Claude Mbarushimana, or Little Claude, as he is affectionately known around Matara and parts of Texas, is the agricultural engineer for Community For Burundi. He has been with us since the beginning… the beginning of the community development project in Matara and the beginning of his career in agriculture. Claude hired Little Claude right out of university, where he had just completed a degree in agriculture. He had no field experience to speak of, but Claude sensed that he had something deeper to recommend him. He discerned there was a real heart in his rationale for wanting to team up with us, a true desire to help people with his education and an openness to serve the Batwa people. So he took a chance on a young organization, and we took a chance on a young agricultural engineer. I think we are all glad that we did!

Claude took some time to ask Little Claude a few questions about his experience thus far.

How has been your experience so far?

I started with the project in June 2009 – I had just graduated from University in May, so this was my first real job. I had a few other offers but this opportunity gave me a way to work with the Batwa families directly. So really, this was what I had hoped and dreamed for when I embarked on this field of study. I wanted to help real people make real progress in their lives, and I thought food security would be the most basic way to help families in Burundi.

The journey has been good, but difficult at first! Claude and I started from the beginning as a small team, and I really was challenged to be an agronomist as well as the family planning councilor, project manager, etc… There was so much to do and so much to learn in those early days! Then I started seeing real progress among families who had not only nothing physically but had very little knowledge on how to work the land. We started learning from the beginning dreaming of food security and now we are at the place where we grow all their food on the farm. Now we are thinking about sustainability.

I have had other offers from bigger NGO’s since, but my heart is with the families of Matara. This is no longer a job, I am on the journey with the families and I want to see them go far!

How would you describe the progress of the Batwa families?

From June 2009 to January 2011 – All I can say is that we have seen miracle after miracle! The community at large in Matara has changed completely because of the families. I feel like I have taught them everything I know about agriculture, now we learn together, we experience things together, we share together. I am no longer the teacher! Now they offer their experience with the neighbors, not only in agriculture but now they are leading in education of children, they are involved in promoting good health and hygiene, they are in local politics (leadership). And most importantly, they are leading families around them to Jesus.

All of this continues to take us by surprise, we couldn’t have planned this, God did it! He may have used BIG Claude and a little bit of me, but the families did it and deserve all the credit. We are just there to cheer them up, walk with them and bring little support when necessary …

Many of you may not know this about Little Claude, but he is still a student! He is currently amid theological training at a local seminary in Bujumbura. When I had the privilege to teach there, I asked him one night what he intends to do with this education. Would he leave agriculture to pastor a church? “No!” he exclaimed. “I am passionate about agriculture. But I want to teach more than just agriculture as I work with our friends on the land.” He proceeded to tell me that as he plants the field alongside the Batwa men and women, he talks about how our hearts are like soil, and how God plants seeds in our hearts. What kind of soil is your heart? Is it the right climate for God to grow something good in you? Are you tending your heart with the kind of care you give to these fields of cabbage, carrots and sweet potatoes? So he wants to be a pastoral agricultural engineer! He wants to help people cultivate the land, but also their life with the goodness of God! How amazing that Little Claude is on our team, tending fields and hearts…

Claude and I are so blessed to have Little Claude on the team… he is a part of the story of God’s goodness in Matara. He has worked hard, broken a sweat, solved problems, shared in accomplishments, taught skills and moved his feet in the dances of the Batwa. He has poured his heart into these families… and it is no wonder why they love him so much! They know that he is for them!

We thought we would share a quick update on the progress of the students of Matara. You might recall that 28 months ago these students started a new school, a bit apprehensive about how they would be accepted by fellow students, how they would be treated by the teachers and how they would perform academically. Their parents had similar concerns. Would their children fare better than they did in the educational system? Would they be given a fair chance to learn, or be ridiculed and belittled, forced out of school? Nerves ran high that first school term, that very first day the students stepped foot into their classes.

But, as you all know, a lot happens in 28 months in Matara! As we shared recently, a woman from Matara was appointed to be president of the local school board, because the principals and teaches were so impressed with the Batwa students. The Batwa children were so solid and consistent that the education leaders wanted to make them the model for others, and invited Godis to lead that effort.

Claude just learned this week that 65% of the children at Matara finished in the top five of their class! In Burundian education, it is key where you finish in relation to other students, so report cards indicate percentages but, more importantly, your class standing. The majority of our elementary and secondary students stood in the top five of their class… this is monumental!

Another interesting statistic – the principal told Claude that every elementary and secondary class had a Batwa student as first or second in the class standings. These Batwa students are working hard and being rewarded for their efforts! Their teachers are recognizing them as outstanding students, honoring their efforts and ranking them as top students. This is, again, monumental!

We have teachers who are seeing that Batwa students are equal to Hutu and Tutsi students in potential. And they are seeing that in this community, in particular, the parents support their kids and encourage them in their learning. The parents are seeing their children shine in the classroom and be accepted in school as hard-working students. There is some redemption here, as the trauma they experienced is being overcome by the success of their own sons and daughters. Their children will have a good education and will attain great things. These children will learn that hard work does result in respect and reward… and that they have as much potential as anyone else!

What great lessons for all involved! Education within the community seems to transform the entire community… not only the students!

This week our friends in Matara are engaged in some forecasting. They are not searching the skies for stars to predict weather patterns. Nor are they seeking out a local animist to divine the coming events of the year. They are sitting together and considering their future.

This is not standard practice for most Burundians. When you live on the edge of society and survival, you only have energy to think of today. Will there be enough food for me, for my children? As you live on the verge of life you cannot imagine beyond the sun setting today on your hunger, thirst and lack of other sorts. Tomorrow is the luxury of those who have eaten today. Next season is only worth considering for those who have a harvest growing now. For most rural Burundians, they have no such hope. Today is all they can think of, it is where they live. Planning ahead is for those who have enough. Planning speaks of promise, and few Batwa hold such promise.

But the story has been changing for our Batwa friends ever since they moved into Matara. They have moved from struggling day to day to a new place of assured provision for their families. They have access to clean running water, fertile soil brimming with vegetation and even some small businesses that are starting to turn a profit. They are no longer trapped in the cycle of today, imprisoned by the day’s crushing needs. They can see crops growing today that will feed them next week. They can see children learning and know they will lead the community someday. Promise is green and everywhere in the fields of Matara these days.

So Claude visited our friends one balmy morning and encouraged them to do something they have never done before… plan. He spread out a big white sheet. On the left side he drew the footprint of the village of Matara. He pointed to the right side of the sheet and asked them to begin thinking what their village might look like in a few years from now. He asked them to consider, dream, pray and then draw what they see on that other side of the big white sheet. He was engaging them in some long range planning, teaching them to shape their promise in order to realize its fullest potential. But first he just asked them to dream and draw…

When he returned a week later, the sheet was hung on the side of the community meeting space. And sketched on the right hand side of the sheet was the footprint of the entire region of Matara. The first thing they discerned – the dream was bigger than their own village and their own 27 families. The were envisioning a better future that included all their neighbors and all the mountains of Matara. It knocked the wind out of us… to see how large their hearts and imaginations were! They already understood something deeply theological… that they are blessed to be a blessing to others, that God’s goodness is not just for them to hoard and manage but for them to break open and share with the entire neighborhood! They already knew, with the first stroke of the pen, that they want to see blessing break out everywhere in Matara and they wanted to be part of that future. Their future is connected to the well being of their neighbors… which of course, it always is. But how astute of them to know it and dream it and draw it on that empty sheet.

When Claude returned to Matara yesterday, this is what he saw. They were so excited to have him come and see these papers scattered across the floor of the meeting room. They had decided that each family needed to be involved in this process. So each family was asked to take a paper and draw what they saw in the future for Matara – the village and the region. They were challenging each other to dream and to sketch out their own contribution to the project ahead. Quite a stunning strategy for people who have never had this luxury of planning before! So Claude sat with them and looked at each one, allowing each person to share their plan. As they did, he learned what they were praying for, what they were hoping for and saw how they intended to move forward into the new year. These are friends secure in God’s love for them and provision for them, so secure that they can now dream about the promise of tomorrow. This is mind-blowing stuff… they have made such a huge leap in their ability to forecast the future!

As they did all the sharing and planning together, Claude looked over his shoulder and saw these kids looking on. Imagine, these children are watching their parents plan for a better future. They are witnessing their moms and dads developing a plan that will make the community at large a better place. These parents are role models for a new generation of Burundian leaders. They are examples that God has provided enough for today, so we can discern the direction of tomorrow and steward those days wisely. We can ensure this blessing is not just ours, but expands to embrace the entire neighborhood with God’s lavish goodness. What a lesson these children are learning!

Claude and I continue to be humbled by the friends in Matara. They have big dreams for the region of Matara! They have big dreams for their village and their children, also. They are allowing God’s love for them to shape their dreams for tomorrow. How amazing is that – a plan rooted in love, not fear. We are so blessed to learn alongside these friends and to assist them in implementing their dreams!

Happy New Year, indeed!

Most all the school-age children of Matara attend the elementary school just across the street from the village. This is really the first school experience for many of the children, as education has always been rough for Batwa people. These families lived so far from schools, more than walking distance, and so education was not a reality for many of them. Historically, they have been demeaned in classrooms, even by the teachers. No one expects them to succeed and no one invests in them. Typically the children are the minority and become the victims of much ridicule from other Hutu and Tutsi kids. Most drop out. So you can imagine the excitement and trepidation the families felt when presented with an elementary school just down the street that their children could attend. What would their experience be this time?

What has happened in the past 18 months at the school is a complete change of story, all the stereotypes being unmasked and undermined in the best sense. The kids of Matara would be walked to school by the mothers, always arriving on time for class and dressed in clean uniforms. They worked hard in class. They worked so well, in fact, that the teachers began commenting to each other about the smart Batwa students in their class. ‘My best math student is Batwa,’ one would note. ‘My strongest students in the class are all Batwa,’ another would add. ‘The best speller in my class is Batwa…’ another would say. They began to realize that all the things they were previously told about Batwa and their low intellectual capacity were lies. With their own eyes they saw the efforts and achievements of the Batwa students every day, and began to change their story. They began to recognize these students posses all the potential any other student possesses. What a revelation!

The teachers and principle were so impressed with the Batwa students of Matara. They arrived to class on time, well dressed, clean and ready to learn. They came with their homework assignments completed. They were well behaved in class and kind to other students. The administrators realized that the students did so well, in part, because their parents were so supportive and involved in their education. So they asked one of our women, Godis, to lead the Education Board (similar to the PTA in the US). They wanted her to help the other parents in the neighborhood learn how to support their kids and increase their effectiveness in school. They asked her to help teach the other parents better ways to discipline their children, so that behavior would improve in the classroom. They asked her to help the parents learn how to keep their kids clean and clothes mended. They asked her to show the other parents how to care for the children like the Batwa do, so that the kids will come to school with the same good attitude, readiness to learn and respect for others. Godis learned that they wanted more than help with school, but recruited her to help the parents learn new skills for better parenting overall.

Godis hosted her first meeting recently, and many parents turned out for this session. She indicated that people seemed very receptive to the ideas and suggestions she shared with them. She is very excited about this opportunity to offer guidance to others and contribute to her community. We know Godis to be a woman of great stature within the Batwa village, a natural leader and hard working lady. She will be such a great gift to the community at large in this new role as Education Board President, we are so proud of her!

It is another huge honor to have the local education administrator recognize the students of Matara and recruit one of the mothers to help lead the community of parents to better care for their children. It is a testimony to how the parents in Matara care for their kids and support them – to such a degree that they have been asked to lead the way for other parents in the neighborhood. Once again, they are being invited into local leadership, now in education. Once again, the story about Batwa is changing in Matara as neighbors see the skills and strengths of their Batwa neighbors.

Meet Igirubuntu, the most recent addition to the Matara community. The name means ‘God has humanity, He knows how to make someone, He has made us people / human / citizens.’ So much conveyed in the giving of a name in this season – a deep sense of pride in how God has created not only this child, but this community of people. There is a testimony to the truth that we are, as said in the Old Testament, ‘fearfully and wonderfully made.’ Our Batwa friends know they are fully human, as God has created them to be. They know that they are not inferior, but made of His best material to be citizens in their community. What a great name with such a hefty meaning!

Just to remind you of the first child born in Matara… Iribuka continues to grow healthy and strong!

Kids are all growing so strong in Matara these days!

In a northern province, far from Bujumbura and Matara, there is a community of Batwa. They have been experiencing trouble with their neighbors for years. But over the past set of months there has been a rash of stealing in Kayanza and it really disrupted the rural region. A few days ago, the neighbors lashed out. They killed some Batwa men from this community and burned all 33 homes in the village. Being a vulnerable people group just made it more easy for the neighbors to scapegoat this Batwa community. Such a deep tragedy.

The initial news report announced 20 Batwa men killed. This was broadcast on the news for the next 24 hours, sending fear through the heart of many Batwa communities in the country. The news provoked immediate grieving by Batwa and all friends of Batwa. Today the report was revised, siting 3 to 10 men killed and the 33 houses burned. While there have been accusations of stealing, there has been no evidence yet presented to prove this one way or the other. It seems, at this early stage, that the neighbors just took out their anger on the Batwa people. Maybe over the next set of days / weeks we will learn more, though investigations are different in Burundi. But regardless, a tragedy penetrated the heart of a Batwa community and caused all others to grieve with them.

Saturday, as news broke, Claude was in Matara. The news was all over the radio, so everyone knew about it. He sat with the Matara leaders, and they discussed it together. Saturday mornings the Batwa in Matara host a worship service, and their neighbors come to worship with them. So Claude joined the service. And that morning together with their neighbors they worshipped God, prayed for the Batwa of Kayanza and talked about the tragedy together.

The Batwa leaders told Claude is is terrible what happened up north, but they are not frightened because they have a different relationship with their neighbors in Matara. (As you might recall from previous posts, they give them food, create jobs for them and worship together now). They feel safe and are not worried. Claude also took time to visit with some of the neighbors. “We do not see them as Batwa, they are our good neighbors” one man said. So there seems to be peace in Matara, since this is a community grounded in love of God and love of neighbor. The love the Batwa have extended has been returned to them, and they are confident that their neighbors intend them no harm, only the desire for shared goodness.

The Batwa of Burundi have experienced a deep loss this week, and we mourn with them. But know that the Batwa of Matara are at peace and in good standing with their neighbors.

Bahuta - foe turned friend

Bahuta was there the day the Batwa men moved onto the land of Matara. He was not there to offer a word of welcome, but a word of warning. He made it known how unhappy he was with Batwa moving to Matara. He told Claude that their presence there would pollute the region, announcing that he would make it his personal mission to force them out of the land. This neighbor was no friend, but forthright foe from day one.

In the following months Bahuta had organized other neighbors and began his campaign to push out the Batwa families living in Matara. They would falsely accuse the Batwa of stealing from them, they would steal from the Batwa crops at night, they would complain about having to see Batwa walk on the land near them – objecting to even the sight of them. But the Batwa families did not respond with spite, they did not cower in fear or engage in similar nastiness. Instead, they opted to love their new neighbors. When they were accused of stealing cabbages, they responded by giving a greater amount of cabbages from their own garden. Instead of avoiding the common pathways that connected the neighbors, they offered to give nearly a tenth of their land to build a common road for all neighbors to use, making it easier for the entire neighborhood to get to the main road, market, school and health clinic. (They even volunteered to work alongside the neighbors each week to construct the road!). The Batwa families have even created jobs for these neighbors in recent months, allowing them to sell the ‘Made in Matara’ soaps at the local market as retailers. When there is a surplus at harvest, they give food to their neighbors and even employ them when they have work projects that require more hands.

In the past fifteen months the Batwa families worked hard to create a thriving community in Matara. Planting and harvesting, clearing and building, planning and implementing new enterprises to generate income, raising goats and now rabbits they have cultivated a community life brimming with goodness. Their vitality is evident to everyone – especially their neighbors. As a matter of fact the greatest beneficiaries of Matara, next to the families themselves, are the nearby neighbors. They have good neighbors in the Batwa, who share their food, share their work and make the road (literally) accessible for all.

Bahuta regularly walks on the pathways alongside the property line of Matara. He now accepts small jobs when available on the Batwa land. He often comes to help at harvest time and asks ‘how can I become Batwa?’

Just last month a group of neighbors from the five mountains of Matara (the Batwa own one of those mountains, but there are five that make up the region called Matara) came to the Batwa village. They sought out Francois, the village leader. They had elections on their mind, as the next election was quickly approaching. The final round of elections was for local leadership, and they announced that this was their reason for coming to visit. These neighbors, all Hutu and Tutsi, wanted a better life for their families. They told Francois that they wanted their communities to thrive like Matara. So they came to ask Francois to please nominate one of his villagers to run for local office – to be a candidate for the official leader of the five mountains of Matara. Francois was stunned at the unprecedented request, but agreed to call together the community to select someone to represent them on the ballot. When the group convened, they decided to nominate Nathaniel, a humble and hard working community member.

So on September 7th, Nathaniel’s name appeared on the local ballot along with twelve others. (One other candidate was Godis, a woman from Matara. As a natural leader, she was excited to even have the opportunity to run for a public office!) Everyone on the five mountains of Matara went to vote for a leader who would represent them in the region, who would consult with the governor on their behalf to make life in the Matara mountains better for all. On the morning of September 8th Little Claude called Claude with the news – Nathaniel was elected with nearly 70% of the vote! Nathaniel, a Batwa, was elected by mostly Hutu and Tutsi neighbors to be their legal representative in the governing structure! This is unprecedented – this is not just good news, it is headline news – ‘we interrupt this broadcast to bring you this breaking news’ kind of news!

We believe that Nathaniel is the first fully elected Batwa in the history of public service in Burundi! Others in parliament are serving appointed posts, which means that the seats are held for Batwa and decided among Batwa leaders with the blessing of the governing leaders. These posts are important, allowing Batwa to be represented in the highest level of the government structure. However, Nathaniel’s election is ground breaking in that he was elected by Hutus and Tutsi neighbors. They could have voted for one of the other eleven candidates – but they chose a Batwa to represent them. They saw in him a good man, a capable man, a person who had helped build a strong community and could help them do the same. And they voted for him. On September 7th, it did not matter if the candidate was Hutu, Tutsi or Batwa. What mattered was voting for a fellow Burundian neighbor who could help them attain a better quality of life.

The committee of Matara is quite proud of Nathaniel. They are proud of what they have built. But there is a deeper reason for their joy – they have been accepted by their neighbors. They have left days of discrimination or hiding in the shadows of society. They are now full members of their community, and even leaders of the five mountains of Matara! They have so much to contribute to their region, so much they can share with others. They can engage with their neighbors with mutuality, sharing God’s lavish goodness with them.

Loving your neighbors… the people of Matara are demonstrating how the words of Jesus bear such sweet fruit.

P.S. Among the neighbors who came to Matara to recruit a Batwa leader… Bahuta! You can image who he voted for on election day. One who began as a declared foe has come full circle and now is a friend to the Batwa community in Matara. What he feared would be pollution turned out to be the sweet perfume of love!

Among the families that arrived to Matara in June of 2009 was Nestor. He was invited to join the newly forming community that would involve hard work, collaboration and faith in another way of doing business. However, it is hard to shake years of an old mind-set, and Nestor was raised with the thought that NGO’s (Non governmental organizations, akin to not-for-profit organizations) come to town with their endless supply of resources and just keep giving to the poorest. So he believed that Community for Burundi would be the same, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Within the first few weeks what was evident was that Nestor did not want to work that hard. He wanted hand outs instead. Whenever the community gathered to work, Nestor was absent or late or slow to move. We later learned that in a previous village he was known to drink too much and work too little, a pattern that he packed with him and brought to Matara. Nestor’s laziness did not escape the notice of community leaders and CFB staff.

However, there was something else that Claude noticed – Chantal. Nestor’s oldest daughter was a young lady that stood out. She helped her parents with the younger children, worked hard around Matara doing chores and was a strong student. As a matter of fact, over the course of the year she achieved that status of ‘first in class’ in her eighth grade classroom! Her hard work and intelligence impressed Claude, and seeing her succeed and have ample support to stay in school was important to him. It was so important that he put up with Nestor’s laziness to keep her in Matara. Claude did let Nestor know that were it not for Chantal, he would have been kicked out (several times over).

A few weeks ago Claude was hosting a regular meeting with the Matara leadership team. Everyone was there – Francois, Little Claude and all the rest of the men and women of the village. They were sharing stories of personal progress – now harvesting a relative abundance of food, generating some income from small businesses (shoe repair, charcoal production and soap-making) and the overall health of the families was better a year later. They were telling Claude to share this good news with the friends in the States, to tell people that they are, in essence, able to take care of themselves now and walk with pride in their community. What they wanted to send with us was a blessing from Matara, not a request for anything. This was a time of great gratitude and good news.

As Claude was preparing to leave Matara, Nestor followed after him and asked to have a moment of his time. Nestor extended his hand to Claude, ‘Thank you so much for giving me another chance. I know I was lazy and a drunkard and you wanted to kick me out. But now I am making soap and earning 10,000 francs a week (about $10). I am clean and I want other to be clean, too. I don’t drink anymore, I work hard and I can provide for my family. Thank you for the chance to be a better man.’ The two men embraced. Claude said he had to push the tears from his eyes, he was so deeply touched with Nestor’s words.

So friends, this is why we do what we do. We work to see deep transformation on the land, but more so in the terrain of hearts and lives of Burundian families. People can work their way out of chronic laziness if there is an environment of support and a high standard set. People can put down the bottle and start making soap instead. People can change and embrace a new way of living. We’ve seen it happen in Matara, we’ve seen it happen before our eyes with Nestor.

As you know, Burundi is amid election season, this first full election cycle in many years. Thus far two of the five elections in the series have taken place, though not without controversy. Here is a summary…

In the first election, all voters were able to vote for the political party of their choice for local governance. The president’s party won 65%+ of the votes, a landslide. This was a huge surprise to some of the other political parties. While the international observers said it was, basically, a fair result, those in the other parties doubted that evaluation. So the other parties all banned together and created one opposition party and decided to boycott the next election in the series… the presidential election. If the numbers were true, then people voting for that party would most likely vote for the president of that same party. So the president was really pushing people to get out and vote – though his was the only name on the ballot. Meanwhile, the opposition was encouraging a boycott of the vote, to demonstrate a lack of confidence in the president and the election overall.

Prior to voting day, round two, there were some grenades lobbied into local restaurants and such. There were rumored threats of arresting all the opposition candidates. There were actual arrests of those involved with other parties, the government claimed this was to provide security since these people were stirring up trouble. It was minor, by many standards, but still troubling.

The result… on that voting day, few people turned out to the polls. It was a very quiet day. Most people stayed home. I don’t know if they were demonstrating their agreement with the opposition or not. Several friends I spoke with, people who were excited to vote in the first round, were opting out due to the futility of it all. With only one person on the ballot, why take the trouble to go out and vote? The result was already assured. So that may have played a part in the low turn-out as well. It was rather sad to see the initial political enthusiasm diminished to a quiet whimper.

So this seems like a rather bleak story of an anemic and flawed attempt at democracy. And maybe that is the truth. But there is another story I want to tell you, one that is more exciting and worthy of genuine enthusiasm. In Matara, 27 couples set out to vote on that day. They walked together to the polling site, voting for the president of their country for the first time. They dipped their fingers in the dark ink and affixed a thumb print on the books. They walked back to the village with stained fingers and a sense of excitement – they voted! For the first time they were recognized citizens of their own country and were eligible to participate in the election process, however flawed. For them, it did not matter so much who they voted for (or that there was only one name to select) but that they were able to vote at all. Participation in the election was a sign of membership, a declaration of belonging and a recognition that their voice would now be heard as all others. Election day in Matara was a success… as a sign of something larger! The overall voter turn out for the election that day was under 30%, and most think even that number is inflated. But in Matara, voter turn out was 100%… what good news!

There are three more election dates in the series. This week on July 23rd there will be the election of members of the legislature. On July 28th there is another vote for the senate members. As far as we know, all parties plan to run in these races. Please pray for peace amid the process that remains. Pray for all parties to show restraint and to forgo the use of violence or the inciting of unrest. Pray for the people to be able to engage in their political process with a sense of confidence that their vote will be counted, and their voice heard. Pray for good, competent and credible leaders to emerge from this election, for the sake of Burundi. And when you pray, take a moment to thank God for the good news coming out of Matara! Thank Him for one corner of the country where the voting really mattered in deeper ways!

Yesterday was an exciting day in Matara… the beginning of soap production!

Each family in Matara has been encouraged to start a business enterprise to help generate family income. We offered a class on micro-enterprise which included things like creating a business plan, considering the market for goods, recording expenses, accounting for the profits and how to evaluate success. Some families begun their first venture months ago – shoe repair, charcoal production, someone even tried to sell fish! But seven families were having a bit more difficulty coming up with an idea that they deemed worthwhile. Claude kept encouraging them to dream and not to give up on the idea of starting something new.

So at long last, these families came up with an idea… making soap! They decided to work together as a co-op. So together they researched the local need, what would be required to make the soap in Matara and estimated the potential profits. They put together a plan and requested the loan money from the CFB team – and got the loan. The families found a soap maker who was willing to teach them how to make the soaps and assist them in the early stages of production. Just before the Texas friends arrived in Matara last month, the families made their first batch of soap as a proto-type. It was a success! (We used some to wash our hands when we were there for the wedding celebration and work day!)

But yesterday they officially launched the Matara Soap Shop! The seven men were in ‘the factory’ making the soap with such excitement. David even got in on the action and helped with the cutting of the first white and blue bars of soap! Another man from the village, who has a business of his own now, was so intrigued that he had to get in on the action of helping his friends in this new endeavor. The excitement seemed to be contagious!

Epitas took special care in showering and dressing… since he would be the salesman. He donned his COF shirt and set up a table on the dirt road so many neighbors pass each day. The road gets a lot of traffic as people walk to the market, to catch a bus into town or to escort their children to school, so he thought it was a perfect place to display the freshly made soap. The first purchase was made by none other than David Shook! He bought 24 bars of soap made in Matara. WOW!

We are all convinced that this might be the best enterprise yet. The potential is huge, as they are the only community in the area making fresh soap. They are on track to pay back their loan in a mere 4 months, if sales go as projected, and then all profits go to their families. Claude is so proud of them for coming up with this idea, investigating it and now implementing it with such energy. Their personal investment in this business is one key element in making it a success… they are committed to the soap making idea that they initiated!

There is more happening in Matara these days. Many of the men are making bricks for sale in local markets…

And the women are working hard in the fields… yesterday they were tending to the cabbage recently planted. (Look familiar? Some of you helped plant these ones!)

Life is good in Matara… bricks are being made, cabbage and new businesses are growing, too! These families know that they can begin ventures and have a chance at success. They have a growing sense of confidence in their own ideas, abilities and potential. No longer dependent on hand-outs, these families know they can provide for their families and community with their own hard work. What a great gift!