Pineapples are growing across much of the countryside in Sierra Leone, Africa, thanks to a partnership between The Wesleyan Church and World Hope International. The partnership is empowering smallholder farmers with education and economic opportunities in an otherwise poor country.
John Lyon, CEO and president of World Hope International, recently expressed his thanks for what The Wesleyan Church is doing to improve the lives of Sierra Leoneans.
Thank you so much for the support the Church has provided for our pineapple work in Sierra Leone. Your support is vital and our denomination has taken up the project. To date, 23 Wesleyan churches have contributed specifically for this project. In addition, a number of children’s camps have contributed.
As a result of The Wesleyan Church’s generous donation, pineapples are being planted in large quantities in Sierra Leone! You can view a video report we filmed in Sierra Leone of the first pineapple farm being planted this year. Please feel free to post this on your website. This report allows donors to hear a word of thanks from the farmers in Sierra Leone.
In addition, World Hope has:
- Worked with 10 village farming groups to establish supply contracts with the juice factory;
- Helped these farmer groups to establish producer group cooperative agreements;
- Provided regular training for farmers regarding pineapple production;
- Identified and sourced pineapple shoots for the farming groups;
- We are working with the farmers to grow papaya for the factory as well, as the factory has requested papaya in addition to pineapple.
Click here to watch the World Hope video.
Recently the Iowa-Minnesota District produced its own video report, in partnership with World Hope.
