Sunday: Nzihi Asante Sana Children's Home

We immediately left for Nzihi and the Asante Sana Children’s Home. I am amazed each time I go at how much the children have changed. For the first time, every child had a smile on their face. They were dressed in uniform. The Rev. Pawdre Scout and family arrived in December to lead the Asante Sana Children’s Home for Daily Bread Life Children’s Home. The children, ages two to eight, joined together in a choir and sang songs for us with such joy and pride. This was great. This is not to be negative toward the previous owners prior to DBLCH assuming responsibility in 2009 and full operation of all aspects of the children’s home in December 2010. Now each of the children knows their name. Words and pictures cannot express the change. In fact, the Scout family lives in a home about a ¼ mile away from the children’s home. They are moving to living quarters that have been worked out at the children’s home because they want to be closer to the children and the staff especially at night. Their arrival is a great blessing.

We visited the farm at Asante Sana and, like the DBLCH farm, a shift is taking place there. In November, we introduced an expense tracking method for the farm to determine what are the most effective, productive, and cost efficient ways to utilize the farm. One surprise discovery was that even though pigs bring a significant income, the cost of feed and medicines make them the least effective way to provide for the children’s home. Now, a shift is taking place to chicken and egg production. Also, more goats are being added to the farm. Eggs and goats provide the best return on investment from an economic and nutrition standpoint.

Also, this year has been a bad year for rain in Nzihi. God is providing for some corn, but the corn crop will be greatly reduced at Nzihi. Most of the surrounding farmers are cutting up corn stalks for feed. At least the farm will produce some corn. However, this will not be enough to sustain the pigs, cows, goats, and chickens. Since cows and goats can graze, this made the shift even more important away from pigs. We are not "loosing money" on the pigs. The farm is just not making as much as previously believed once all the costs were figured into the process. Enough of agricultural economics for today. We had a great time at Nzihi.

Sunday was a full day but a great day.