Jack's words "Now the rain is coming, so happy as it bring life to our plants that was bad" (pictures above) The dry season is drawing to a close and the biggest issue during that season is water access. This year our own water systems worked well and there were no off-site burst pipes of consequence, so we could concentrate on more constructive work than fetching water from the valley. Keeping young and vulnerable plants alive is the main task during this season. Despite little rain, the activity level is increasing on the farm. The picture below shows farmer training. The farmers are learning to make compost. This compost is made and used primarily on the coffee terraces. Farmers are invited to the farm, paid for a day's work and learn to make compost, a win-win situation. As the farm is organic we need large amounts of compost and liquid fertilizer. To help increase our supply of necessary nutrients for the various plants, we constructed another "worm tea bed", vermiculture.  Macadamia The yield from the 214 Macadamia trees on the farm is increasing. Macadamia produces nuts throughout the year and once mature these fall to the ground. Collecting the nuts while fresh is essential for best quality and to prevent possible rodent damage. So Joseline, our macadamia specialist, "nut hunts", collects and records on a weekly basis. It has been a real challenge to find a company to buy our nuts, but we have persevered, and last month we delivered our first batch to "Rwanda Nut Company" (see pictures below). This company offers an advisory and support system to improve our management, and we can also choose to have a formal contract. Nuts are sold without the outer shell, but with the intact inner shell. The farm gate price (what the farmer/producer receives) for macadamia nuts is low at present, and has gone down in Rwanda in the past year. The world demand is high and not met, so we sincerely hope this will increase in the coming years.
Picture above left: quality control. Picture above right: sales receipt The Dairy Goats The buck on the farm, bought in June, died after a short illness. In August Jacques made the long journey to our supplier, Napthal. Our buck is now settled in his new surroundings:) The school is preparing to receive a female dairy goat from FRED'S FARM. They will soon start to build a suitable pen for it at the school. The school leadership and farming teachers are highly motivated to make this work. This will be a great way to get the children introduced to milking goats. Modeste and Calise, 2 neighbouring farmers, have now received 2 bucks. These bucks are offspring from our herd. They will provide free of charge "servicing" to local female goats that will have kids that can be milked and in this way increase the milking capasity of the local goats.
Pictures above: Modeste and Calise with their goats The School The initiatives at the schools in the area continue. We have have also some new that we are in discussion with school about. First and most important, this year a record of 14 kids from the TWA village have started school, 4 more than last school year. When the microsavings initiative began 7 years ago, no children attended. Our farm foreman, Providence, motivates and encourages both parents and children. It is thanks to Providence, with Jacques support, that it is possible to get this to work. FRED'S FARM covers half of the cost for uniforms, exercise books and pencils, and school lunch. The microsavings initiative and individual parents cover the other half.  Picture above: The TWA kids ready for school with their exercise books. Some school uniforms weren't finished being sewn when this photo was taken. The solar lamps in the lamp library are now lent out to a new set of final year students:) This really help the kids to do their schoolwork in the evenings. Our interns from the school worked on the farm during the summer. Some of the knowledge from the work at the farm, like moringa, they take home to their families and started planting at home. We also encourage them to introduce moringa to friends and neighbours. So slowly, moringa is getting established.
Pictures above: To the left one intern watering papaya and to the right a group of interns get instruction from Pascasie, our moringa specialist So again thank you for your support to able us to increase the capasity of the local community We are looking forward going to school again Thank you for making it possible 🙂 
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