“And God said, “See, I have given you
every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every
tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast
of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the
earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so.” Genesis 1:29, 30
Hi! May 1st
was a holiday here in Haiti. It was Workers’ Day and Agricultural Day at the
same time. Schools were closed. We took 11 people here from Coram Deo and went
to the Agricultural Fair at the State Agricultural Grounds in Damier. As we
drove past the Sonapi Industrial Complex we saw a group of protesters who were
carrying signs and banners about worker conditions and rights. The traffic was busy in the Damier area. A
lot of people were heading to the Agricultural Fair. There was no charge to
enter inside the grounds and we walked around visiting all the booths that were
set up. One area was set up with artisans selling different types of souvenirs
and art. All of these items were handmade by Haitian crafters and artists.
Another area had cooks selling Haitian food. We even bought some rice that was
grown here in Haiti. It is known as “Shella”. We bought a couple of packages
for our Sunday meal.
Haiti has
been hit hard with lower price imports. This has discouraged farmers from
growing rice. We visited booths that were about agricultural themes. The
Ministry of Agriculture had a booth set up and had cd’s available for purchase
about studies done by the government on agriculture at a national and
provincial level. We were able to get posters and brochures at the different
booths and will use these in educating our students and others that we come
into contact with.
Another
section of the fair was the area dealing with animals. Chickens, rabbits,
pigeons, doves, parrots, goats and cows were on display. The children enjoyed
getting close to the animals. The busiest section was where the quail and quail
eggs were being sold. People were lined up to buy quail kebabs! We were able to
buy a weeks’ supply of chicken eggs and purchased them at a wholesale price. When
we left the gates of the fairgrounds we noticed the same group of worker
protesters from the Sonapi Industrial Complex had walked the distance to the
Agricultural Grounds. We listened to the spokesman read off a list of worker
demands and rights. Later on the news we found out that these protesters had
been blocked by the police for some time at a crossroads while President
Martelly was visiting the agricultural fair. When the president’s convoy passed
them by they weren’t very happy that they couldn’t obtain their goal of
protesting at the agricultural fair while he was there.
The Kenscoff
area where Pastor Pierre lives is an agricultural area. Potatoes, carrots,
onions and cabbage are sold in the markets of Port-au-Prince from that area.
Pastor Pierre is concerned for the people in his community. The farms are not
as productive as they used to be. We have begun seeking people and
organizations who work in the agricultural area to help him. Through the pastor
training seminars the people we sponsor come from 4 areas: Kenscoff, Belladere,
Leogane, and Port-au-Prince. As part of building community we want to help these
pastors work in their communities to help improve the lives of their
congregation members and the community in which they live. A couple of weeks
ago we got a donation of seeds from Hope Seeds, through Love A Child. We were
able to distribute onion, cabbage, tomato, carrot, pepper, kale, lettuce and
mustard seeds to the pastors involved in the pastor training program. They in
turn will distribute it amongst some of their people. We hope to follow up with
the pastors to see how these seeds grow and hopefully prosper into a
harvestable crop. Hope Seeds is on the internet at www.hopeseeds.org. They are a Christian,
charitable organization which provides seeds and agricultural support to
missionaries and mission teams around the world. On their website we were able
to access a few articles written in Creole and French. There is a children’s
coloring book written in French that we downloaded and will use as part of
teaching children about farming and agriculture. One of their board members
runs a mission in Cap Haitien called Living Hope Mission ( http://livinghopemission.org ). Part of
their mission focus is in agriculture. I believe strongly in networking. So
many missions here in Haiti focus on their own thing and don’t involve
themselves with other missions. I am glad that Love A Child and Hope Seeds are
eager to work with others in encouraging and supporting God’s work being done
here in Haiti.
The
government is starting a program this year encouraging people to plant Moringa
trees. It is known in Haiti as Doliv. The tree is rich in vitamins and
nutrients. Moringa contains 7 times more vitamin C than an orange, 4 times more
calcium than a glass of milk, 4 times more vitamin A than carrots, 3 times more
potassium than a banana, and 2 times more protein than in a glass of milk. Both
the pods and leaves of the Moringa can be eaten. Moringa leaves are rich in
protein, vitamins and minerals. The bean can be used to prepare a high-quality
oil. The dried leaves of the Moringa can be used as a food supplement for children
suffering from anaemia or facing malnutrition. It can also be used for improving
animal health. Dried moringa leaves can replace soybeans to feed cattle or
poultry. The government intends to promote the cultivation of Moringa against
both malnutrition and deforestation. We
were out at Love A Child this week and spoke with one of the missionaries there
about the moringa. They are going to encourage families to plant the moringa to
build a natural hedge. The moringa tree foliates every 45 days. By planting the
tree 1 foot apart a hedge can be grown and the family can harvest the leaves
off of one tree every day. By the time 45 days pass the first tree will foliate
again and be ready for harvesting. We talked about this with Pastor Pierre and
the other pastors this week. We hope to encourage the Haitian people to use the
moringa tree as a food source. It will
help to improve the health of their families.
Genesis 1:29,30 sure does apply to the moringa. Pray that the people in
the churches of Belladere, Kenscoff, and Leogane will be encouraged to use the
tree. The pastors here are listening and we hope the people in these areas will
listen too. Pray for the current
agricultural season. Rainy season has begun and so has planting. Have a blessed
weekend.
Karen
Bultje, Coram Deo
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