The training
About once a week, our home in Amanipi turns into a training center. We welcome groups of ten to thirty participants, usually by invitation, often after visiting a new community, village, or church. The participants come from a variety of church backgrounds—Catholic, Anglican, evangelical, Pentecostal—or sometimes no church at all. What they share is a common desire: to learn how to improve their farming.
This month we are inviting several tree nursery groups with young people and their supervisors for training sessions. Through the training, these young farmers can already apply the 4Pillars techniques on their fields this year. That not only offers the prospect of a better future but also results in more food and income right away.
In addition to Amanipi, we have two other training centers, about twenty and forty kilometers from our home. Trainings are held there weekly as well. So far, one of us has always been present. It requires a great deal of travel, but the work brings deep satisfaction.
Today we are hosting a group of young people from a village eight kilometers away. Ten of them arrive, divided over four motorbikes. We begin at eight o’clock with a Bible reflection, a song, and prayer. This is followed by introductions and a short theoretical session.
Then it is time for practice. We move to the training fields around our house, where we demonstrate the 4Pillars in action. The participants carry out various exercises, such as direct seeding without plowing and the hygienic pruning of banana trees. Our trainers, Alio and Anguezu, and our trainers Neema and Nyakuru, guide the practical sessions.
Around ten o’clock we gather again in the training room. We share coffee— in Congo invariably with sugar— and the atmosphere noticeably relaxes. A few jokes are exchanged and experiences are cautiously shared. After coffee, the trainers provide additional theory in Lugbarati, the language of this ethnic group, and participants have the opportunity to ask questions. This is followed by more practical exercises in the fields. The tree nursery also receives considerable attention. Interest is high, not only in the coffee seedlings but also in other trees such as Calliandra, a valuable shade tree that is also suitable for construction wood and firewood.
By the time all topics have been covered, it is almost noon. Lunch is ready. We eat together, usually fufu (a firm porridge made from cassava flour) and/or rice with beans, all grown on our own fields. It is highly appreciated food here. During the meal everyone is quiet, fully absorbed in eating. Only afterwards do the conversations resume.
After a few closing words, the participants return home. Each time a group completes the training, we feel a sense of fulfillment. At the same time, we know that the training is only truly successful when participants apply it in practice back home. Follow-up visits are therefore essential.
Behind the Scenes
And who prepares the coffee and the meal? Two women: our regular helper Ayikuru and her assistant Esther. I keep a discreet eye on things from a distance. At half past seven the fire is lit. The beans, soaked overnight, go straight onto the fire. A large kettle of water for the coffee is set to boil, and the onions and tomatoes are chopped.
Ayikuru and Esther have built up solid experience and carry out their work with enjoyment. In the beginning I occasionally had to prompt them— “It’s already ten o’clock, where is the coffee?” That is no longer necessary; everything is ready effortlessly and on time. Sometimes there is just enough food; often there are leftovers, which are carefully divided among the trainers and the cooks.
We are deeply grateful for this team. Without them, a training day would simply not be possible.
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