The agropastoral department of Joyous Charity visited God first orphanage on Saturday 11th of September 2021. Upon arrival, we notice that they had space but lacked a garden in their vineyard. They are solely depending on donations which are not always available. We found some spotted plantains and some spotted yam in their vineyards which were poorly grown due to limitations in basic agricultural knowledge and specific skills in these crops
While thinking of rehabilitation of this garden, Joyous Charity immediately decided to set up a garden of sweet potatoes and red cassava.
To begins with sweet potatoes, is very nutritive
Sweet potatoes have the following advantages. Sweet potatoes help prevent vitamin A deficiency, sweet potatoes can help manage stress levels, sweet potatoes contain anti-inflammatory activity, sweet potatoes can help manage/prevent/protect cancer. Sweet potatoes can help guard against ulcers.
Sweet potatoes can help to minimize the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Sweet potatoes contain antimicrobial properties. Just to list a few, it’s due to the importance of this crop, that Joyous Charity decided to set up a garden of sweet potatoes in their vineyards which the children express total satisfaction for such a gesture. Apart from sweet potatoes, Joyous Charity decided also to set a Cassava garden.
Cassava on the other hand equally has many advantages. The variety of cassava we planted is what is commonly known as red cassava. This crop is special in that it has a low amount of hydrogen cyanide which caused the bitter taste which makes cassava not be consumed unprocessed. Due to these advantages, this cassava can just be boiled like cocoyams.
Just having this crop around them, even without soup, they can boil and eat. Our maintain objective is to ensure zero hunger within the different orphanages in Cameroon and beyond. Cassava can also be processed to garri, comcom, water fufu, bobolo, starch which are very important in Cameroon. It was due to these advantages that Joyous Charity decided to set up a garden of cassava in their vineyards.
There are many difficulties we faced to set up gardens which are, we need inputs such as hoes, cutlasses, diggers, spades, wheelbarrows, trucks, knapsack sprayers, herbicides and insecticides, improved planting materials and fertilizers. All these inputs will assist in the rehabilitation of their older garden while setting up more gardens in other Orphanages.
We are going to continue with vegetables and other crops while looking forward to setting up a poultry farm around their vineyards which will assist them to have complete knowledge in both crops and animals.
Joyous Charity, therefore, appreciates and assures all supporters and future supporters that we are ready to transfer these skills to other orphanages and internally displaced centres, some farmers groups organizations within Cameroon and beyond. We then count on your usual collaboration
Let’s smile together.
Joyous Charity
