March 2021 Update

Update on Avocado growing project.

Mature avovado trees

As a result of the Covid-19 restrictions in the UK, the Trustees of EOS-UK Charity Fund had been unable to meet physically since holding the AGM (for 2019) on 7 March 2020. However they had communicated with one another by email and telephone to discuss essential business and receive quarterly financial reports. They were able to hold a virtual AGM for 2020 successfully on 11 March 2021 using Zoom.

Maturing avovado fruits

As regards the Charity’s beneficiaries at Elshadai Wukro Children’s Village (EWCV), they survived their nine-month-long Covid-19 lockdown well and were making the necessary preparations to re-start their school and kindergarten at the end of October 2020. Unfortunately, war started in Tigray at the beginning of November and their school, like the rest of schools in Tigray, remains closed. The Trustees are relieved to know that the children and staff are safe apart for some hardship from the soaring cost of living. In view of the hardship, the Trustees decided at their recent AGM to transfer the funds from ad-hoc donations which are normally saved for development projects at EWCV. This will help with buying clothes and shoes for the children.

Mature avocado fruit ready for picking

The three-year avocado trees growing project has been very successful and trees are now mature enough for EWCV to start harvesting fruit from them this summer. They will sell the fruit to markets in Wukro and Mekelle to earn some cash income. They will also feed some of it to the children as a source of good nutrition.

Intercropping between rows of avocado trees