Chicken, Eggs, in Mozambique

— Agricultural industry leaders, along with the agriculture and business departments at Dordt College in Sioux City, Iowa, have begun an effort to partner with farmers in Mozambique, Africa, to help them achieve a mission: producing the lowest- cost chicken in the world.

Leaders from New Horizons and Eggs for Africa in Mozambique say their mission statement puts it best: "We are God's raving fans as we do business and farming His way."

Leaders of the initiative will share the progress being made in the agricultural mission on Monday, October 11, at 7 p.m. in Dordt College's Science and Technology Building lecture hall SB101.

African farmers Andrew and Claire Cunningham, together with a church leader and farmer, Scott Marques, will tell about the ongoing work of New Horizons and Eggs for Africa.

"The people leading the efforts in Mozambique are very passionate about their faith and their work, and it's quite contagious," says Dale Zevenbergen, a Dordt professor who took a trip to Mozambique this summer.

Dordt Colleg is making plans to partner with New Horizons and Eggs for Africa, as well as a new venture called Center Fresh Mozambique, to offer off-campus experiences in Africa to students, giving them the opportunity to work on farms or in the development of an agriculture school.

New Horizons was established in late 2004 and since then has constructed a feedmill, developed such infrastructure such as roads, water, electricity and housing. It has also built a hatchery.

The hatchery produces about 40,000 chicks per week, and the team is working to effectively use the land for maize and soya production, utilizing chicken manure for composting and fertilizing the land, in the poorest region of one of the 10 poorest countries in the world.

Eggs for Africa and Center Fresh Mozambique are developing similar operations in egg production.

In essence, North Americans are plugging into indigenous ministry that is already occuring.

New Horizons, for instance, is partnering with the New Frontiers group of churches from Zimbabwe and some key people from there will be moving to Mozambique to help set up the egg-laying business, to be actively involved in church planting and discipleship development and to assess schools and education in the area.

New Horizons' vision is to establish businesses, schools, churches, all seeking to think, work, and act in the ways set out by God, says the website for Khula-Sizwe, a Christian development organization committed to sustainable holistic rural enrichment in Southern Africa.

Based in Africa, the Khula Sizwe project partners with mentors, who provide training and tutorship for small-scale rural entrepreneurs in their location. The ministry is biblical; the principles which undergird the work promote development of all aspects — economic, social and spiritual — of the person, the family and the community.

Khula Sizwe now encompasses three Southern African countries and collectively mentors well over a thousand families. Besides chicken farming and egg production, the projects also include vegetable and rabbit production.

The Khula Sizwe team believe that its call is not only to preach the transforming gospel of Christ verbally, but also to “live that Gospel” while joining with other Christians to work alongside individuals in a mutually beneficial mentorship relationship.

For more information, see Agriculture as Discipleship and click on Mozambique, or contact Dale Zevenbergen at 722-6349 or [email protected].