A Fruitful Collaboration

Moussa is overjoyed with the fruit of a powerful collaboration. Together, his small West African community, their local church, and World Renew built a cereal bank.

To him, it means so much more than simply having a place to store his grain. To him, it means having food for his family and community all year round. It means changing people from being farm workers to being owners with dignity and hope for the future.

“I am so happy that this cereal bank exists in my village. It truly helped me to have grain stored when I hosted the naming ceremony party for my newborn child,” said Moussa. “And during ‘hungry season’ the bank was full of food. This is one of the best years I can remember living with real food security!” 

Achieving food security helps to restore justice as farmers change from hungry consumers to healthy and strong providers of food who can offer grain seed at cheaper prices to other farm families needing help in neighboring villages.

Moussa said more than 50 sacks of 100 kilos each went to other villages to get them through the hungry season—all thanks to a partnership with World Renew and a church group in his country.

Moussa said he also witnessed greater economic justice as there was a reduction in the number of youth running away to earn a better living in neighboring communities. People have stopped abandoning their fields to labor in the fields of more prosperous families.

Social justice grew throughout the community’s process of building and using their cereal bank. Instead of being vulnerable to conflicts in relationships due to scarcity of food and other resources, Moussa has witnessed his community working together in harmony and a spirit of generosity to help other villages.

God has truly remained at the center of their labor, said Moussa, and has allowed them to see many fruits of their work.

“I really don’t know how to put into words my appreciation for our partners,” he said.

“God alone can justly reward all the people who have taken part in this work that is making a huge difference in people’s lives. I hope that this work will spread and enlarge to help more and more people in our district and beyond.”