A Year of Progress in the City of Ubuntu
As part of our Ubuntu Journey 2025, we witnessed the positive changes that already happened in the City of Ubuntu this year: successful cultivation of multiculture crops, new animals, a medical garden, and more.
To continue this process, flowing water is absolutely necessary: the City of Ubuntu needs an irrigation system.
From Dry Fields to a Green Patch of Hope
When I last visited in March, the picture was bleak. It was the end of the dry season: drought, wildfires, and nomadic cattle herders had left the land exhausted. Only one small roofed area with 2,000 cocoa plants offered a glimmer of hope in the dry area.
Life Returns: 6 Hectares of Maize and 2,000 Cocoa Plants
By July 2025, the transformation was astonishing. The cocoa plants were planted out in the fields and growing well, each paired with a banana shoot to provide shade and moisture. What was barren just months earlier had turned into a sea of maize, grown in traditional mixed cultivation across six hectares – a feast for the eyes.
Expanding Animal Husbandry
The changes didn’t stop in the fields. Our farm has grown too: alongside pigs, goats, and chickens (all of which have had offspring), the City of Ubuntu now raises geese, turkeys, and rabbits. Our animals are a key part of our circular ecology: the animals are fed by the crops we plant, and the fields are fertilized with the animal dung.
Healing Plants in Focus – The Medical Garden
Another exciting project is the medical garden. During my time in Cameroon, I learned about the power of traditional African medicine. As a doctor, I was deeply inspired to create a healing garden in the City of Ubuntu: a place where medicinal plants and herbs serve as a natural pharmacy and also as an educational space for visitors. Together with our administrator Boniface, I developed this concept – and on our visit, I was delighted to see the first plants taking root.
The Biggest Challenge: Water for All Plants
With so much progress, new challenges arise. Maintaining cocoa trees, fruit trees, and the medical garden requires constant attention and – most importantly – water. At the moment, all irrigation is done by hand: water is pumped from a well over 100 meters deep, then carried in heavy watering cans across the fields. This is not sustainable.
Why Hand Watering Is No Longer Enough
Our dedicated team is working tirelessly, but with the dry season approaching, manual watering will no longer suffice. To protect the progress made so far, we urgently need an irrigation system.
Our Next Goal: An Irrigation System for the City of Ubuntu
A water technician has already developed a concept and cost estimate. To install the irrigation system, we need to raise around €6,000. This is the association’s next big goal – one that will secure the future of all these projects.
Support Our Project!
You can make a lasting difference by supporting the City of Ubuntu in this critical step. Every contribution helps us bring water to the cocoa plants, fruit trees, and medicinal garden – and ensures that the community can continue to grow in strength and resilience.
👉 Donate now to the City of Ubuntu association account and help us build this irrigation system. Together, we can secure the future of Ubuntu!
author: Bernadette Becsi