Society
Of The Divine Word

Before sowing begins, selected individuals are given three bags of peanuts. After the rainy season and the harvest, they are expected to return four bags. Initially, the villagers come to the parish center to collect the seeds, but when it’s time to return them, it is often the priests who travel to the communities to collect the bags. After the rainy season, the roads are difficult to navigate, and the loads are too heavy to transport on carts. Since the priests are among the few people in the area who own vehicles, they take it upon themselves to visit their parishioners. This approach also ensures that the bags are returned on time and properly filled.

In one parish, for example, we distribute as many as 600 bags per year. An essential part of the project is selecting the right candidates. It is important to consider whether the person has a field suitable for cultivation. We do not select beneficiaries based on religion—Catholic or Protestant—but on their ability to work. Those who are extremely poor or unmotivated may be tempted to consume the seeds before planting. However, when the selection is made wisely, many people benefit. More job opportunities arise in the fields, and in the local culture, families share resources among their members.

This project also includes training on how to farm more efficiently. The bags returned at the end of the harvest are used to finance fuel for the vehicle used in the project, to increase the number of beneficiaries the following year, and to reward the collaborators who help organize the initiative.

Even though we strive to help the people entrusted to us in our parishes, it is ultimately God who makes everything grow. May our good Father bless us again this year.