Newsletter: December 2015
Farm Report
The project list in Uganda for Farm Managers Jason and Brenda included: Farm Irrigation, Greenhouses, Boat Building, Sewing Rooms, Skills Training, Jewelry Making, Fish Farms, Welding and Painting (portable signs for small businesses), and Hair Shavers.
But behind and infant of every project are children, mothers, communities, and villages. It's all about people... lovely, wonderful people.
Uganda
On the shores of Lake Victoria, a 45 minute boat ride from Gaba Town, is Bethany Village. Over 130 children are living in 8 homes, at this place of safety and hope in Uganda. This Fish Farm houses 6000 Tilapia and is used to grow hundreds of Okra, peppers, melons and other vegetable used to help feel these children. When originally built in 2013, this farm operated 100% on solar power, as the village had no access to electricity. They now have electricity and this November, we are excited to install several acres of drip irrigation for traditional farming and to partner with Hear The Cry, to build and install Fish Cages and add to their repertoire of Fish Farming capabilities. We will add 10-15 cages, just off the shoreline. These cages will house Tilapia, which are native to Lake Victoria, but sparse in this section of the waters! This addition will increase their yearly fish production by over 35,000 Tilapia each year! This is a game changer for Bethany Village and will move them to a new level of self-sustainability! Fish Farm manager Henry Winkler, a local young man with a degree in Agriculture, has done an amazing job as steward of this fish farm and we are excited to support him through this next stage of development!
Rwanda
In July, we finished construction of our largest Fish Farm to-date, about 30 minutes outside of Kigali, Rwanda. This amazing community rallied together, with all of us working hard to complete the tasks and accomplish the goals. We will be returning to Rwanda in November, to spend some time training with the local national staff and we will be upgrading their aeration system, to accommodate the needs of the larger farm and volume of fish production. At standard capacity, this farm will produce 15,000 Tilapia each year and 2000 vegetables every 2-3 months! We will help over 800 children receive safe housing, support and education by the revenue that this farm will produce each year! They are just beginning and we can't wait to see where they go from here!
Zimbabwe
In 2012, Jason and Brenda got on a plane - they brought their tools, their hope, their planning and ideas, and their Fish Farm design to Zimbabwe. Here, they built their first FIsh Farm System for an orphanage in Marlbouro, Zimbabwe, where over 20 orphaned and at-risk children live in safety from the danger and exploitation of the streets. This farm is run by local nationals and overseen by Peter Kanasta. We look forward to meeting with staff here for continued training and development.
In 2014, they returned to Zimbabwe, building another Fish Farm at Habitation. Habitation is a community center that hosts children's camps, skills training and is the future site for a village of homes to house even more orphans and at-risk children in Zimbabwe. Habitation is linked to a partner organization that helping to feed over 5000 children in Zimbabwe, every day.
Living conditions in Zimbabwe are worsening with little hope and even fewer options for future success for it's people. Men, women and children are trafficked within Zimbabwe and to neighboring countries as slave labor and sexual slaves. Often times, once the exploited people have lost their usefulness, or become sick (often with HIV), their abusers will call police and have them deported back to their countries of origin. The atrocities here are ugly. The need here is desperate and FFC will continue to seek opportunities to open doors of hope and safety for the people here!
Featured Collaborator
In the spirit of celebrating Thanksgiving, our Collaborator's Spotlight highlights our appreciation for each one of you. Our gratitude runs deep for how you have helped build the foundation for a growing number of collaborators to contribute to a legacy of positive change.
Collaborators, it is you who contributed uniquely through your own fly fishing interests. It is you, who created heartfelt action in support of kids and orphans. It is you, who positively impacted thousands around the world unjustly harmed by human traffickers, and that includes more than the thousand plus kids who received a sustainable eco-system this year. Thousands of individuals across the fly fishing community have been positively impacted by your actions and have responded in kind. Their families and friends now observe how you helped build the foundation of something great, and today they continue to join you in the effort to serve kids.
Thanks again to each of you for your conversations, social media shares, emails and phone calls. Thank you for inviting your family, friends, colleagues, and members of the fly fishing industry to join FFC. Thank you for helping over 65 fly fishing organizations and communication groups to support kids who otherwise would be negatively impacted by human traffickers. Thank you for creating an unimaginable influence on the world. Thank you for living out a new perspective that shows how even the simple love for the art of fly fishing can leave a legacy of positive change.
Upcoming Events
We're happy to announce our 1st annual fundraising banquet! Join us at Portland's premier MAC Club on March 4th as we celebrate the great work we've been able to accomplish together, and look ahead at the exciting new prospects awaiting us.
In the Media
Head over to newsstands nationwide to pick up your copy of American Angler to read what best-selling author Chris Santella has to say about FFC!
Well known author and fly fisherman Chris Santella wrote an excellent article about the collaborative that is currently featured in American Angler’s fall issue. Santella is a valued collaborator and tells our story well. Thank you Chris, and the whole team at American Angler, for sharing our story.
Featured Trip
Steelhead fishing with Keith Lyon of Jefferson Fly Water on the Klamath River, CA. Fall on the Klamath is spectacular. The colors, the wildlife and the large run of 'half-pounder' and adult steelhead. Days can go by without seeing another angler in this remote corner of Californiah. Starting in late November, the weather turns, but the fishing stays hot with a winter run through February. The Klamath has classic spey runs, incredible nymph water and top-water opportunities. With over 100 miles of fishable water, Keith with help you find the fish whatever the conditions may be.
Space is available for one or two anglers ($425).