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| An Orchard and Garden for Orphans |
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| Project Director |
Scott Lacy, Tamba Traore |
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Project Number |
Total Cost (US$) |
Location |
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Markala, Mali (Segou) |
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Project Description
During a recent visit to Markala, Regional Director Tamba Traore took Executive Director Scott Lacy and Regional Director Yacouba Sangare on a tour of the community's leaders, schools, and organizations. After a tour and meeting with the local school teachers, Traore, Sangare, and Lacy visited a gardner named Paul. Paul moved to Markala a few years ago from Dogon country in the north of Mali. Since his first year in Markala, Paul has developed an extensive orchard and garden that is enclosed by walls in two separate compounds.
Birds sing and dart throughout the trees as you enter the garden/orchard. The ground is delicately shaped into a complex or irrigation canals, which lead toward a well. Paul grows mangos, oranges, grapefruit, limes, pineapples, melons, and a host of garden vegetables. At his side, his apprentices help Paul manage his garden and trees. The apprentices are local orphans that have worked their way up through Paul's informal orphan assistance project. Local orphans come to Paul every early morning in search of produce, which they purchase at a reduced rate; the orphans then sell the produce for a profit in local markets. Paul recruits hard-working sellers to apprentice in his garden.
African Sky provided Paul funds to help purchase garden tools and equipment including a portable foot pump for his well.
Project Budget | |
Item |
Total Cost |
Support funds for Orphans' Garden and Orchard |
150,000 CFA |
Total Project Cost |
150,000 CFA* |
*$340.91 |
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