JBFC 10 Years Ago in Pictures

Editor's Note: JBFC is celebrating a decade of impact in rural Tanzania this year. Thanks to your support, we have served more than 1,046,828 meals and harvested 14.5 tons of food over the last decade. This blog is part of a year-long series looking back at how far we've come over the last ten years. You can read more about JBFC's origins by clicking here.

10 Years ago, this is what JBFC's campus looked like...

We started with just four isolated un-developed acres on the shores of Lake Victoria. Most of the early days were spent clearing land, pulling bamboo, and moving rocks.




A decade later, we have a 70-acre footprint that's dotted with permanent buildings.

Back in 2006, JBFC was focused on developing our newly acquired property. The organization was building its first house, enabling us to accept our first 7 girls. Back then JBFC's mission was solely focused on providing refuge for abused and abandoned girls.

JBFC's mission has grown a lot over the last decade. JBFC's Founder & CEO, Chris Gates, believed that providing refuge for girls wasn't enough. He couldn't truly change their lives if they didn't have a quality school to attend. That's when this piece of property captured his eye and his imagination.

This was under-utilized farm land a decade ago, but grew into this.

A home for JBFC's Joseph & Mary School which now serves more than 330 students.

 



In 2006, JBFC's farm was just getting started. We had a few cows and some chickens. Now the farm is a booming operation, which includes chickens, pigs, sheep, rabbits, and tilapia.

Ten years ago, JBFC's fields were also just starting to take root. The sandy soil often made it difficult to grow crops. And heavy rains would wash away a lot of our progress.

With JBFC's investment in permaculture, we have transformed our farm over the last ten years and turned it into an economic engine for our organization and community. JBFC now harvests 300-400 pounds of food a week.

While many things have changed at JBFC, since 2006. One thing has remained.

These girls are still at the heart of what we do.

And while they may look a lot different now...and our family is much bigger.

After ten year, these girls, this community, are still the reason we do what we do every day.