We are pleased to share with you the news that the money you raised by buying our $2 drawstring sari bags is being put to very good use. We have been able to use some of this money to buy a generator in the village of Dhablepuri. The generator is used to help pump the water for the existing mango trees and also new custard apple trees.
Wayne Galler from A Touch of Love has updated us on the progress. “We planted 45 more trees this month when the rains came and we used one year old saplings to give us a little time boost on their maturity. We’ve planted custard apple trees this time as they would give a good selling crop and add some crop diversity. Since the water and electricity here are perennial problems, we have to buy a diesel generator to run the deep well pump.”
Of course, this has been no easy task.
“There is some expected loss of trees over time.
According to our agricultural professor, you plant
extra close when you start and expect some to die or be weak. You then cull these trees and get the correct spacing. We have done this exactly as she said. We
fertilise, mulch, weed and water as per instructions from the agricultural professor. I will also be there just at the end of the rainy season in mid-October to check the trees and see how to transfer to only well water. There was pretty much no rainy season in June and July has been spotty. We may be watering every day in August for all I know. That’s why we’re here. This is a chronic drought area and the people suffer from it and have to graze their sheep all over the place because there isn’t any water where they live.”
We are aiming to not only make the village greener but to turn it into an income generating project for the people. By buying these sari bags, you have made this possible.
