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?