Hands for an African Child

Listed below are the significant accomplishments made in 2023. We have 54 orphaned children as of Dec. 2023, after having received our first 13 orphaned children in Aug. 2022. In 2022 we had four sets of parents (a father & mother) raising their own children and 3-4 orphans per family. We now have eight sets of parents with 16 biological children and 4-10 orphans per family. These parents receive ongoing training and weekly encouragement and support so they can thrive with the demands of raising these children. We had four completed homes in 2022. We now have 12 completed houses, in anticipation of adding more parents and orphans in 2024. With six bedrooms, three bathrooms and a large family room/dining area per house, we have room to accommodate up to 16 orphans and 4 biological children per home. The Nuri Primary School was completed in Sept., 2023. This 8-classroom elementary school will be able to hold 280 students at capacity. In addition to our children, some impoverished children (orphans living with grandparents/aunts/uncles and children of widows) in the surrounding neighborhood will be invited to attend the school. About one-third of Ugandan children do not attend elementary school, due to poverty. We have an accredited principal/teacher and four other school teachers. The GenWell Community Center was also completed in Sept. 2023. It will include a library, which will be used by the school and the surrounding community. We now have three piggery buildings and over 100 pigs. The income from the sale of these pigs help our families become more self-reliant. We bought a John Deere planter/fertilizer, which has tripled our corn production, from where it was when we planted corn by hand. We recently built a metal granary shed with eighteen, 5000 liter stainless steel silos to store the corn.Thanks to a generous donor, we purchased a 75-acre property across the street from our original 125 acres. It was covered with thick brush, so we cleared it with a bulldozer. We are installing a perimeter fence and grading it, so we can plant corn and beans. Using improved farming methods, we are learning from two experienced farming advisors (who have donated their time and expertise). Within 1-2 years we expect to earn $750 to $1,000 net per acre per year, depending on rainfall. The goal is to help our Ugandans to become as self-sustaining as possible.We put down a $50,000 deposit to purchase a John Deere combine for $206,000 for the following reasons: - Uganda has two raining seasons per year. - In order to get two crops of corn or beans annually, we must harvest the crop quickly, disk the land, then replant quickly, before the next raining season begins. - A combine will minimize the waste of corn kernels. - It will grind up the corn stocks and leaves to create organic matter which will turn the soil black and increase yields over time. - It is not possible to harvest 130+ acres by hand fast enough to replant and get two crops annually. - The combine should pay for itself in 2 years, thereafter, resulting in a much higher cash flow to support our growing orphan community.