If It Were Not For God

“If it were not for God, my enemies would have swallowed me alive,” says Mama Kokel. “I have tried many avenues of development. I have struggled a lot and I have toiled working on other people's farms. I've worked weeding and harvesting other people's maize and tomatoes for a minimal pay.”

Mama Kokel is a hardworking caregiver in a group with 10 other caregivers in AfricaHope's Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) program. During an initial interview with our staff, she told us that her husband passed away due to a short illness from unknown disease. She said that life without her husband had not been easy. It was hard to get the children to school. It was even hard just to feed and clothe them at times. Mama Kokel was struggling on a daily basis to provide for her family.

After coming to AfricaHope's caregiver seminars and actively attending both caregiver and committee meetings on topics such as income-generation ideas, Mama Kokel proudly showed me ½ acre of land that she farmed through flood irrigation. On her small farm she planted maize, beans, and tomatoes. This farm provides improved nutrition to her family, as well as surplus food that she is able to sell at the local market.

Mama Kokel is very thankful to God, who she came to know through the caregiver seminars, and the knowledge she has acquired and put into practice. Now greater things are happening in her family. She no longer works on other farms for minimal pay; she works on her own farm and sells her farm products at nearby local markets. With her basic needs now met, she lives a more stable life with her four children.