The Harambee Foundation is committed to profoundly impact the lives of vulnerable women and children in Tanzania through the provision of basic services in collaboration with local community initiatives.
Five years ago EAPE provided technical and fundraising support during Joshua Johnston’s first year abroad, where he served with the Manyara Holistic Center (MAHOCE), a Tanzanian NGO in Babati, Tanzania. MAHOCE provides shelter, food, clothing and educational opportunities for orphans and street children, and offers training and support for women in the community.
After spending a year in Tanzania, Joshua organized the Harambee Foundation, a ministry committed to making a long-term difference in the lives of the vulnerable children and women he met and served in Babati. Last year EAPE invested in the first phase of an agro-forestry project to acquire 5 acres of land for planting timber and fruit trees and maize and sunflowers and provide a sustainable source of income and food for the 48 children and 30 women served by MAHOCE.
It costs $800 to purchase, clear, plow, plant and harvest an acre of land in Tanzania. This year we have the opportunity to help Harambee and MAHOCE acquire 5 more acres for sustenance farming and cash crops, but we need your help to support the second phase of this micro-economic initiative.
The Latest from Harambee Foundation
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Fruits of the Harvest
Joshua Johnston founded the Harambee Foundation and serves as Director of Field Operations in Babati, Tanzania. In addition to providing assistance and support to the small, but growing, holistic work of MAHOCE (learn more here), Joshua also oversees a multi-phase agro-forestry project that he initiated and EAPE has been funding. The goal of this farming project is to establish a sustainable source of food and income for the 48 children and 30 women served by MAHOCE.
Fruits of the Harvest: 100kg bags of maize and sunflower seeds stored in MAHOCE’s store room at the end of August.
After a short summer furlough visiting friends and family in the States, Joshua returned to East Africa in time to see the fruits of the harvest and sent us a thorough report, summarized here:
In July, we celebrated our first successful harvest of corn and sunflower in Babati. This joint farming project was made possible through the continuing support of EAPE, and allows MAHOCE to reduce food costs for the Centre. The recent harvest yielded enough corn for approximately six month’s supply of corn meal, which is used in cooking ugali, one of the staple foods in Tanzania. The sunflower seeds will be dried for several months and then pressed – the oil used for cooking. MAHOCE will press about 100 liters of oil, enough for a 5 month’s supply at the Centre.
Additional funding from EAPE’s donors will used to expand the agro-forestry project by planting 121 timber trees and clearing and cultivating additional acres of land for planting beans in 2022. You can read the full report here.
When you give to EAPE, you invest in a network of innovative, holistic and effective ministries, and help make it possible for missionaries like Joshua Johnston to impact lives and communities in Jesus’ name. If you have questions about Harambee, or any of the ministries we’re investing in, please call EAPE’s office at 610-341-1722 or use the “Contact Us” form below to send an email.
P.S. Finally, if you live in the Greater Philadelphia area and like to run 5Ks that support a good cause, don’t miss the Harambee Foundation’s 4th Annual Charity Race on Saturday, September 28. You can learn more about and register for the event here or by contacting the race organizers at 610-277-8393. We hope you’ll make it out!
