Mercy Ships has long been committed to strengthening health systems
and providing direct medical services through surgical intervention
onboard our hospital ships. But did you know, Mercy Ships is also
dedicated to whole-person care?
Since 1997, Mercy Ships has provided education to help participants
rebuild, restore, and renew their land and communities through organic
agriculture development. Today, we call this life-changing training
program Food for Life.
How Food for Life Transforms Communities
The program provides in-depth agricultural training, with special
focuses on nutrition and business entrepreneurship. As course
participants discover which crops to plant and best tending practices,
they also learn how to produce, process, market, and sell their crops.
The result? A sustainable approach to agriculture that has the
potential to transform individuals as well as communities. Since 2007,
Mercy Ships has led Food for Life courses in 9 African countries,
training more than 800 participants.
The impact of the course doesn’t end with its participants. By the
end of the program, participants have also learned how to train others
with their fresh skills and business acumen. Food for Life graduates are
given the resources and tools to go back into their communities and
create a ripple effect of transformation as they share their knowledge
with other aspiring farmers. This “train-the-trainer” approach is key to
our sustainable health systems strengthening model.
In 2021, we will provide another Food for Life training program in
Senegal as well as Benin, where we are also partnering with Phaz
Compassion to renovate a regional Food for Life campus.
Meet Birima, a Food for Life Student in Senegal
For program participants like Birima, a Food for Life student in
Senegal, the opportunity to learn about organic agriculture has been
transformational on every level.
The program was Birima’s solution to years of searching. He had
looked far and wide for a successful job, even traveling from his home
country of Senegal to Morocco. When he heard of an opportunity to
participate in the Food for Life training program in late 2019, he
decided to join. Throughout the 22-week course, Birima — along with a
group of more than 30 fellow students — developed a foundation in the
world of agriculture, including agroecology, nutrition, and food
processing.
“Having this knowledge allows me to be independent and take care of
my own food supply,” says Birima. The course has empowered him to begin
his own food production business. He started his venture with the
equivalent of $40 — and it has already blossomed into a successful,
sustainable business. Currently, Birima’s business produces moringa, a
leaf-based powder that’s rich in heart-healthy antioxidants. He is also
working on setting up a unit to process other local products, like fresh
bissap and baobab juices.
The COVID-19 crisis hasn’t stopped Birima from dreaming big. His plan
is to eventually produce infant feeding flour, a product that will help
with babies’ strength and early development. Malnutrition is a factor
in many of the pediatric cases we treat onboard our ships, often
contributing to weakened bones and orthopaedic conditions. By
implementing effective agricultural training programs in the nations we
serve, Mercy Ships aims to tackle this issue from its root. It is our
hope that by collaborating with farmers, food producers, and
agroecological workers, we can see better nutrition and healthier food
systems in rural areas. Birima’s dream will become part of carrying out
this vision for his community in Senegal.
Birima’s greatest lesson wasn’t anything that could be taught in the
classroom. It was learning how to train other community members that
transformed him with a new confidence. “Because of the training,
everywhere I go, everyone listens to me. People ask about and are very
interested in agroecology.”
“I was challenged by circumstances,” says Birima, “but through this
opportunity to learn how to grow and process food, I have now built a
vision for my life.”
