Planting season

After a lot of hot days has finally begun the rainy season. The hunger is so terrible moment that most families have no food and no seeds to plant. I have therefore decided to use part of the money from the foundation seeds and fertilizer. We want the families self-sufficient and therefore be independent of the foundation, if we do not invest in seeds, they will next year need our help because of a shortage of food. In recent weeks I have visited one after the other family. All with I discussed what we can plant the best in their country. Some lands are more fertile than others so it is important to plant the right crop in the right plot. Most families only have a small piece of land so I have hired a lot of extra land to ensure that families have enough food after harvesting. In the heat of the sun, we started looking for available lands, we have them measured and negotiated the price. Alle families gaan mais, beans, soja en sorghum planten. The corn use them to make nsima. Beans are very nutritious and eat them at the nsima. Soy mixed with corn makes a healthy porridge for the children. The sorghum is used to tobwa (a local drink) to make, soft sell the women in the market in order to generate some income. I love to spend time with the families in the villages, but currently it is very difficult. At this time, they eat only 1x per day. Every day the women to seek work. The available work is heavy and exhaustive, and is the largest part of the time done on an empty stomach. I give the families corn, but they still need to work themselves to buy vegetables for the nsima. Meat, fish and eggs are too expensive. The conditions in which these families live and children be unfair and hard to understand. Previously, I often heard about hunger in the world, but it is difficult to understand what exactly this content until you see it yourself. The past two weeks I have heard so many children crying for food. I felt sick mothers and children in the villages who could not go to the hospital because they have no money to pay the bill. I found grandmothers crying in their small huts because they know that they and their grandchildren without assistance to survive until the next harvest. So besides the seeds, I have handed out more food, people taken to hospital, materials purchased to waterproof their small huts for the rainy season and with the families prayers. The only person who knows what is happening in the coming months is God, and we must rely on him, how difficult it sometimes is. To experience how much work it is to grow your own food, this year I hired a private land. Saturday morning at 5am I went plants. (The country was already prepared). I asked what Malawians for help and together with 3 we have friends from Netherlands 4 planted long hours in the blazing sun. I was exhausted and I have even more respect for the people here. We are waiting for the release of the seeds and as soon as the little plants come above ground, it is time to start weeding. I'm looking forward to my 1 hectares of land to weed! Love, Nicole