I will always remember the people I met while on this adventure. I had the honor of being the photographer for the GIS team. I was able to capture the beautiful faces of the out-growers and their families of Novos Horizontes. These are the most beautiful people I have ever seen. They have prefect white smiles, with bright sparking eyes and a laugh that is contagious. Even though we do not speak the same language I feel like the photos can speak for them. The photos show the true and pure beauty. It is funny to see how much money people spend on cosmetics, hair products, weightless medication, plastic surgery, spray tanning and other products and services all so they can feel “beautiful”. The women I met in Mozambique had pure and blemish free skin, beautiful smiles, and were happy. They made me realize that “beauty supplies” is not needed to be truly beautiful.
I did not realize how large this poultry operation is! I thought we would be working with a very small operation that was struggling, that was not the case. Novos Horizontes is a very successful company that is changing lives and feeding the community. Their mission is very important and the people working there are very impressive and passionate about their work. Andrew was very brave to venture out and start a poultry operation in northern Mozambique. He is a true inspiration and perfect example of what hard work and determination can accomplish. Members of the community respect him and know how successful he has become. Although I do not eat meat I respect what he has done for the community and how he has changed lives. He has provided training and job skills that will be passed down to the next generation. There is a break in the cycle of poverty that has been started by Novos Horizontes existence.
I went with the Survey Team one day and interviewed a man that lost his wife a month before, but he was able to build a second house at the farm in addition to a house a few miles away. He built the house closer to where his son lives. He had an electric pole close to his chicken house and was able to get a few lights set up in his chicken house. His son also was an out-grower and was doing well. He had only one small house with a small chicken house and he was struggling compared to his father. But he was able to feed his family and meet their needs because he had the chicken house and his father taught him how to farm and take care of a chicken house. The skills taught by Novos Horizontes are being passed down to the next generation already.
One of the reasons I chose this trip was because it had to do with working with a tribe of another culture and that was something I have always wanted to do. I realized that tribes all over the world have some similar problems keeping their culture alive and teaching their language to the future generations. This trip I was able to connect with another tribe on the other side of the world and share my culture with them while also learning from them. I truly appreciate this opportunity. It also helped me decide that I will be working on tribal agricultural education programs as my honors thesis project. I would like to develop lesson plans that show tribal agricultural across the world and also that will teach American Indian youth about our agricultural history and how to keep those traditions alive today.
