The public is invited to attend a special evening of celebration in recognition of the 30th anniversary of Farmers Helping Farmers. The celebration will be held on Thursday, November 19 at 6:30 p.m. at The Guild, 111 Queen Street in Charlottetown and will include an evening of presentations, food, and entertainment.
November 16-20 is also International Education Week. The week is celebrated by over 85 countries around the globe. It is designed to showcase the importance of international education in preparing Islanders for the global world, and supports Canada’s efforts to engage effectively on the international stage. The 2009 theme is Promoting Global Citizenship.
Farmers Helping Farmers has been focused on helping Islanders understand their role in the global context, as it continues to help African farmers to meet some of their environmental challenges, especially those related to water and crop production.
Over its 30 year history, Farmers Helping Farmers has partnered with many African groups to successfully complete a wide variety of projects including water tanks, crop diversification, a dairy lab, cattle nutrition, agribusiness development and school twinning. Projects have varied in size and scope, depending on the needs of people and the fundraising efforts of members. Funds sent to Kenyan and Tanzanian farm groups since 1979 exceed $8 million, including funds contributed by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). These projects have been estimated to have touched the lives of at least 100,000 people in East Africa.
Speakers throughout the evening will focus on projects and the positive difference they have made in the lives of African and Islanders involved. There will also be short updates on current projects.
Farmers Helping Farmers is an Island-based, award-winning organization of community-minded people with agricultural backgrounds. Its goal is to assist Kenyan farmers in becoming more self-reliant in agricultural food production. The group assists with the development of small-scale, practical agricultural projects, focusing on direct, person-to-person interaction.