Aquaponics and Compassion for the Poor (ACP)

 Can you see the two new baby cucumbers coming up around the tomatoes?  I found the seeds in a dried cucumber hanging on a brick fence next to a busy street in Lagos.  The plant it came from covered about 30 yards of the fence!  I had little hope that the dried cucumber would produce productive seedlings (I had no idea how long it had sat dried on the wall)!  But things are tough in Africa and life wins in the most precarious situations.   So I taught God! how to plant seed and sure enough, he spotted them before anyone else when they arose from the grave.  Kind of like Peter who discovered divine love still alive on Easter day!   However, the saga continues...!  Do you remember Rattigan from a previous post?  Those suckers (rats!) came and ate about 50% of our tomatoes (I got the other 50%:), and about 1/4 of the germinated cucumbers.  They somehow know what I love the most!   So, as promised in an earlier post,...

 I now have evidence that we CAN clean the Makoko waters - improving the lives of thousands of children, women and men living in poverty!   Can you see the effervescent and clean water?  It came from the polluted lagoon.  This is after 4 days of full operation of the food system!   This fish tank has 8 Atlantic Cod in it.  Notice the clean water that is going in through the aquaculture system.  Notice also that the water in the upper right corner of the tank is clear and has green algae growing in it.  When we first pumped the lagoon water into the tank it was muddy brown with no algae.  This means, most likely, that the water would not support plant life (like algae) because of high ammonia (poison waste chemical).  Now the water is clean with a healthy amount of algae.   We can change the water - but we need to scale up edible plant  production!  Scaling up is not expensive and it will turn Makoko into on...

 This girl broke my heart.  She was in the hot sun all day chopping and selling sugar cane from her canoe.  It's like a candy bar here.  She had a wonderful smile and disposition.  She was swinging a machete knife that seemed bigger than her!  Child labor is common.  It was Sunday when I took the picture so I hope she attends school on the weekdays - many don't.  Pray for her and the children of Makoko.  My friend Taiwo runs a local school and orphanage - you can help with Makoko education here . Aquaculture and Compassion for the Poor (ACP) If you would like to give financially with a card – go to the following page and find the heading called: ·         Aquaculture and Compassion for the Poor (ACP) ----------------- If you would like to write a check , write the check to: ·       Cross Connections of KC ·       PO Box 901945, Kansas City MO 64190 ·       This is the non profi...

 I have a three stage plan to clean the waters of Makoko - this is stage one!  We start growing food and cleaning the water at the same time.  This is a solution that costs very little with great payback in fresh food and health.  The above system would cost approximately 50 dollars.  The plants grow great in this tropical environment! We would begin to stretch the system in the canals that bring Lagos pollution into Makoko.  This would mean that we would be producing loads of fresh food throughout the city!  Those who cooperatively yield the fruit for the people, the people would in turn maintain their portion of the system! Our first cooperative Cistern (of 8) to feed the filters for drinking water Just a short preview of stage 2 and 3 (more later) We position oxygen aerators throughout the Makoko and the canals.  This completes the natural aerobic cleaning of the waters and prepares the water for plant growth.  They do this all the time in...