Sternstunden and Hilfe fur Kindern (HfK)
Feeding a school full of growing boys and girls three square meals a day for 285 days of the year takes its toll on the management of this charity organisation. Without providing these bare basics, how can one expect any child to put their hearts into studying?
To alleviate some of our perennial food problems, Herr Christian Herrmann – a real friend of SKSN – and Pfarrer Karl-Eugen Maute, clubbed their energies together and requested Sternstunden to fund a farm project for the school.
Apart from solving some of the food struggles, it would also help to give some of SKSN’s students’ practical experience in farming since most of them hail from agricultural backgrounds.
To our great surprise, Christian and Pfarrer Maute succeeded in their quest for the kids, and SKSN today has its own farm – complete with its own tractor and tools. In addition, there is a small animal husbandry unit which started of with 172 goats. Even though the farm does not resolve all our food troubles, our wonderful donors have given us a huge helping hand. The Farm – the first beginnings.....
Our first crops.....
The farm today.....
We grow some grains such as wheat and millet and all types of vegetables every season - from cauliflowers, cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, aubergines, okra, various varieties of gourds, radish, to tomatoes, garlic, onions, cumin & coriander, and the fiery chillies!! The chillies are dried and stored for use throughout the year.
The SKSN Farm has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 2005. In another year’s time, the ‘Emblica officinalis’ (Indian Gooseberry) trees will start bearing fruit which will be sold to the Ayurvedic companies, while the vegetables continue to grow beneath them. Just as these medicinal trees begin to mature, so will the fruit trees in the orchard. The children can’t wait for this to happen!!