Those who dwell under His shadow shall return; they shall be revived like grain. Hosea 14.7
Hello! I hope this message finds you well. Yet again we are in the middle of lockdown due to the Covid Pandemic. Our shops are closed and we are unable to travel and we have stopped accepting donations except medical ones to try and keep our volunteers safe. Despite all this we are still able to do some of our work, particularly the overseas projects.
Due to a generous donation of one of our supporters we have started work on the solar panels at the Christian hospital Source de Vie in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso. The electricity costs are very high and the panels will make significant savings for the hospital. It is impossible to run a modern day obstetric / surgical unit without electricity! When I went to India in the 1980s we used to have frequent power cuts – if the lights went out we had to use a torch and a foot suction pump to carry on with the Caesarian sections and it was terrifying. As there is so much sunlight in Burkina it is wonderful to be able to use what God is providing free of charge – after paying for the solar panels etc!
In Bobo at the ABC school they are still struggling to try and feed the families and refugees that come daily for food. Due to this, our partners have started a dry season farming project on some land that the school owns nearby. Until now it has only been able to use this land during the wet season as there is no water available for farming at other times. Myra Wells, a Christian charity that digs wells in Burkina Faso, has dug a well on the land and Jacob’s Well Appeal are providing the water tank and solar pump etc to enable this project to go ahead. This will mean that the families from the school can grow food out of season. We are using money that we receive from our sales of donated face masks, hand gel and soap and any financial donations (labelled Covid Burkina) would be very welcome!
Our Dry Season Farming projects in Ghana continue and are also providing vital provisions for the families in the communities we support. The main harvest following the rainy season is in September/October and it is the last few months before the rains start again that the communities really struggle. It is also when the weather is unbearably hot and dry but the crops grow well when there is a supply of water. The photo below shows Jacob one of our partners in Ghana inspecting the crop at our dry season project at Sing recently.
We have a container that is due to go to Zambia soon containing much needed medical aid.
Hopefully we will see a easing of lockdown soon but in the meantime I pray that you all stay safe and well. Thank you once again for all your support and I hope you are encouraged by the fact that the work of Jacob’s Well Appeal can still carry on despite the difficulties we are facing – it is only due to the work and support of so many people. Thank you!