Fred Says ‘Let’s Jam!’ : PWRDF campaign turns attention to farming, food preservation in Cuba

The newest Fredism in PWRDF’s Fred Says campaign is “Let’s Jam.” The Cuban Council of Churches (CCC) is working to train people in farming techniques, but also in how to preserve food so their excess harvest can feed their families throughout the year and even how to cook the new foods they are growing. Bishop Griselda Delgado del Carpio of the Episcopal Church of Cuba told us about how much this training has helped people in the community of Itabo.

“Before the training, people had a very static diet of pork, rice and beans. Many people had diabetes with this diet. Now, people are growing carrots, tomatoes, onions, mango, and other crops. Each month, they bring their extra harvest to the church, where it is blessed and given to those who have need—pregnant women and vulnerable people in the community. The leftovers are then sold so the families that are growing the food have some income to support their families.

“In Cuba, summer is the period when there is very little harvest. So people have learned how to make jams and other preserves to make sure they have enough to eat during those months as well.”

With your help, PWRDF and the CCC can train people in other communities in Cuba so that they can provide for themselves, their families, and their neighbours just like the people of Itabo.  A $75 donation will cover half the cost of sending a Cuban leader to a 10-day “train the trainers” course to give them the knowledge to teach their family and neighbours farming techniques to improve the lives of their whole community.


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