Luther students focused on helping their people
By By Jean Caspers-Simmet
simmet@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 06/03/2010 9:24 AM
E-mail article | Print version
DECORAH, Iowa — Students from Ethiopia and Uganda have come to Luther College in Decorah to get an education and they are using the resources around them to help farmers in their home countries.
Kiflu Tesfaye, a junior from Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, last summer carried out a plan to create a 21-farmer irrigation cooperative in his country. A co-op barn was also built to store produce until it is marketed.
Tesfaye raised $20,000 for the project including a $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace grant. He developed his proposal with Mary Gander, visiting professor of management.
"The main goal was to create less dependency on seasonal rainfall by encouraging farmers to establish sustainable food security in Datu Wereda," Tesfaye said.
The cooperative draws irrigation water from the Tikur-Wuha River and can now operate throughout the year.
Tesfaye was inspired to move forward after watching Community of Hope hunger project members in Decorah combine corn.
"The farmers produced so much, and it pushed me to do something in my country to help the farmers," he said.
Tesfaye brought together farmers and government and legal experts to create the Ebenezer Cooperative. The farmers pool their land and grow onions, cabbages and fruit trees.
This year, Tesfaye hopes to build another irrigation cooperative in the Lake Awassa region. The plans include a micro-finance program in conjunction with Intervolve Foundation. He also wants to create a micro-insurance program in case of crop failure.
He has applied to the Clinton Global Initiative for funding and is doing additional fund raising. It will take $15,000 to fund the project.
Uganda native Dickson Kwatampora, a Luther sophomore, received a $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace grant this year for his proposal to create a community market.
"My goal is to build a central market in the war-torn and economically depressed Gulu province of my country," Kwatampora said. "The market will help villagers sell their surplus agricultural produce and hand-made crafts giving an economic boost to the region and improving the standard of living."
Gulu has been devastated by civil war since 1980, Kwatampora said. Thousands have been killed, kidnapped or left homeless and thousands of children have been orphaned. The rebels have kidnapped massive numbers of young boys and forced them to be soldiers. Women and girls are often forced into marriage with rebel leaders. Many families have fled.
In the last two years, thousands of exiled Ugandans have returned to Gulu and are living in displaced persons camps.
"I believe it is our responsibility to help these people," Kwatampora said. "I have visited one of the camps in Gulu twice and the conditions are atrocious."
During a 2008 visit, he saw that people in the camps have taken up small-scale farming, growing food for their families and selling any surplus. Many also make crafts. Because there is no market area, they sell goods in front of their huts.
"My project would construct an African market where the people would come on a daily basis to trade their surplus farm produce and crafts," Kwatampora said.
He has made arrangements with the village government for land. The market will have four stalls with cemented counters, a storage space and a brick floor. Each stall will be built with a corrugated steel roof. The market's interior square, made of local bricks, will be used for storage.
He developed his proposal with the help of Luther faculty member Joy Conrad, staff members Jon Lund and Jerry Johnson and several friends.
Both Kwatampora and Tesfaye are seeking funds for their projects. Anyone interested in donating can contact Jon Lund, Luther associate dean for student life, at lundjon@luther.edu or (563) 387-1062.