REAP’s focus is on the rural poor, who have some land but many mouths to feed from a small plot. REAP develops practical teaching of what the rural poor can do from within their own resources, and particularly family labour. REAP has therefore developed a focus on practical technology that requires little or no cost.
REAP is a registered trust committed to distinctively Christian teaching that is developed specifically for the benefit of the rural poor in eastern Africa.
REAP works mainly with and through Christian churches and para-church organisations, by facilitating them to …
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During the Kisumu Show in 2009 REAP won the cup for the Best Stand in Environmental Management. This was awarded to us in part because of our display on ways of managing and using waste. Working Through Churches »
A Biblical Teaching to Motivate Farmers to Maintain a Living SoilIn REAP (Rural Extension with Africa’s Poor) our work is through local churches, emphasising an approach that we believe plays to the potential of the local church. While there is much potential that we see in the local church, we focus on four main factors in the area that we work, namely eastern Africa. These are the potential of the existing church structure, the use of the Bible to motivate people, the potential for extending teaching leading to behaviour change, and the potential for teaching that is relevant to the rural poor.
One of the greatest challenges in sustainable approaches to development is motivating people and in eastern Africa we have found the Bible to be a wonderful resource for motivating people to be responsible, and to make best use of the resources available. We use the Bible to both introduce and back up our technical teaching, and have found this particularly relevant to our Environmental and Sustainable Agriculture teaching. Once people have been stimulated through motivational teaching they are keen to learn about practical things they can do and we have linked the Biblical teaching with this practical. For the rural poor we promote teaching which as far as possible does not depend on purchased inputs, but which makes good use of available labour, a resource that is normally abundant for them as they seek to support many people on ever smaller pieces of land.
When talking about the soil, the starting point for our teaching is that God created the world, and everything in it, including the living soil!
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Newsletter: Spring 2007Read the complete Spring 07 Newsletter.
PRAYER POINTS
- Thanks that training in the use of natural medicines is being well received in many areas. Please pray that appropriate statistical data on their success, together with chemical analysis
of the plants used, will be reliably acquired. - Guidance in finding the most suitable plot of land in the Kisumu region, to purchase with a grant from Greyfriars, in order to facilitate more effective work in that area
- For the safety of all REAP personnel as they live, work and travel in often dangerous areas of Africa. Particularly for several young people from Devon who will be working with REAP over the next few months.
Rain; its Blessings…and it Challenges
Unusually heavy rains through January and February (normally very dry months) have been of enormous benefit to REAP’s work.
Medicinal Plants Thrive
Many of the medicinal plants, which REAP is introducing for the poor to be able to produce themselves, have spread much faster due to the increased amount of moisture in the soil.
Food Security for Tanzania
Dr. Sharland has been very encouraged by the response in central Tanzania to REAP’s holistic approach.
Cultivating a Medicinal Garden
Celebrating at the end of a CWD workshop
Teaching Environmental Stewardship
