Here is brief video of villagers helping with the harvest.
In this video, they are growing seedlings that will be transplanted later, into the fields.
In this video, Father Placid shows us the fields and the crops that are made possible by your generous donations. The village now enjoys food security, which they did not have before.
In this video, we see father placid and a group of his parishioners hoeing the maize, singing and laughing.
Just a brief update. Thanks to the generosity of many, Placid’s food-growing plans are going great guns. They are now cultivating mangoes!
We appreciate greatly!!!!!
I am here, Father Placid, to express my appreciation and sincere thanks to everyone who has so kindly donated funds to improve life here at Luhombero and at nearby Mahenge where we help the epileptics.
Your personal commitment is incredibly helpful and allows us to reach our goals. Your assistance means so much to us and actually gives a light to the dreams we want to realize. It is something which is so touching to me to see people from the other continent taking such a concern to help.
For me, this is something which goes beyond my imagination. Growing up here, I would not have thought it was possible. Indeed, your sympathy and love will be a healing to the needy and many disadvantaged people.
I believe whoever helps is a hundred times returned.
So much has been accomplished.
It was a big task to lay down the irrigation project at Kasita and Luhombero. The systems now are done. At the Kasita irrigation project, harvests have started. How joyful it is that we have started harvesting maize and water melons.
Different kinds of vegetables are also planted. This was a dream to the many, but now it is actual. This would be impossible without your support. We thank you very much for being such kind to us.
Here are just photos of the crops. We appreciate greatly!!!!!
Click pictures to enlarge.
Now, with this irrigation system, if will become possible for us to grow food all the year, not just in the growing system. This is something I have long wanted to do, to encourage to the people to make their food always.
It took much time to get the necessary pumps and pipes. I had to make the long trip to Dar es Salaam. But it has all become worthwhile.
Also, right now, at the Mahenge Epilepsy Clinic, the place that was created by “Mama Doctor,” Dr. Louise Jilek-Aall, back in 1960, we have Nurse Grace Kibiriti providing anti-seizure medications to 423 recovering epileptics. It is a wonderful thing that Nurse Grace can dedicate herself so well to this work.
If some people in Canada don’t realize this, I should mention the rate for epilepsy in our Morogoro region, as Mama Doctor discovered, is ten times greater than the global average. Here, like lepers, the epileptics are often discriminated against, and made to feel badly about themselves. That’s why the work we do helping with these people is so necessary.
Currently our rehabilitation program has twelve epileptics working under my direction, doing agricultural work, and receiving proper payment for their labour. This is very important for their self-esteem and also vital because it enables them to live independently, so they are not made to feel they are a burden on their families.
We remain most grateful to all the donors from British Columbia, Canada, who have supported this ongoing program. I particularly wish to thank Ken Morrison and his Provision group for regularly sending along the funds you have all donated to help pay for the workers’ salaries.
A very small amount goes a very long way to changing a person’s life here.
I will be ungrateful if I do not mention Mama Doctor who lies behind the entire scene. It has been her efforts to help the epileptics in Tanzania for more than fifty years that has brought all of us to this point.
The seed that she planted in order to help the epileptics for sure will be continued and improved in a wider perspective. If, as we have hoped, your generosity and support will soon make it possible for us to purchase either a pick up truck or a tractor, that will make our lives so much better.
Click pictures to enlarge.
Luhombero is a very far away place, even in Tanzania. Luhombero is very far from Canada, but this does not mean that one who intends to be at Luhombero cannot reach. Luhombero is reachable. May I take this opportunity to welcome all of you at Luhombero. Alan Twigg is a good link for whoever wants to come to Luhombero or Tanzania in general.
It is a grace to me to know Alan Twigg connects us all here to all of you. And I thank my Bishop for encouraging our efforts to help the people here who need help most. I believe our efforts together will bring a lot of changes not only to the epileptics but also to other people in our area. It is my expectation that the support given will truly solve so many problems and hence realizing a better life full of joy and respect to all of us.
We, the people of Luhombero and Mahenge, wish you all a prosperous life.
And on their behalf, I heartily thank you for your donations.
Yours sincerely,
Fr. Placid Kindata.
Workers Digna Mathias Mayowa, Wenceslaus Wenceslaus Lyamba, Nurse Grace Kibiriti, Kasian Francis Mnyankuli, Fr. Placid Kindata, Sangtus Paul Chidowi, Scholastica Frank Mbawi.
HELPING HANDS TOGETHER: Nancy Morrison of Provision Group made the difficult trip to inspect Father Placid’s progress in the summer of 2017, along with her husband and co-supporter Ken Morrison.