The Sowing Seed in Famine

Springs of Hope
Oct 12, 2025
4 min read

“Now Isaac sowed seed in that land ( in a time of famine ) and the same year reaped a hundredfold because the Lord blessed him.” Genesis 26:12

Dear friends, we are in a time of financial famine, very close to closing our doors, yet we continue to sow seed in this land of Mesopotamia, within the Yezidi, Kurdish Muslim and Christian communities believing for a hundredfold increase as our seeds of faith go into good, well prepared soil.

Our focus this week is on a new group of autistic children that we have taken under our wing from Duhok city. They are a small organisation founded by a military man whose children are autistic and found nowhere that would accept them and help their development. He brought in a group of specialists from Turkiye to help give him direction, taking his children and a small group to swimming lessons and sports.

The director, Dleer, saw us on social media, reached out and we have now adopted them once a week for equine therapy combined with art or music.

Dleer: Director of Autistic Group

“Our weekly visits to the stables are the most anticipated moments of the week, they are the very highlight of our week giving our children a deep sense of calm and safety which lasts for several days after their visit. Gradual interaction with the horses improves their developmental behaviour and strengthens both visual and verbal communication. After time at the stables and riding the horses they express their emotions with more calmness, confidence and clarity than ever before.

It is early days yet, but I am highly expectant of seeing that which we dreamed of yet lacked the hope for come to pass in front of our eyes.”

Salam: Art Director, Springs of Hope

“This week was the first time that I met this group, although a small group I took some of my students who wanted both to volunteer and to gain experience working with those who are different.

It was not easy, as each child has its own difficulty and limitation and although there is a caregiver, we needed to connect with the child and discover that which is locked inside him. I felt that the stables with all the nature, the sound of the birdsong, the flowers and trees was a safe place to begin and to start to explore the world of color, Some were able to connect with painting having been given the chance, for others it was a no go. This is a big learning curve for me and my students, all of whom agreed that it was a great experience which they would not have missed.

As the Art Director I am grateful for the opportunity of pursuing new avenues and directing my skills into such a special group as this.”

Bnar

“Hello friends, I am Bnar and have been working in the stables for a few months. When the autistic group visited us a few weeks ago for the first time I felt totally out of my depth. They had high energy levels and unlike our other special needs groups who would walk to the ducks and the geese, walk to see the peacocks, walk quietly to say hello to Oscar and the horses, these children ran anywhere without any sense of restriction for their safety and well being.

I realised that this was their first experience and everything was exciting for them, so we put a few boundaries in place with the aid of their patient caregivers. The following visits have become easier as they get to know and trust us. The art session this week with Teacher Salam was wonderful, those who were able to connect were totally engaged in painting the horses.

The world of autism is new to us, and we will do our best to learn how best to help these children.”

Wissam, Director of Horses for Hope

“Here at Horses for Hope, we are continually being stretched. We learn something and then realise that it is far from enough, that we need more. We honestly have no idea how to work with a group of autistic children aged 10-14, we do have some autistic students from the camp but as they have been involved in our day to day life for a few years now we have gathered experience as to how to integrate them.

This is new to us. Should any of you readers have specific experience in an all inclusive programme, I would value hearing, We have rabbits, ducks, geese, chickens, we plant seeds for food, we have our dog Oscar and of course the horses.

We are able to include our art and music teams to give a wider experience.

We are going through a hard financial time at the stables and are daily resisting the “temptation” to solve our financial problems by opening up to the general public for wedding photos or birthday parties. We are jealous for our space and the presence that it holds and do not wish to see that compromised.

Our horses are horses for healing, even the younger ones are now learning how to hold space and presence.

We are grateful for your help. We do not wish to turn away anyone with special needs. Thank you.”

Dear friends, it is our season for sowing seed and for planting. The region around us is shaking and swirling and thank God we provide a place of serene refuge. Please help our small seed turn into a hundredfold harvest.

Thank you.

PS: To those who donate via Paypal, I am seeing all your gifts and are more than grateful. However in this period of recovery I am trying to keep my admin / computer time down to a minimum. Thank you for your continued giving and your understanding.