We are situated on a 22 acre peice of land that we intend on utilising as far as possible so as to push down running costs of the organisation.
I'm 28 years old, third of Thea Jarvis's biological children and eldest son. I am the Farm Manager here at TLC and I intend on employing a permaculture stratergy on the farm as far as possible to produce as much as we can to fulfill the diverse needs of the family and this organisation. I want to use this blog to keep those interested in TLC up to date with all the goings on of the farm and hopefully generate some support for the different projects aimed at our ultimate self relience.
Well done Big Brother Jar! Proud of all your hard work! We will pray everything falls into place as it should... monies too!
ReplyDeleteThe chicken set up sounds amazing and I don't remember seeing the cow building so that must be new! or my eyes were glazed!
The garbage situation with the thievery is terrible... is the familiarity of the watchmen with the outside people encouraging it perhaps? Just a thought... I noticed he was always chatting it up and had people inside visiting around his fire, again perhaps a good thing but maybe not...
it is hard to imagine the things that people will steal... doing the garbage from the inside of your TLC compound or hiring someone to come weekly to pick it up from the inside might be the best way...
And Big Bro... don't forget the goats... better for the babies, easier to digest... the milk that is :)
Thanks hey, Ya, it is possible that the guards encouraged it unintentionally or that they were directly invovled. A good rule of thumb in Africa is always...Don't trust anyone, Ever. Or people will take advantage of you. And thats not just comming from me but has even been advice given to me around a campfire in the middle of a homeland in Limpopo, But it is an unfortunate lesson that is wise to learn. You just have to hope that the guards are clever enough not to show themselves to be so innefectual at protecting us that they actually lose their job. As long as problems are confined to the perimeter I won't lose too much sleep. One can even regard the little that is lost in a year even with good guards as 'their cut'if it helps. It far out weighs the alternative of being targeted twice a week by increasingly bold intruders. But these are actually the best guards we've had and I do give them privilages and help them whith whatever they ask so as to ensure their loyalty. One of them was fired last week after I outwitted him by telling him that we did good things to help babies and that we spend our lives trying to help people and would he please stop stealing from us. He said that he would stop everything!! then I think he realised what he said and tried to say that he would tell the others (the other gaurds). So I suspended their privalages of being able to come and collect their own food at the house and told people while the guards I didn't suspect were there that it was because I couldn't trust them...they soon named the culprit to confirm my suspisions. My zimbabwean worker also had come to me while all this was going on to let me know that he was suspecting this guy too...so he was fired and came the next day to appologise! Success! Although now, a week later, weve lost some things but were less one theif too. He got away with a couple spades a radio and some things from the pre-school and may well have been involved in the recent losses as he knows the ins and outs but he's lost his job and I think it sent a message to the rest of the guard that I will catch them or make their lives difficult if they don't do what they should. so their we are.
ReplyDeleteI havn't forgotten asbout the goats. It's deffinitely in the plan, but I need to fininsh these current projects first. Thanks for your suppot and WATCH THIS SPACE!