In September 2018, Steven Babila and his team began expanding their organic, self-sufficient farm into a training center.

A center for reconstruction amidst a war. They call it the Tree of Life Salem Center. On a 10-hectare farm, next to the city of Bamenda, two buildings with a total of 750m2 have been erected. These have facilities to accommodate 48 full-time guests and groups of 100 day visitors.

Food Security The production and demonstration farm is for practical education and to make the whole self-sufficient. How valuable it is to be able to train in both food security and eternal security in a war-torn country where people are starving and have sometimes lost all their possessions!

Stewardship The goal of the training center is to train small-scale farmers in Biblical, sustainable agriculture. Good stewardship with the sometimes limited resources that people have is key.

New Trainings The trainings cover how to improve soil quality and how sustainable farming methods can increase yields. Trainings on fishery and livestock farming are also now being provided. The training center also serves as a knowledge center, with space to immediately apply all that is learned in practice.

Construction Work The center is in the final phase of construction and is already partially in use. At the time of writing, the kitchen, office, and sleeping phase are nearing completion. Additionally, a fence needs to be installed for safety.

View photos of the construction work carried out over the past years (links to a Facebook album).

Budget

• Completion and furnishing of kitchen, office, and bedroom: €11,145
• Construction of fence for safety: €7,775
• Finishing of buildings: €25,430
• Still needed: €44,354

Note: The construction of the training center had an original budget of €136,630. So far, €113,610 has been invested. Due to inflation and scarcity, prices have increased. The total budget has been adjusted to €157,964.