The Director of Operations/Chief Pilot of MAF in Suriname has asked us, via Foundations for Farming Suriname, to come and teach scything to people in the interior.
Airstrips are regularly ‘closed’ because the grass has grown too long and there are no resources to keep it short. Gasoline for the mowers is expensive and is often not delivered by the government, or delivered far too late. Mowers break down and are not repaired, or are repaired far too late.
When a patient needs to be flown to the city for medical treatment and the airstrip is closed, this has far-reaching consequences and puts human lives at risk.
We would like to share our knowledge and experience. A pilot project is intended to introduce the use of the scythe in two villages: Apetina and Palumeu. Participants from Palumeu will come to Apetina so that we can train a group of eight participants.
The following are needed:
- Materials, namely 8 scythes (complete with accessories, €250 each).
- Costs to fly us to (and back from) Apetina to teach there + 2 shuttle trips between Apetina and Palumeu.
We are seeking sponsorship of US$ 2,000 for 8 scythes.
Once we have demonstrated how this works and seen that people are successfully applying it, we will look for opportunities to reach out to more villages.
Due to the condition of the airports, time is of the essence. Our schedule allows us to get started in August. Who will help cover the costs of the pilot project?
