Josephine's Dream ... St. Jude's Family Projects

On Friday, Josephine and her husband, John, were successful business owners, driving from Kampala to their family village near Masaka, taking food and money to their family who were starving due to rebel activity.

On Saturday, their life took an abrupt turn, when, on their way back to Kampala, they came to a bridge that had been taken out by the rebels. Access to the city was cut off. It was 1986.

Overnight they went for having it all, to having nothing ... well, almost nothing.


John had land in the village that he had inherited, but it had become overgrown with bush. They built a shelter from banana leaves and with a mattress and blanket given to them by John's 2 brothers they began life anew.

John's father gave them 2 piglets. When the first litter came, they did not sell a single pig. Instead they let those pigs have more litters until they had 45 pigs. The reason ... manure. They knew that feeding the soil would make them money in the long run. They were patient and determined.





They sold the pigs for an 8 month old exotic heifer cow. The neighbours laughed and scoffed at them. But, all too often he who laughs first, laughs last. A year later, that cow had its first calf and began producing 30 litres of milk a day. They had more than enough to drink ... and to sell!

The original plot of land was only 3.7 acres. It's amazing what she has managed to do with it.
Space is maximized by building 2-story structures for the animals. This building houses goats on the bottom and chickens on the top.


If you read the previous post, you already know how life on this farm revolves around manure.

Here the group is having a focused discussion on the "animal waste" collection pit outside the goat enclcosures.
















Water, its collection and distribution, is also a high priority on the farm.

If you look closely at the photo, you may recognize the recycled water bottles, which are filled, and turned upside down to strategically water small beds of vegetables. The bottles have a hole in the bottom ... which is now the top.

Mulching with dried grass and maize stocks help retain the moisture.




In the background is a huge space-saving 2-story chicken coop!

On the right are the pig pens.

In the foreground is an underground water reservoir that harvests water run-off. The 6' deep tank is lined with heavy gauge plastic and covered with a layer of plastic and boards to prevent mosquitos breeding and to keep people from falling in. Crushed moringa seeds clear the water making it usable for animals, plants, and household washing.


This is the bucket for a bucket drip irrigation system. Small irrigation tubes are connected to the base of the bucket allowing water to trickle to the roots of plants.




















Charles, our tour guide, is holding a black tube which has holes strategically drilled into it.

Water enters the black tube from either a bucket (previous photo) or from a larger hose connected to a water storage tank.








Ted told our guide that he wanted to see the water pump which pumped all the water.

We didn't realize what we were in for, as the trail took a decidedly steep downhill turn. But, then, what kind of adventure would this be if there weren't a few unexpected turns here and there?

Visit to St. Jude Family Projects in Masaka...Agnes's Farm

Starting with this picture is somewhat like getting to the theatre part-way through the movie. Sorry ... the 'add image' button has decided to go on strike without giving notice! Maybe I've maxed my blog photo limit???

1. We spent 2 incredible days at St. Jude's learning how much can be done with improved knowledge and skills in farming, starting with what is already in your hand.
3. Here Ted is taking a few irrigation notes.

After touring St. Jude (see next posting), we visited the home of Agnes, a woman who received training and support from St. Jude. She told us how the life of her family had been transformed in 7 years from one of abject poverty to where she is today... a healthy family, a productive farm, and a restored marriage. Following are some pics from the visit to her farm.

The goat's enclosure is raised off the ground and the floor sloped to facilitate the collection of manure. Manure ... it's the topic of conversation at St. Jude's!





Space is maximized in this integrated farming concept ... Agnes got creative in her design of this heart-shaped raised bed for cabbages.

Having them grow in her front courtyard utilizes the space. Conveniently located next to the house, it saves time and energy with meal preparation. Manure added to the soil helps retain the moisture and provides nutrients.







In addition to teaching improved crop and animal production methods, St. Jude teaches participants how to build wood-conserving stoves.

With less wood, more food can be cooked and kept warm for longer periods of time. And a chimney keeps the smoke out of the cook's eyes.

Agnes's daughter is showing us the stove.






As I said earlier, manure is the topic of conversation. You might not be able to detect it from the photo, but the floor of the cow pen is sloped allowing urine to flow to the collection pit (where the yellow jerry can is).



The cow was most considerate and gave us a live demonstration as we stood by!




(left: Josephine, founder of St. Jude)
(right: Agnes, farmer)

Here we are with a parting gift from Agnes: a basket full of eggs, bananas, tomatoes, carrots, and a cabbage.

Farmers can attend a 7 day training program at St. Jude's. Wouldn't it be an incredible opportunity for people in Tilling to learn how to maximize their land potential and improve their families quality of life?

Agnes has been able to feed her family a healthy, balanced diet, send her children to a good school, and build a new house! She now shares her knowledge and expertise with others in the community.

Chasing "Happiness"

After 24 hours of nonstop flights & layovers, we arrived safely in Kampala on time at 7:45 am. Jetlag hit with a vengeance about 3 pm and all thoughts of staying up until after supper went fast asleep.

Unfortunately, Ted woke up Tuesday with dizziness and nausea which persisted throughout the day. We are so thankful to God, that he woke up this morning feeling much better. And it's a good thing ... I can't imagine how rough the trip to Masaka might have been for him otherwise.

Masaka is about 1 1/2 hour drive southwest of Kampala. But, with the majority of the highway under construction, it took twice that long with potholes, dust, and the usual construction slow downs. Here we are chasing "Happiness". I had to wait another hour until we arrived in Masaka before I could open mine!







Last night, Winnie and Jana (widow from Tilling joining us for St. Jude farm tour) arrived in Kampala ... all the way from Kumi by taxi! A taxi is a van filled to capacity. Packed like sardines with luggage on your lap and the possibility of chickens at your feet. Poor Jana. This was her first trip to Kampala and instead of arriving by bus (Greyhound style) she had to take a taxi because the buses were full of back-to-school students.

Then to top it off today she has to drive through construction dust clouds, nauseous from motion sickness and petrol fumes.

This is the first time she has been more than a few hours away from Tilling and it's a bit of a shock. She is so courageous. Not knowing English, or the local dialect, she is dependent on Winnie to translate, not only the language, but so many others things that are new to her experience.


(Oops ... lost a photo ... I know Lawrence, you told me told to keep it simple. So I'm going to listen to you, and Ted ... he needs to sleep and that means I need to turn off the laptop, so I can turn off the overhead light and play musical plug-ins and turn on the lamp ...)

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak ... So [we will] not fear, for [God] is with [us] ... [He] will uphold [us] with [his] righteous right hand." Is 41