Field Report – Impact of Vegetable Garden

I must admit there are days where it seems that we are not doing enough to help change a culture that accepts the killing of 2 to 3.5 million girl babies each year as “normal.”

Then I receive a field report from Rajendran – one of our key partners and a good friend. He and his dedicated staff are on the front line each day. They hear the stories. They witness the subtle changes that has caused this village to stop killing their daughters.

In February (2011) we installed a drip irrigation test garden on the school property. We wanted to see if we could introduce a new way of farming. To grow a few vegetables during a time a year (no rain) where no one was farming.

Most days the school children would only get a small portion of low quality rice and just enough curry to cover its bad taste. They would then choke down a cup of “salty” water.

Here are their stories of a new found hope. A vision for a better tomorrow.

Testimony by the cook Pandiammal:
I am working in the school for past 20 years. I have never cooked food for the children with this much vegetables. Many years back, correspondent (Late) Subburayar used to provide one free meal in a year to the villagers. Only on that day I have seen vegetables in the food. But now we are cooking the meal with lot of vegetables. Children are eagerly eating the meal. Previously everyone in the village used to scold us for providing substandard food, now they have stopped scolding us.

Assistant cook Pappa:
The government is giving only 32 cents every day to buy spices, wood and vegetables. It is not possible to cook good meal with this amount. Therefore we were forced to cook substandard food for the children even though we don’t want to do. Now because of your service to the school we are able to provide good food to the children.

Maripandi – student (class V)
Before I never used to eat rice more because the food won’t be tasty, and there will not be vegetables in the curry. Now because of the garden, plenty of vegetables are there in our meal. So the meal is tasty and I am eating fully, therefore when I am not hungry anymore. I have good strength to play games after school.

Azhakarsami – student (Class IV)
Previously we used drink dirty water from the open tank and eat unhealthy food, so I used to be sick often. Sometimes there will not be any water, and then we used to go to the neighboring village to wash our plates and drink water. Now because of you we have clean water and good food. Thank you.

Navetha –Student (Class III)
I am eating the noon meal so much now because they are putting lot of vegetables in our meal. My mother is asking me to bring some vegetables from the garden, as it has so much.

Ramar – head master, Kethuvarpatti school:
Previously whenever we had function in the school, since we don’t have electricity in our school, we used take from neighbor’s motor room. They used to scold us for this. Now through your project, we have electricity in our school. You have lightened our life. The kitchen building, garden and bore has immensely helped our children. Thank you so much for what you do.

Last month we were given the opportunity to help construct a hostel for pastors attending Life Mission India’s pastor training program. In the last 7 years under the leadership of Rajendran director of Life Mission India nearly 1,000 pastors have been trained on how to start and grow a church throughout southern India. Each quarter pastors return to learn how they can become better equipped on how to not only grow their church but become an agent for change within their village or community.

Over 100 of these pastors come from the Salem and Madurai districts where the highest concentration of female infanticide and gender identification feticide is occurring within the Hindu communities in all of Tamil Nadu, India.

Because of the teachings in the Bible and the Koran both Christians and Muslims do not practice the killing of their girl babies – Hindu teaching is somewhat silent about the life a girl child causing the vast majority of killings to occur within these communities. However, faith is only one of the many factors that leads to the death of between 1.5 and 3.5 million girl babies in India each year.

Consequently, these pastors when educated and equipped can become the agents of change within their neighborhoods, villages and cities – to become missional in their message by teaching their neighbors the value of the girl child, by bringing pre- and post natal care to Hindu women, by equipping their church families to become foster parents to unwanted girl babies, by being the church 24/7 not just on Sunday afternoon for a few hours.

Two years ago we wandered into a small village and celebrated the life of a newborn baby girl with the name Rhema and a small financial gift of less than $8.00 USD. It was the spark the ignited this cause. It is our hope and prayer that through this small financial gift of a borewell, kitchen and hostel will light a fire in hundreds of villages in Tamil Nadu that will directly lead to the rescue of thousands of girl babies and the changing of a cultural attitude toward the girl child.

This is a well meaning question posed often to me as The Rhema Project continues to fund the drilling of new wells or the filtration of existing ones to provide reliable, fresh, clean drinking water to villages and field partners in India.

I believe they are really asking this – “How does good drinking water stop the killing of 1.2 million baby girls each year in India?” It is a great question, especially coming from a western worldview that water is essentially a commodity. Turn on the tap in your kitchen and most of us our set.

People can survive 3 to 8 days without water but in rural India, especially in southern India where daytime temperatures can reach over 120 degrees and access to any water is limited at best, a reliable water source is essential for all life.

So from a macro viewpoint, drilling a 500 foot bore well in a village provides TRP with;

1. Immediate creditability within the entire village.
2. Families quickly move from daily survival to a sustaining attitude.
3. Improved health standards for the entire village – including the girls.

From a young girls perspective, a well immediately removes the “domino effect” that causes her to loose hope of finding self-worth or be given any value as a person. A village well provides her with;

1. A Chance for Life. While still in her mother’s womb if her mother has adequate and good drinking water the baby girl’s chance for surviving her birth increases significantly.
2. A Chance for Health. The majority of deaths of young girls is the direct result of preventable water-born illnesses that are typically left untreated when you are a girl child. So, if a girl survives her first few years she has;
3. A Chance for Education. Since she does not need to walk 2 to 5 miles to carry water back home she can stay in school.
4. A Chance for Economic Opportunity. Every year a girl is able to stay in school past the 6th standard her income earning potential will increase by 25%, the age she will be married is delayed and the number of children she will have will decrease by nearly 30%.
5. A Chance to Change Culture. When a woman is given an opportunity to earn an income she will reinvest her earnings back into the care and education of her children giving them a greater opportunity and raising the value of both her sons and daughters.

Cultural beliefs, habits and patterns are difficult to change. Many times, any small hurdle becomes a virtual road block to change. A reliable bore well in a rural village that provides good drinking water eliminates many of the reasons “not to change.”

So when I share that an investment of $1500 to $2000 USD to drill a 500 ft. bore well in villages in southern India will provide an entire village with reliable, fresh drinking water, many friends now share “Why Not Water!”

This is the only drinking water source in a small village outside of Madurai, India. Each morning the government turns on the water for 90 minutes. Each family is able to only collect up to two jars (about 15 gallon) of water each day. A new 400′ bore well providing fresh and reliable drinking water will cost about $1500.

Same story unfolded in the colony of Kalavai last August. Today, the untouchables (Irula tribe) are now giving clean drinking water to neighbors who 9 months ago would barely speak to them.

Amazing. In India the gospel just jumps off the pages at you everyday.

Mark 12: 31-34 “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”