The 2020 Farming Project in Majok Goi

In August of 2018 my team travelled to the remote village of Majok Goi in Aweil State in South Sudan. Due to heavy rains and harsh clay soil the whole area was nearly 3 feet under water. Crops were destroyed, homes were vacated, and the people were forced to spend the next months searching for higher ground and reliant on NGOs and Non-Profits to supply their next meal. In speaking with local leaders they learned that that regardless of the intensity of the flooding, the "hunger gap" was almost a yearly occurrence caused by arid soil, inefficient farming techniques, and most importantly the inability to harvest more than one crop per year due to flooding. 

In January 2020 I travelled to South Sudan to put in motion a plan to train 100 villagers on modernized farming techniques, including dredging a 1 mile dike around a 25 acre plot of land set aside by the paramount chief. 

At first I was wary, the workers could barely work more than 4 hours, but within a week, their resolve and work ethic outpaced my own. I have been overwhelmed by their discipline and commitment to this project. Due to COVID, I could not manage the project in person, and they have acted honorably at every turn. Ultimately the floods came, but our farm was protected and my team of 100 villagers successfully harvested the sorghum. More importantly, I watched their confidence rise and their health improve. Like my friend Ayat Wol Ayat, the second in command at the village, said, "my people are fat and they are happy."

Help the GEMS Development Foundation expand the farming project so that we can teach more people how to increase their harvests every year and overcome the hunger gap that plagues so many families. 

Donation Breakdown:

$5 = one day of food and education for a farmer and their family

$25 = 1 week of food and education for a farmer and their family

$100 = 1 month of food and education for a farmer and their family

$500 = 0.5 acre of land, 1 shovel, 1 pick, and food and education for his family for 100 days