Leafy green stalks grow tall, planted in tidy rows and propped up by strong, supportive stakes. Camouflaged amongst the foliage are cucumbers the size of a forearm—some of this week’s vegetables, plus more to sell at market or share with neighbors and friends.
This organic farming project in Indonesia is invigorating vulnerable families by setting nutritious foods like mustard greens and beans on their tables at mealtime. Silfana is a local “ina,” or mother, who has encouraged her fellow villagers to join the project.
“I told them this is real organic farming,” she shared. “Since this is organic, it will not destroy our land. It will help us to keep our children and family healthy, since the vegetables are healthy.”
Aggravated by the pandemic, a global hunger crisis is growing faster than ever among the most vulnerable. Since the onset of COVID-19, the world’s hungry have more than doubled. Facing joblessness and shortages that have caused food prices to soar, families on the brink of malnourishment are being pushed over the edge.
That’s why your prayers and gifts to bless families in need with seeds, tools, livestock, and agricultural training are so powerful. You can equip families with everything they need to sustain themselves amid the hunger crisis.
In Indonesia, Silfana learned how to plant seeds and transplant seedlings. She discovered how to make and apply simple organic fertilizer, compost, and plant booster. She learned the best methods for staking up her stalks, as well as when and how to harvest her produce.
“Silfana had many questions and enthusiastically followed the training,” said our local partner. “She practised it step by step.”
“I was happy, and learned carefully, and raised some questions about the things that I didn’t understand,” said a grateful Silfana. “This is very good for us.”
“The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:12, ESV).
Thank you for sharing God’s goodness with hungry families. Your support means they can have something to eat every day and opens doors to share the Good News of God’s love through His Son.
More than a billion people worldwide are suffering from chronic malnutrition. Through your gifts, Samaritan’s Purse is providing lasting solutions through hands-on farming training, home garden projects, and practical education about nutrition, as well as desperately-needed food staples for hungry families in emergency situations.