Wilja Happé, owner of Farmers’ West Flowers & Bouquets in Carpinteria, Calif., traveled to Rwanda early last month, when she and General Manager Will Stewart established a community garden and flower farm as part of their visit with a relief group called Solace.
Happé personally decided to get involved with relief efforts for Rwanda after her church was asked to donate money to purchase a dairy cow for widows and orphans through Solace ministries. The cow generated enough excitement in Rwanda that Happé’s church later donated money to pay for a nurse’s full-year salary.
That, and an article about Dutch flower farms in the region, motivated Happé to visit Rwanda herself, and she did so with Stewart, a native of Zimbabwe.
Together, Happé and Stewart shared their expertise and helped prepare cut flower gardens for the community’s farm, which is expected to be in full bloom with six to 10 weeks.
“What fun we had!” Happé wrote in a blog that appears on the Farmers’ West website. “Will and all his expertise, preparing the boxes with sand and soil, mixing in the cow manure and other organic matter he could find. … Our audience just sponged up our instructions and we truly enjoyed their excitement. They can’t believe that 10 to 12 weeks from now cut flowers will color their wonderful farms, ready for harvest! A truly exciting day for Solace Flower Farms!”
To read more from Happé’s blog, click here. She wrote about many of her experiences and posted a few photos, as well.