This document was written for the development commission of Guinea Bissau. We recently had interaction with these people and they desire to include us the scope of their development activities. We have experienced some unrealistic expectations on the part of the village where we live. Our relationship with the development commission should provide us with a basis for better understanding with some of our neighbors who expect us to deliver the world to them on a platter. This is also a good summary of the current activities of the Mission for those interested in our work. B. Forrester Nov. 2010
Projects, Initiatives and Development Activities of
The Mennonite Mission/ MEHDA in
Ingore Perfecture, Region Cacheu, Guinea Bissau
The Mennonite Mission in Guinea Bissau had its beginning in the village of Catel in 2005 with the arrival of two Mennonite missionaries. They had been sent to Guinea Bissau by the Balanta diaspora of Gambia where a Mennonite Mission had been operating since 2002.
From the beginning we should note three important points regarding the philosophy of the Mission and its ONG- MEHDA because these are foundational to the way the Mission works in Guinea Bissau.
1. We come in humility ready to learn from our African brothers & sisters. We do not come to do things for them because we are in anyway superior to them. We come to help and empower them to do their own development.
2. We recognize that God has richly blessed the country of Guinea Bissau with good soil, good rainfall and other natural resources. He has placed these here for the benefit, health and enjoyment of the people who live here. Therefore it is not necessary to bring in great resources from the outside- the resources needed are already here.
3. We believe that, like people all around the world, the Bissauns are created in the image of God with intelligence, creativity and the ability to care for themselves. We believe and teach that God has a way for us to live that will bring health and wholeness to ourselves and our communities as we care for His creation. We believe God is calling us to live at peace with each other and His good Creation.
Upon this foundation we are honored to be here with you, joining hands with you for a better future for the people of Guinea Bissau.
Agricultural Initiatives:
It is evident that the country of Guinea Bissau has been blessed with great potential for the production of a wide variety of tropical food and medicinal plants. There is no reason for hunger or poor nutrition in this country. Growing conditions and water resources allow for year around cropping.
The agricultural activities of the Mission include:
· The establishment of tree plantings on Mission property. These include Molina (for wood production), oil palm trees and citrus fruit trees. The purpose of the plantings is to demonstrate the feasibility for tree crops and to provide income to sustain the Mission and the ONG in years to come.
· We collaborate with international organizations that promote the introduction and sharing of tropical seeds, plants, trees and shrubs. These plants are especially beneficial because of their high nutritional value and medicinal applications. We have made plantings of these at the mission center in Catel and we share them with villagers who wish to participate. These organizations are also helping us with technologies to increase crop production.
· We have attempted to promote community gardens but these have not be very successful because the village women find it difficult to work together for their common good and they take little ownership of the gardens.
· We have started a poultry demonstration project that we hope will prove that poultry as a meat animal will be a feasible enterprise for the villagers.
Health and Well-being Initatives:
The mission maintains ministries in eight villages. In these villages most people do not have access to medical care and everyone lives under conditions that promote the spread of infectious diseases. We are concerned about the prevalence of disease and the scarcely available medical care. Therefore we are developing medical and wellness opportunities for the residents including:
· Medicines for purchase to treat at least a dozen of the most prevalent diseases.
· Two men in our church have taken elementary medical training to operate a village ‘caisse de sante’
· Starting in December, 2010 we will have a North American registered medical professional at the mission in Catel. We are working with our Mission sponsors to make that a permanent position.
· Starting December, 2010 we are beginning a comprehensive program of wellness training that will be taken to every compound in the cooperating villages. It is a series of hundreds of well-being lessons on subjects of sanitation, disease prevention, nutrition, family life, money management, child-rearing, gender equality and dozens more topics relating to well-being. Trainers will be sent out from Catel who will go into the cooperating village to train local animators who in turn will teach the lesson in each household where they are welcomed.
Job Creation/ Business Initiatives:
· As noted above, our goal is to utilize resources that are already available in the community to create income for those willing to work. The primary crop resource in Guinea Bissau is the vast cashew plantations. Most of the crop is purchased as raw nuts and shipped outside the country for processing, a system that leaves the growers and harvesters with almost nothing. Therefore we have started a cashew processing facility on the mission property that provides employment for several villagers. The cashews are partially processed and delivered to Ziguinchor where the processing and packaging is completed. The cashews are marketed locally and in Europe. The objective of the program is to keep a greater portion of the income from the cashews in the local community.
Other Initatives:
· We are working with the Youth Association of Catel in a cooperative project to aid in the construction of a 4 classroom school facility in Catel village. We are providing the cement, brick press, roof, doors and windows. The Youth Association is providing the labor to make the bricks and build the building.
Church Development:
We are a Christian mission organization. Our sponsor is Eastern Mennonite Missions, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. In all of the villages where we have activities we are inviting people to make spiritual and life changing transformation that will help them realize the potential and plan God has for each of their lives. Our model is Jesus Christ and we invite people to become part of the Christian faith community. As people respond in turning to God and leaving behind traditional religions they begin their journey of faith with Jesus; a community of faith emerges and a village church is created.
We are non-coercive in our missionary strategy. People are free to follow or not to follow Jesus. Those who chose not to become Christians are still welcomed to participate in all of our initiatives and programs.
