So This is What Happened in the End: Turkana Project Update
Posted Jun 19, 2012 by Jonathan Otto in Last Day Events
Hi my friends,
Okay I am back in Australia and starting to readjust. Wow, the TurkanaProject was an experience! I can hardly believe some of the things our team were apart of.
HARD FACTS: 3 tribes of over 10,000 people went from being in desperation to having food to sell to neighbouring tribes. So that includes Sopel and Edos, the two tribes in desperate famine have planted seed that will feed their entire tribes, that are shown in the photo below.
Lokapel, several thousand for their population, now have surplus of food, and the hope for the fulfilment to their dream to build a school and a healthcare centre with the increased yield in produce.
This is our project, (this is an extended version, the footage at the end is quite touching)
CLICK HERE if the video screen is not visible.
{youtube}3otVWB5oC7s?rel=0{/youtube}
The wonderful news for the Turkanan people is that the project was, and is, extremely successful!! The two pictures immediately below are women that are from the same tribe as in the photo. The first photo is a handout of maize and the second is two ladies from the same tribe that have been trained in farming that now have the key to longterm food security for their people.
Can you see the belief for the future in their eyes?
I'll tell you something I learnt here, that is very important, and touching. It is that while these people have food, they won't let their own people starve. This means that you have confidence that the appointed farmers for their tribe
are the ones that will ensure that their tribe have enough food.
Here's a shot of the men from the same tribe; going at their farming (first time they have ever farmed!) in the rain,
all together in an orderly fashion.
Below are some shots from the footage I am editing for the film. I am holding a bag of seed (worth 3 dollars to you, the world to this lady) and am giving to the very last person of our distribution to 700 people that day. My Grandma's name was on the bag. Btw, we put all the names of donors on the bag. Can't wait to show you all!
I am standing next to a man named William. He is a head teacher, was born in the area, is a farmer, and someone that is dead keen to volunteer (without pay obviously, lol). This man has executed the mostamazing farming training to over 400 farmers ongoing, and continuing our distributions as we send funds through. Ohand our Feed Africa Kenya man Andrew who faithfully gatheredall the supplies, amazing work- you'll see him in the film.
Anyway, back to the story.
This little old lady received a part of my grandma's donation. She was the very last person for the day. Her hands showed the signs of hard labour. I was impressed with this lady, and her hearty attitude amid such suffering.
Love the resilience! Also speak of resilience, I want to tell you this wouldn't have happened without our two faithful Australian volunteers Jared Musk and Aaron Bath. You will see some footage of them soon amid the madness of the distributions. Aaron took one for the team as he got malaria and had to head home a week early.
Okay so I went by Dubai, and got the shirts printed, so they are coming in the mail! My little sister Sarah, amazing girl, is sending them out. They are only 30 dollars, and can be purchased HERE.
Shot with my webcam outside my room.
Right now the money is going to help with the emergency maize as people are farming and too hungry to work. Also
it is funding their tools and the expenses of the farm leaders providing necessities for their groups.
I can't thank you all enough for your support in this project. It has been life changing for me. I can't express how much this is your project as much as it is mine. Nothing would have happened if we didn't have you putting up your hand to be a part of the solution.
More coming soon :)
Jonathan