Can you ever be blessed too much? Probably not, but it may seem like it sometimes. This year, we were lucky to have had favorable rains more than usual. But the reliable rain has also brought an overgrowth of weeds at our Agricultural Training Center.

Last week, Wilner was able to organize a work party of twelve community volunteers to work with his staff for four days, helping to clear and clean up the extra growth around the ATC and the Miracle Village Family garden plots in exchange for a nice box of “ti pa nou” (a little bit for us) fortified rice meals.

This “work for food” model has been used for years in developing countries as a way to allow local citizens to participate in good projects for their communities and earn food for their efforts. These programs help give participants a sense of belonging, cooperation, and achievement as they earn important food in the process. It really is a great time of community cooperation with a friendly reward at the end. Each volunteer is proud of their contribution to the community, and they can enjoy a nice meal with their family afterwards.

We are grateful to God for the good rainfall so far and also for the eager community volunteers who take pride in their beautification project. Development for Sustainability programs change lives for the long term. Thank you for supporting our sustainability outreaches… giving Food for Life.

Rad Hazelip, Assistant Executive Director