Today I received this poem from my good friend, David Kush. He has an amazing way of capturing the heart of The Rhema Project’s mission

Oh mother India
Why do you cry
Is it for the baby girls
That they say they must die
Do you hear their crys
In the streets at night
Hungry and scared
Waiting to die
Those that survive
To a life with no hope
Wishing it was them
That was chosen to go
Oh God in heaven hear their pleas
Give us the means
To give these girls real dreams
A life worth living
By hearing your word
Changing their lives
With the help of us who believe
That with our help and yours
Their life can be more than
HOPELESS DREAMS

david kush

Question? Could hydroponic gardening and aquaponic raising of fish be a solution to end female infanticide and feticide in India?

Two of the driving factors that cause families to make the decision to end the lives of their daughters is lack of enough food to feed their family causing a slow but sure starvation and the long-term belief their family will be subjugated to bonded labor when they borrow money for their daughter’s dowry.

In 2010 it has been estimated that it takes approximately $1.25 (USD) per day to purchase food needed to survive. In many villages in southern India a male day laborer will earn about $1.00 (USD) for a day’s work and a women will earn between 50 and 70% of this amount for similar work. So, what does a family of do when they do not earn enough money to feed themselves when a daughter is born?

If they do make the right but difficult decision to not kill their newborn daughter how can they save enough money to pay the bride price of up to 10 times their family’s annual income?

Hydroponics (growing of plants using mineral nutrient in solutions, in water, without the use of soil) has been an option since the early 1970′s and has provided viable solutions for areas where soil quality is limited.

Aquaponics is the simultaneous cultivation of plants and aquatic animals in a symbiotic environment where the animal effluents that accumulate in the water are used and filtered out by the plants as nutrients, after which the water is recirculated back to the animals.

Step in Russell, a successful farmer from Peru, Indiana. His interest is to raise Tilapia fish for a commercial sale.

Raising fish in the basement. Veggies on the main floor and add a greenhouse roof to keep the heat in so you could raise fish year round in Indiana.

Russell is more interested in raising fish for profit. The hydroponic side is primarily to filter, purify and oxidize the water so it will not become toxic and kill his cash crop. He has taken vertical farming to a whole new level.

So, what might happen if we could adapt this blend of hydroponic gardening and aquaponic fish raising to India? A village could not only provide its families with food to meet its own needs but it could become a viable business operation that could employ several village families. And then, hundreds of villages in southern India would be filled with the sounds of girls singing, laughing and living again.

I feel a plan coming together! Thanks Russell!!!

The Rhema Project is looking for innovative ways of developing mico businesses in southern India. One idea is the produce a Rhema handbag that can be quickly converted into a backpack. Rice comes in these colorful bags in India. Indians have not figured out recycling so we plan to build a business around it.

Last month when I came back from India, I brought back several rice bags and handed them over to Jennifer and Bruce Williams. Jennifer talked to Kim who is a great seamstress… and a few days later this is what we have as a prototype. Last Saturday, we met with Raj and Prema to talk about how we could build a business that would hire women to collect the rice bags, clean the rice bags, sew the backing to the rice bag, assemble the handbags and backpacks and start and import/export business from Chennai. Goal is to have them in production sometime in 2011. Just way too cool! Thanks Jennifer, Bruce, Kim and all on their growing team!