Adolzell (in tan dress on right) has her own field.Part 4 in a blog series by the Rev. Joy Daley…
On another day, we were driving down the road and saw a group of about 12 women in brightly colored clothes, tilling a field and joyfully singing. They were planting nuts.
At first we watched from a distance, but we couldn’t stay away, for their spirit and their singing drew us in. We learned that the words of their song meant, “Let us unite and develop ourselves.”
Adolzell, the woman who owned the field, was able to buy it with a small loan through Episcopal Relief & Development. “What will you do with the money you earn?” we asked. Adolzell told us she had six children and would use the money to pay for their education. A woman empowered … hope for the next generation … the kingdom of God comes near.
After lunch we visited a school for people with disabilities that Episcopal Relief & Development supports. People who are deaf and blind learn skills so they may live independently. We then met Grabba, a 28-year-old man who cannot speak or hear but has his own furniture-making shop because of the skills he learned at the school.
We also saw a place where chickens are raised and given to people who can then feed their own families and earn money by selling eggs to others. These individuals become self sufficient and gain a sense of dignity and freedom. So many of you have purchased chickens, mosquito nets and other life-changing gifts from the Episcopal Relief & Development Gifts for Life catalog and given them to family members. Each time you have done this, you have been a part of the kingdom of God coming near—the kingdom of justice and peace where people have enough to eat and a sense of hope for themselves and their children.
Grabba (seated), who is deaf, has his own furniture business
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