When her only family disappeared, so did her hope
The story of how church-based agricultural training took one mother from hardly surviving to wholly thriving
Her stomach dropped as the reality of her future began to sink in.
Kabuo’s husband abandoned her. her children moved to the city to study, and she never thought she’d be able to survive, much less support her family from afar.
Kabuo Nzanzu lives in Maabwe in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the main source of livelihood is farming. Kabuo knows how to farm; she’s done it her whole life. But things have become more complicated.
The introduction of cash crops, plant diseases affecting the main staple crops, and deforestation resulting in landslides have made farming for Kabuo literally an uphill battle. She describes, “Our fields were no longer yielding the kind of harvest they used to.”
Utilizing ineffective farming techniques, Kabuo was never able to grow enough food. Her diet was incomplete and her energy was low.
It was a dark time for Kabuo, until she noticed some of her neighbours whose land had become increasingly fertile over the previous months. The results of their harvest were much more plentiful than hers had ever been — but how were they doing it?
Then, Kabuo learned they were part of a training program through Tearfund’s local church partners that taught Conservation Agriculture (CA). This church-led agricultural training program taught them how to farm vegetables that grow quickly. This allowed them to sell their excess at the market. The results were remarkable! Additionally, they learned how to save some of their earnings in a savings group that meets once a week, called the Village Savings and Loans program (or VSL).
After hearing this, Kabuo knew she had to take part.
Fast forward to 1 year later… Thanks to donors like you, Kabuo’s life has been transformed! By implementing the new farming techniques and saving some of her income, Kabuo shares enthusiastically, “Already in one year I was able to buy a plot of land. Imagine what it will be like in two years!”
Kabuo is becoming more and more food secure, and she is able to also provide for her children in the city of Bunia where they study. “Because of the way the harvests have improved, I manage to send them food supplies every month, despite the very long distance,” Kabuo explains with pride.
Your generosity helps women like Kabuo build new lives. She says, “The women of our village can support themselves, and no longer depend entirely on their husbands to do everything. Before this project, nothing worked. But now, since my husband left, my family holds firm. We still survive.”
Kabuo’s goal is to save enough money to rebuild her home. Thanks to donors like you, the lives of women like Kabuo are being completely transformed through the love of Christ.
