Friday 8 June 2007: Serious Business

This Sonda Co op was the subject of our first blip on May 14, where they were cultivating a new piece of dambo.
The pic shows some of the group transplanting their own tomato seedlings: and since its their first time to plant tomatoes, they are taking it very seriously. Alot rests on the success of the crop.

I include a bit from the start of a recent blog, on our website, so discount the first bit

Planning for the Women of Sonda
If you look at the picture in the preceeding blog, it shows, Dr Niall Crumlish, Nurse Sharon Brady and retired educationalist Mary Coyne, who between them have enough literacy for the whole Mzuzu area, greeting ten of the poorest and least literate women in the world.
Poles apart you might think, but literacy isn't everything. Literacy is often for academics, using big words and particular and specific jargon to show their importance and power in order to exclude the rest of us mere mortals.
These women are special,
because everyone is,
because they are learning to become self sufficient business women,
because seven weeks ago they were sitting around their primitive shacks wondering how they would survive with another failed crop
because their next meal may be someone's charitable donation, delivered by a sparkling 4x4.
They may be poor and illiterate, but they want to work, they love to work. They already work harder than anyone I know: They are African women after all!!

They are doing great work since I left and expanding the project.
I'd love to be back.
I'll keep you posted.

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