stories

• Garden Delights (Bangladesh)

  14 May, 2013

  Making the final payment for the land at Rwangchary Hostel in Bangladesh was a momentous day for the Bandarban Hills Churches of Christ. Their ongoing challenge is to clear and maintain the one acre property. In Bangladesh school is conducted from Monday to Thursday, 8 am to 4:30pm. Come Friday morning, school books are replaced with gardening tools. There is much to be done to clear and level the block. The veggie patch will grow pumpkin, cucumber, corn, brinjal and other seasonal vegetables. To date, one hundred banana palms have been planted and the students look forward to next year’s crop. Fifty mango trees will be planted when the season is right in mid-June. The first mango crop will take three years before it will yield its first crop. This hard work is worth it. The produce from the garden will help pay school fees, put food on the table and also pay the wages for the superintendent and cook. It is hoped that they can also buy extra furniture to make the hostel more... Read More

• A Well Changes Lives (Zimbabwe)

  14 May, 2013

  No longer does ‘Siphiwe’ have to walk ten kilometres to get her water. There is now a well right next to her garden plot. The abundant supply of choumollier and other vegetables is visible evidence of having a life giving well nearby. Now she can bring home clean drinking water and grow fresh vegetables. Twenty-two other women in the community also have two garden beds each in this garden. They are grateful for the opportunity to put healthy meals on the table without having to go to town and buy their vegetables. “One lady at Fort Rixon tells me that she now gets about $30 dollars each month selling vegetables from her small garden,” says BJ Mpofu. “For those donating money towards bores, know that your gift is changing the lives of many Zimbabweans.” Read More

• New Opportunities for Bright Solutions (Vietnam)

  14 May, 2013

  The women at Bright Solutions (BSol) are hard at work to meet their first local order for BSol products. Fiona Briers, Director of Bright Solutions, met last week with an expat who oversees a women’s community group in Ho Chi Minh City. This woman was so delighted with the products that she immediately bought two and booked to host a Bright Solutions Product Party. Another expat has opened up a range of international community networks for Fiona to pursue. A man working with a French NGO has also provided an exciting connection to link Bright Solutions into a service that assists with transitioning impoverished women. After years of numerous contacts going nowhere, these new openings for Bright Solutions are promising. The two newest BSol products just launched have been created to introduce Vietnamese culture to overseas markets. Many hours of work and design have gone into making each piece authentic and beautiful. Check out the My Trip to the City book and the Vietnamese... Read More