Dear Friends and Family,

I am excited to share with you that I will participate in a humanitarian aid effort to South Africa for two weeks this March. I was invited to join in this effort by a colleague and cooperative grower, Chris Kelly, because of my experience, professionalism, and caring nature.

As you might know, I have a special affinity for Africa which was fostered during my studies abroad in Kenya and Tanzania in 1996. Not unexpectedly, this trip was thrilling and life changing. One of the most powerful encounters of this trip was walking down the street of Nairobi, eating an ice cream cone and being trailed by an 8 year old boy. This ice cream, which was nothing out of the ordinary for me, melted quickly in the equatorial sun and drenched my napkin. I threw the napkin in the garbage and continued on my path. As I turned the corner, I caught a glimpse of the boy, eagerly and happily licking what flavor he could from the napkin. I knew with that encounter, that I could never return to Africa solely as a tourist. Although “poor” by American standards, the encounter revealed my wealth in being able to feed and sustain myself via my education. I silently vowed to only return if I could give something back in order to match the life lessons provided to me on my initial trip.

This trip serves just such a purpose! Chris’ wife is originally from South Africa, and their family makes this trip annually to reconnect with family and friends and to help out the less fortunate and support local aid workers. A total of 11 people (7 adults and 4 children) are making this journey. We will be traveling to Port Elizabeth, South Africa (a mere 30 hour trip), where we will be serving Kwazakhele, one of its largest townships. Kwazakhele can be described as home to the poorest of the poor. The population is at least a quarter million strong, with unemployment rates as high as 85%.

There are several areas that our group will be focusing on during our stay. The GOGO Trust is a non profit organization composed of Gogo’s (grandmothers) who feed 206 AIDS orphans daily. We will support their efforts and assist with cooking, schooling and beading projects for fundraising. A second project includes working with a soup kitchen that serves the old, frail, infirmed, and children. This group, consisting of 4 women, spends $250.00 per month of their own resources preparing soup and bread. Thirdly, we will have the opportunity to participate in life skill workshops that address hygiene, fitness, and nutrition with teenagers.

With my professional experience in agriculture, conservation and gardening, I will work alongside Chris and another gentleman to establish 3 food gardens. We will teach the residents (the women) low impact farming methods, from field preparation and soil amending, to planting and cultivation. I am specifically charged with creating composting facilities that will improve the soil for each garden by utilizing the community’s organic waste. The outcome being, that I will teach those living in poverty how to feed themselves, rather than relying on handouts from others. This will be achieved while protecting the environmental resources on which they will continue to rely.

This trip is entirely voluntary. All the associated costs such as seed, fertilizer, equipment and my travel expenses are not supplemented by any group or organization. Therefore I am seeking sponsorship and donations to help offset the costs. I graciously invite you to join me in my efforts to establish and maintain these food gardens. It is expected that my expenses will exceed $3500.00 in travel, accommodations, and food. In addition, the three food gardens will require $1500.00 in funding to purchase seed and fertilizer which will sustain the gardens for the entire year.

Contributions can be made in two ways, either by contributing directly to me or by making a tax deductible donation to Grace Ministries in my name. The tax deductible donations should be written out to Grace Ministries with SA trip- Polly Weigand, noted in the memo portion of the check. Any donations should be mailed to me at ...

Your support is greatly appreciated and valued. It will help me stand true to the vow that I made 12 years ago, to share my education for the betterment of others. I expect that this trip will be very intense and emotional yet satisfying. I look forward to sharing all of the stories, photos and achievements with you upon my return from South Africa. Hopefully, that will be all that I bring back with me! Take that as you will. J

Cheers!
Polly

“Give a woman a fish and it will feed her for a day. Teach a woman to fish, and feed her for a lifetime”. (In African culture, the women do the “farming” and provide for the family).