Global Neighborhood
As we are focusing on issues that surround hunger within our communities, it begs the question what is a community, or a neighborhood. In trying to define such terms, we often run into the problem that a definition, on its own, can often negate the idea we are trying to define.
If community both supports ideas and groups with like minded thoughts and goals and at the same time, it supports the notion of acceptance and tolerance of all, we find ourselves with a riddle.
Until we solve this riddle, we will look for ways to make each theme of community not mutually exclusive of the other. To that end, we have defined our community to, in some ways, include people around the globe who are working with the same issues we have here. We have chosen to do this through sponsoring the work of two organizations that work around the globe and are known for keeping overhead costs to a minimum and focusing on supportive assistance that empowers those involved to work and take pride in community. Those two organizations are: Plan International and KIVA.
In 2008, Tuberville had added as residents, Keyri Beatriz Erazo Chinchilla and her family, through support of Plan International. Keyri's family moved out of the Honduras service area in August 2010 and we have added as new residents, Joseph Chalwe and his family. They live in Chibeleka which lies in the border area between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Like Joseph’s parents, most people in Chibeleka are peasant farmers as agriculture is their major activity. They sell mostly agriculture crops such as beans, maize, cassava and also small domestic animals such as goats, pigs and chickens. The area also produces fruits such as oranges, mangos and banana's while also fishing in the nearby Luapula River.
In 2008, Tuberville began its support of KIVA with a $25 loan to a pig farmer in Cambodia. Since then, we have increased our revolving loan account to $75 and typically, each time a loan is repaid, we poll the residents of Tuberville for suggestions on where to turn next. To date some of the projects we have supported are:
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Purchase of a Buffalo to sell milk in Pakistan
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Purchase of Cattle for meat and milk in Costa Rica
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Fish feed for a fish farmer in Colombia
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And a number of farming ventures in Cambodia