Founders and History
DID YOU KNOW that many regions across the third world are blessed with richly arable land, strong growing seasons, good sun and access to water, YET right now such lands lie fallow, untilled and unused?
MEANWHILE thousands of people and children in those same regions struggle with malnutrition and even hunger every single day?I did not know this! Growing up on my parents' family farm in southern Manitoba, I gained firsthand experience fighting the harsh Canadian climate and stubborn soils every growing season for every scrap of harvest. What I would have given for the lush growing conditions of sunny Africa.
My harsh farming experience made me hungry to understand best practices in horticulture and animal husbandry. This in turn inspired my parents to promote me--after I'd completed my formal education--to management of the farm's very large dairy herd. Over the next few years, dairy farming, farm financial management and horticultural experimentation became my primary focus. The fruits of my creativity and efforts can still be seen around the family farm today, over 40 plus years later.
In 1979, my beloved wife Beverly--a fellow Manitobian--and I relocated our young family to Calgary where I established a business specializing in largescale acreage design, landscaping and construction services. During this time we began to ponder the complex question of third world starvation in earnest. We wanted to make a difference to these regions since we both have a strong sense of community, volunteer experience and a deep-rooted faith.
THE SHOCKING TRUTH: What we discovered through my fact-finding trips to Africa shocked us. Fields lie fallow in Africa and people suffer and perish by the hundreds of thousands for lack of knowledge. Somehow...inexplicably, basic methods of farming, tool usage, growing season and seed knowledge have bypassed certain areas of the world. Instead, locals there have gone generations relying on basic meal products shipped in from elsewhere. This revelation caused us by 2008 to shift our focus to humanitarian work working among the needy village farmers of Northern Africa ultimately co-founding Humanity’s Promise Int’l in 2011.
TEACH A MAN TO FARM...and he will feed himself and his community forever...! Today, Beverley and I have three daughters with families of their own and call Cochrane, Alberta, home. Our ministry focus of sharing our hardwon farming knowledge among the neediest but most hardworking and enthusiastic of African communities has brought us much joy and fulfillment. However, we could use your help!
The truth is, helping there helps here too. So many immigrants flee their countries because of a lack of basic needs: food, jobs and security. By sharing our hardwon knowledge of better farming practices we help people there not merely survive but thrive in their own communities, in a legacy-building circle of enrichment for future generations.
I invite YOU to get involved and make this PROMISE TO HUMANITY a reality!
