A non-profit, 501 c 3, public charity
OUR MISSION
"To increase the food security of 3rd World families living with drought and poverty by introducing the concept of drip irrigation and other sustainable forms of subsistence farming"
"Our country is facing a period of great drought, and to rely on rain for agriculture is a thing of the past for us..."
letter to 11 Oaks from an official in
Lesotho's Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security
And so begins the 'Gardens for Africa' campaign....
In drought-ravaged Lesotho, 30% of the children are orphans, the life expectancy is 38 yrs and falling, the country has the 3rd highest rate of HIV, their cultural legacy of self sufficient food production is rapidly disappearing due to the Pandemic and emigration to South Africa to find work (usually in the mines). There are many wonderful things about Lesotho as well.... but now you know why 11 Oaks has chosen to focus it's efforts there.
Chris at orphanage with Sr. Margaret Drip irrigation in action in Soweto, South Africa
and friends in Maseru, Lesotho with friend Philip Shapiro and one of the fabled grannies!
The return trip to Lesotho is planned for November, just after the USA elects a new President- it will be SPRINGTIME in Lesotho and we'll be rolling out the trickle pipe as far and as fast as we can. "Delay is not Defeat" is our motto both in America and in Lesotho and by Christmas of 2008 we expect to have our initial 'Small Farm Resource Centers' ready for harvest and more in the planning stage. Control over the fickle African rains will have begun.... such as it can be...
Current Maseru weather
It starts on p 4, but hey, read the whole newsletter!
Read More..... to access an article on us in the GlenArbor Sun... click here
What's New and Exciting?
11 Oaks and several Rotary Clubs in Canada have raised the money necessary to restore water service to St. Charles High School in Northern Lesotho. Soon Sister Alice and her 600 students will have clean, running water in non-lead pipes. The water will also allow us to drip irrigate vastly more garden area so the school can be self sufficient in terms of vegetable production and can supply locals with the surplus.
The 11 Oaks Drip Irrigation Research Farm in Empire, Michigan is closely monitoring a bucket kit we've developed that appears to be longer lasting, easier to clean, more universally available, and cheaper than the kits commonly used in Africa. Please contact us for a description and you can build your own out of materials and fittings that can be found in any decent sized city on the planet.
Also, a gas powered electrical generator has been sent to the hurricane ravaged island of Jamaica, courtesy of Mr. Howard Thompson of St. Thomas.
below: July 10
At home in Leelanau County, Susan tends some tomatoes in the polyhouse that houses 11 Oaks bucket kit garden.
The plants receive no natural rain. The only water they get is through the kit, just as in drought stricken areas of the 3rd World. Corn, cabbage, onions, melons, and peppers are
all doing great on just 10 gallons of water per day!
The average daytime temp in the house is about 100 F.
below: august 1... plants this big need 15 gal/day when it's hot
Candido, of SHI-Belize, stands by to answer questions from the students watching one of our bucket kits go in....teaching the most efficient use of scarce water supplies is a focus of 11 Oaks and Sustainable Harvest Int.
a bucket kit garden begins... with the bucket visible at top of photo
General Philosophy
We are dedicated to encouraging the implementation of simple subsistence agricultural technologies in accordance with the time honored principles and methods suggested in the text Two Ears of Corn by Roland Bunch and World Neighbors.
Any changes we make in the lives of traditional peoples must be readily accepted and self-sustaining after we've gone back to the comfort of our American lives. Situations for involvement are carefully chosen so that the odds of success are as high as possible; for in these types of activities it is often better to not try than it is to try.... and fail. We seek to send our goods and services directly to the areas of need--- to distribute technologies, interact with the local extentionists, and to network with other 'on the ground' relief organizations.
Please contact us for information on how to lend your expertise, moral support, or financial support!
11 Oaks
P.O. Box 251
Empire, Mi, USA 49630
phone: 231-228-2120
contributions are tax deductible under section 501 c 3 of the internal revenue code!
id # 20-5939192
Quotable....
"It's better to teach 100 people one thing- than 100 things to one person" 'Two Ears of Corn" by roland bunch
"World hunger can be eliminated by simply growing 2 ears of corn where once there grew only one....." roland bunch
"The need for irrigation here is beyond what you could have imagined, but not insurmountable...." tessa bell, writing to us last week from Maseru, Lesotho
"It's hard to embrace technology if there's no place to plug it in" anon.
"I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have a hell of a good time.... Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult" E.B. White... speaking, I think, for all of us!
"...will work for food!!!".....all of us at 11 Oaks
