The 11 Oaks 3rd annual "Gardens for Africa" MusicFest

The 11 Oaks 3rd annual “Gardens for Africa” MusicFest is scheduled for Sunday, October 11 from 3 til 7 PM at the Village Inn in Empire.

The mission of 11 Oaks is to supply gravity-fed drip irrigation to the world’s poorest people, and they have a team working year-round in Lesotho with a Program Director (Nthethe Mafisa) and a Board of Directors in that country. They have also sent kits to Zambia, Haiti, and Honduras and are arranging collaborations with groups in Cameroon and Madagascar.

Chris Skellenger and Tessa Bell, of the 11 Oaks-USA Board of Directors, will be returning to Lesotho in November to participate in the establishment of drip irrigated gardens at 7 locations around the country. The goal is to not only install several thousand feet of pipe but also create long lasting partnerships with NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organizations) from around the world- World Vision and the Red Cross, and Sentebale, to name a few.

It is absolutely critical that fresh vegetables remain a part of peoples diets in drought plagued areas. We must use what little water there is to grow them. Please join them in person if you can, or through the mail if you can’t make it to the VI on Sunday. This is a great time of year to do your Christmas shopping in the form of a donation to a good cause-any good cause – Christmas cards available!

Check out the video to hear a little music from the Bytown Orphanage in Maseru, Lesotho.