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Posted by Mike Smith 
· December 16, 2009 

Sugarcane orphans

You met our friend, the pastor, from Kenya a few weeks back. Pastor D (we’ll call him), oversees 18 churches, and if you recall, his churches have helped take in twenty-seven orphans all of whom now live in the homes of those in the congregation.  It is their desire and calling to give these orphans proper development, shelter, food, clothing, education, etc, and they have humbly requested our financial assistance.  In my experience it is not the best arrangement to simply provide a donation of money, and Pastor D genuinely understands these reservations.  Instead, I have suggested that we provide a way for them to generate a self-sustaining income, and I am super happy to report a very encouraging and exciting opportunity: Sugarcane!

Sugarcane is a very robust plant.  It can survive long bouts of dry weather.  Unlike a corn or wheat crop that can be lost due to inclement weather, sugarcane simply goes dormant until weather improves.  In short, it is a relatively simple crop to plant, maintain and harvest. In fact, leasing acreage is better than buying land because the owner does the heavy lifting (with machinery) when it comes to harvest.  Pastor D’s folks would need only to plant and to weed.  Further, it only takes the initial lease investment to begin a self-perpetuating operation.  One half of the first crop covers maintenance costs, the next one and a half crops is profit, and the third crop pays for the next lease.

We can increase Restoration Revival Centre’s (the association of churches) current income stream by 15x with merely half of our Missions savings from our first three years.  They would provide us with copies of lease contracts and regular reports on the productivity of the land.  With this approach, we would help them to gain the dignity of self-sufficiency rather than creating a dependent relationship.  In the end, they will have the financial resources to use as God directs them; a model that they can then multiply to whatever degree God calls!

Who’s in?

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Comments

  1. Julie says:
    December 23, 2009 at 4:39 pm

    This is awesome, way to get them on a business track Mike!

  2. Mike says:
    December 18, 2009 at 10:51 am

    I don’t see your comments, Teebert, as nay-saying but as realism. This decision comes, at least in part, after a three-year relationship almost completely void of financial obligations. Hopefully that relational foundation will increase our probability of ending up other than where you describe…and where I’ve unfortunately been in the past …

  3. T Burt Dowden says:
    December 17, 2009 at 10:20 pm

    Not to be a na-sayer but ……… I’ve dug wells in Africa, bought goats, bought farm equipment and in the end I’ve probably only enriched the organizations that ran the program. I just hope that we are fully aware of Pastor D’s background and abilities. Many a good intention are rusting on the plains of Africa.

  4. Jen B says:
    December 17, 2009 at 9:01 pm

    k. I’ve decided I LIKE IT! Plus it adds to the amount of sugar in the world. Let’s not ignore that major positive externality.

  5. Linda Gatterdam says:
    December 17, 2009 at 5:21 pm

    Sounds wonderful. Helping them to help themselves is the best form of help!

  6. Paul Cash says:
    December 17, 2009 at 4:31 pm

    This really is the gift that keeps on giving.

  7. Mike Smith says:
    December 17, 2009 at 2:29 pm

    Thanks for the question Eric. We already have the funds necessary through Vista’s previously faithful giving!

  8. Eric Steverson says:
    December 17, 2009 at 12:29 pm

    Are you looking for a one time donation or an ongoing or either?

  9. Mike Smith says:
    December 17, 2009 at 11:55 am

    Regarding Chad’s comment… It’s hard to run the profitability numbers on buying land. Primarily because one also takes on overhead, and that’s difficult to figure specifically with regard to equipment maintenance. Planting and wedding is done by hand. Harvesting (on the bigger farms is done by the owner with machines. Although, in the long run, buying land might be better…as investors from a distance…this is a more predictable and manageable starting point. It seems.

  10. Mike Smith says:
    December 17, 2009 at 11:33 am

    That is a confusing sentence, Jen. Ben’s response is exactly right. I’ll edit the sentence to avoid further confusion. Here’s another way to look at the contribution (with round numbers): For every $1000 we put in ONE time now, they will profit $350 annually – forEVER!

  11. Chad B says:
    December 17, 2009 at 9:48 am

    Long-term. self-sustaining. Empowering. Practical. I love it! My only initial concern (if that’s the right word) was that it sounded like Pastor D may be paying a pretty high “margin” to the land owner — but, its been a while since I’ve run a sugarcane business in Africa. 🙂 So, I have no idea what is normal. I wonder what the difference would be between the “initial lease investment” and buying the land? I’m sure Pastor D will work very hard to get the best deal possible. Great idea Mike!

  12. Ben Huber says:
    December 17, 2009 at 9:40 am

    I’m guessing what he meant is the Mission Budget here at Vista has not been bled dry over the past 3 years. We’ve been getting more put into that “account” than what we’re doling out, so it’s a “savings”. If we spent less than half of THAT . . . .

    I LOVE this idea Mike. I’ve seen this work in Cambodia and other places in the world. Not only does it make our money go further, but instills pride, self-worth, etc. in those it’s intended for.

  13. adam heath says:
    December 16, 2009 at 11:55 pm

    beautiful

  14. Mark says:
    December 16, 2009 at 11:26 pm

    I’ve never commented on a blog before, but I have to say that I’m a huge fan of this sugarcane thing.

  15. Jen B says:
    December 16, 2009 at 11:25 pm

    I feel stupid. I don’t expect you to fix that over the blog, but you can help with this…are we the “Mission” or are they the “Mission” in the sentence: “We can increase Restoration Revival Centre’s (the association of churches) current income stream by 15x by providing them with merely half of the Mission’s budget we put in savings in our first three years.”

  16. Kim says:
    December 16, 2009 at 11:09 pm

    Sounds like a plausible plan 🙂

  17. Ali says:
    December 16, 2009 at 8:38 pm

    LOVE this. Love it. Love it. Love it.

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