseases. Trainer Nesbert also addressed proper harvesting techniques and storage options so that the Mashinga people have the greatest potential for economic growth stemming directly from their garden produce.
Leafy greens are lush and full of nutrients in these garden rows. The entire community will be changed by the success of these crops. Thus far, produce sales from cabbage, mustard spinach and eggplant have surpassed $450, and area residents are able to buy other necessities and pay school fees for their children. With plates and pockets no longer empty, the future of this community is looking bright!
Martha Mashinga is a 51-year-old wife and mother of three. She says with joy, “I am happy to have this training. It is helping me feed my children. My children will not be hungry at school or wherever they are. Thank you so much for this training. Healing Hands International, you have healed my hands!”
Shelter Mudhengezi (pictured above) is a vibrant 22-year-old raising twin girls who will benefit from their mother’s hard work. Shelter says with gratitude, “This training will help me bring in an income for my family. My twins will not be hungry at home. Thank you so much for this training!”
Much like Shelter, Sophia Chipwanya (pictured above) is so happy for her children, who will know that a nutritious meal is available to them daily. As a mother of four, Sophia reveals, “This training is helping me feed my family… My children will not be hungry and I will be able to pay for meal grinding and the purchase of food staples.”
Tadiwa (pictured above, holding two exquisite eggplants) looks ahead to future possibilities for the Mashinga community. He and his fellow gardeners are hoping for a protective garden fence to keep animals from eating the produce. They also hope for a well in their community, so that a clean and safe water source can be accessed nearby. Tadiwa and the entire Mashinga Cluster Garden group are deeply thankful to HHI’s Hunger to Harvest donors who have directly uplifted their daily lives. In Ecclesiastes 11:4, King Solomon divinely pens his advice for taking action: “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.” This community did not experience perfect weather, nor did the clouds patiently await their fruitful harvest… your concern and support set in motion the drive to grow a perpetual opportunity out of poverty’s oppression. The Lord, Himself, has moved within your heart to provide the fuel for a new future and the faith of an entire community who also believes in the Hunger to Harvest training. Placing their hope in God’s hands, coupled with their incredibly hard work and fierce determination, their harvest has arrived in a beautiful way.
Well done, Mashinga Cluster Garden! May the joy of this season be your inspiration!