Greetings from Fort Myers, Florida! It’s my honor this week to be representing Forgotten Voices at ECHO and attending workshops on “Health, Agriculture, Culture and Community”. ECHO is a non-profit organization whose mission is “honoring God through sustainable hunger solutions.”  I feel so privileged to spend time at this amazing resource, training and research center.

I thought I’d share a few photos that highlight the incredible work happening here, the global challenges being addressed and some of the highlights of what I’ve seen and learned.

Touring the farm, it’s a thrill to see both agricultural methods and appropriate technology pioneered in Zimbabwe or Zambia, like this “tippy tap” hand-washing station which improves sanitation and saves water.

The rabbits raised here (below left) reminded me of a little boy I met almost exactly a year ago in Zimbabwe. Little Zwelo and his grandmother (below right) were raising rabbits (62 at the time!) to earn money to support the family’s needs. Our partnership with Zwelo’s local church was helping with his school fees.

One of the highlights of my week so far has been learning more about the agricultural techniques of Foundations for Farming, a method which our partners in Zimbabwe and Zambia are using RIGHT NOW to prepare for the coming planting season. Very cool to see a sample plot here and to hear from many ECHO staff about the great impact this method has had on community agriculture in southern Africa.

Next week I’ll post a reflection on some lessons learned here – right now there are too many to choose from and the course isn’t even over yet! Thanks for your prayers during this time of intensive training. There are so many ways this course has already affirmed the model of Forgotten Voices AND provided ideas/resources to strengthen and invest in the work of local churches  meeting the physical and spiritual needs of children orphaned by AIDS. I love collaboration and seeing God’s people working together for His kingdom.

Ellen Shaffer

Director of Project Management

Tags: agriculture, community, culture, development, health
Filed under: General Blog