Tembwe's Story
Tembwe is a 51-year-old farmer supporting his family of twelve-8 of his own kids and 2 orphan children from his late sister.
Added to that, Tembwe also has HIV, a disease he has infected his wife of just a few months with. He also wonders if he was responsible for the deaths of his two previous wives. But thankfully none of his children have the virus.
He said, "On my worst days I experience sever fever, rashes and fungus all over my body, and my body rejects food and water. once, i could only stomach 1 tablespoon fo water a week. One time I had all these symptoms for 3 months."
Since his diagnosis, Tembwe's focus has been on securing a better future for his kids. But how can he do that without an income? He could only provide them with 1 small serving of "shima"- aporridge made from maize-once a day.
Last September things started to turn around when he met a lead farmer from ADRA's farming program. The lead farmer trained Tembwe on compost farming, intercropping, seed multiplication, winter farming and crop protection. Tembwe now has crops on all of his 8 hectares. his maize is already 12ft tall and the harvest is still 3 months away! If the weather conditions stay good, he plans on selling two hundred 50kg bags of maize-an income of $3,000!!! When I asked him what he would do with this money his face lit up... " I want to buy a pump to irrigate my crops...and more livestock for manure and food. I also want to put my kids through high school, so they can look after me and take over the farm".
If you want to assist ADRA in supporting families just like Tembwe's, you can donate over the phone by calling 1800 242 372, or you can post a cheque or money order to:
ADRA Australia
PO Box 129
Wahroonga NSW 2076.
