Thought for the Week - 24th September 2023

 

Dear Friends, 

Operation Agri (OA) is a Christian charity run mainly by volunteers currently supporting projects in ten countries helping to bring lasting change to struggling communities, showing Christian love in action. One such country is Tanzania which is nearly four times the size of the UK but having large areas that are virtually uninhabited wildlife grasslands and reserves such as the Serengeti. Tanzania currently has a similar size population to the UK but it also has one of the highest population growth rates in the world. About 90% are in rural areas, mostly living off what they can grow themselves. The country is working to reduce malnutrition, but still a third of children are malnourished. It ranks at 160 out of 191 countries on the UN’s Human Development Index. For centuries the land was divided into many kingdoms. Then in 1885, Germany colonised the country as Tanganyika. After the Second World War, it came under British mandate and in 1964, after independence, it joined Zanzibar Island to become Tanzania. President Julius Nyrere ruled for many years, introducing ‘Ujamaa’ – African socialism, making progress on education and healthcare and in March 2021, Samia Suluhu Hassan became the first female President. OA supports Farming Partnership Initiatives in Kagera Province in the north-west, which has rolling hills and scattered farms, with problems of deforestation and eroded or exhausted soil, plus pressures of climate change and increasing population. OA is helping to find sustainable ways of growing more food which is much needed.  

Grace and peace,

Neil   

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Giving to Operation Agri – some examples of the project’s costs are: £70 per Community Farmer Trainer to attend a week of workshops; £30 motor bike fuel per week for a field worker to visit farms; £170 overall cost per family in five villages helped to improve their farms. If you would like to give to this year’s appeal, you can use one of the Operation Agri giving envelopes or visit the website at https://operationagri.org.uk/product/make-a-donation/

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A Prayer from Operation Agri (taken from the Transforming Farms in Tanzania Resource Book)

Dear Lord and Father, we thank you that we are part of the Body of Christ, serving you in the world. We pray for our brothers and sisters in Tanzania, learning better ways to nurture the land you entrusted to them. We give thanks for their healthy animals, and better harvests. We are inspired by their commitment to work together with their neighbours. Lord, You choose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. May we be generous in giving of our resources to help others. In the love of Jesus, Amen.

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