As promised a little blog post for all non-duchies out there, wondering what is happening on this little Farm in Zambia. You might have seen pictures of Yaelle in a wheelchair or Roze with her arm in a cast? Or you just stumbled upon this dutch family living in Africa and you wonder: ‘Why are they living there?’ This post will answer your questions hopefully, and if not: we would love to answer any questions you might still have; contact us here.
A bit of background information on our mission and our family:
We moved 4,5 year ago to Zambia, following a desire in our hearts (we believe placed there by God) to see the broken hearted healed, see families restored and poverty reduced. Two years ago we started a small organic farm and build our house next to it. We live completely off grid and (on first glance) in the middle of nowhere. But only 15 minute drive away lies the second biggest slum in Southern Africa called Makalulu. Life is very, very tough there. Alcoholism, joblessness, abuse, broken marriages, depression, poverty and sickness are everywhere.
But God… He is there too. He is working trough his people, churches, different ministries and NGO’s. Where does Elyada Farm fit in? We feel called, together with other ministries and local partners, to provide a counseling platform in Kabwe for the traumatized and hurting children and adults that have no financial means to visit a counselor, social worker or psychologist in Lusaka.
Emotional/mental care is in its early stages in Zambia, but the awareness of this need is growing on every level of the country. What our role will look like exactly is something we do not know yet. For now we are networking and encouraging anyone that is playing a role in counseling in Kabwe. We also are practically preparing a beautiful place in nature where healing can take place; in one on one conversations, in group sessions, in prayer, with the help of horses or expressing yourself trough art.. it will all be part of Elyada Center. A place to meet Gods heart and be restored from your pain and trauma. A place where you find your identity and purpose (again) and improve not only your life, but also that of your children, spouse and community.
We have three beautiful kids that love growing up in Zambia. Yaelle is 9 years old, Eloise is 8 and David 6 years old. They are all being homeschooled by Jan and Roze, both inside the classroom with books and YouTube, as outside the classroom, with all the beautiful things in nature, taking care of our many different animals and learning real life skills.
Our oldest, Yaelle, has been diagnosed with a pretty bad case of sever disease. A condition that causes so much pain in her heels that she is unable to stand or walk for already more than a month. Riding in a wheelchair is not easy for our active outdoor girl, but she is hanging in there. It also helps to have a few times a week a horse-riding lesson! Lots of prayer, exercise, taping, splints, shock wave therapy; we will try everything to help her overcome this nasty disease!
I, Roze, could not have chosen a worse timing to be bucked off my horse.. I bruised my ribs badly and had my arm fractured in 3 places. I am currently still in a cast, which is terribly frustrating as a homeschoolmom, farmerswife and keeper of many animals. Despite the pain and unease I am so thankful though, because it could have been so much worse. I just need to learn, just like Yaelle, to ask for help. A lot.
So ‘asking for help’ was the theme of our latest Dutch blog post, to which many of our non-dutch-speaking friends responded with: ‘What is happening? How can we help?’
So here it comes; our humble request for help (yup, still hard after 4,5 years) : We need financial support for two things: our personal support and the building of a structure with a toilet, shower and place to talk after the therapy sessions.
Our personal finances: In the past year the Zambian valuta, the Kwacha, gained strength against the euro which has reduced our purchasing power with about 30%. On top of that we also see the inflation rising and prices of fuel, tickets etc. have gone up significantly. In the years behind us we have invested a part of our monthly support as well as our savings in the development of the farm. We used the money partly to pay wages for our employees, but in particular to expand through purchasing animals, plants or building projects. That was fine, but is not possible anymore. To cover the rising costs we need an extra €185 per month.
The building project: The total costs of building the structure with shower and toilet are €3,796. This space will give us, next to a proper toilet, shade in the hot season and keeps one dry in the wet months! So far, at the time of writing which is the 25th of July we have received donations with a total of €1,150. That’s why we have already started the building project and hope we can finish it before the rains come!
So, if you believe in what we are doing, you can invest either in our personal support or in Elyada Center; the creation of an actual place of healing and restoration and the building of a platform/ network to make counseling accessible for everyone that needs it in Kabwe.
We are also looking for a new Jesus loving volunteer that can help build the Farm and/or Center as there is so (like seriously) so much to do! Contact us for more information!
Banking details:
Transfer within Europe:
D.J. van Vuuren
IBAN: NL29 ASNB 0708 0207 12
BIC/SWIFT: ASNBNL21
Bank: ASN Bank, located in Den Haag
Transfers from other parts of the world:
Click here to make your donation via Paypal
Isaiah 58
6 Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe them and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?