Meet Angelique.  Meet a FarmHer doing good things for her community and for herself.  I was introduced to Angelique through Lutheran Services in Iowa when I contacted the organization about their refugee training program.  Angelique works for Ben Saunders at Wabi Sabi Farm in Granger, Iowa. 

While photographing Angelique during her work, I talked from behind my camera and she happily took me up on the conversation.  She told me she is originally from Rwanda and found her way to her home in Iowa by way of the Lutheran Services refugee program.  Angelique made it clear that Iowa is her home now.  She works full-time at Wabi Sabi Farm during the days, goes to school at night, and as I later learned, volunteers at Lutheran Services Global Greens Farm in her spare time.  When I asked Angelique if she had any family, she replied “no.”  She is alone.  “Just her and God.” 

As she worked and I watched, Angelique explained that she feels she is doing the most important work she can.  Growing food.  Feeding people.  That is important.  As she worked alongside Ben, sometimes silently, other times cracking jokes and flashing her brilliant smile, it was clear that she loves what she does. As Angelique dug and cleaned sweet potatoes for the farm’s CSA members, I felt proud and honored to be able to capture her doing her good work. 

In preparation to write this blog post, I visited the farm’s website for a little more information and left it remembering this statement, “Here at Wabi Sabi Farm, we recognize that the imperfect beauty (like a ‘Sweet Chocolate’ Pepper that appears rotten when ripe) may taste the best.”  That is the thing about life; sometimes the imperfect, unplanned and difficult journey is actually just right when you get to where you are going.   

Click here to see the entire gallery of photographs of Angelique. To purchase prints of Angelique or other FarmHers, click here.