Sustainable Agriculture
In 2012 a sustainable agriculture program at Rehoboth was established. The intention was for this sustainability to be three-pronged - first to be means of basic food support for the children in our care, second for this to be done in an an environmentally friendly way, to have land which was farmed in a sustainable manner, third that this would grow to provide some income support for Rehoboth and help Rehoboth become less donation dependent and more self sustaining.
From a donations in to employ a farmer, an innovative group of school children and Rotary club providing Aquaponics resources, and a subsequent donation a few years later for a tiller, it has grown to be a thriving agriculture plot with four paid employees. Now, our sustainable agriculture not only supplies organically grown food for Rehoboth but also enough to sell at the local market for funds which support Rehoboth. While this percentage of the budget is small, it is growing ! Also the knowledge that much of the food the children are provided is organically grown onsite, makes the impact go beyond financial to the well being of the children in our care.
We have a large market garden, chickens and ducks for eggs as well as pigs. All of this is being farmed in a sustainable way to ensure that we are working effectively and building back into the land and natural fertility.
Aquaponics
It began as a dream with a group of school children in Perth, Western Australia to help those in need in a developing country. After much research, planning and discussion and with the assistance from the Rotary Club of South Perth Burswood, the parts were shipped the system assembled. We added fish and have grown tomatoes, lettuce and other crops. Our farming staff gather ongoing training from other organisations within the Philippines to use the system to it's greatest potential. We are so thankful to this group of bright, innovative school students that initiated a long term meaningful project that has direct impact on the kids of Rehoboth. Here's a link to the news story from December 2013 with some photos of the initial setup.
If you have questions about our program, please email us.