As ROWAN is in Uganda, we thought it would be fun for our readers if we shared more about the country. This is an amazingly diverse country with a huge variety of animal & plant life worth learning about.
Uganda’s national animal.
The National Kob
As the national animal of Uganda, the kob appears on their coat of arms, along with the crowned crane.
Uniquely Routine
Kobs eat short grass, which forces them to rely on larger grazers cropping the land first to create their ideal grazing conditions. In part because of this behavior, they develop attachments to specific locations & following grazing/ watering patterns every season.
Kob Facts
The kob social structure is formed of small herds that come together with larger groups (sometimes in the 1000’s) from time to time. Over an average lifespan of 20 years, kobs return every season to the same breeding grounds (called leks). Some of the leks have been in use for over 50 years. Unfortunately Uganda kob grazing lands are also favorable for farming & like much Ugandan wildlife, kobs find themselves in competition with people & agriculture.
“I’m so excited and I just can’t hide it.” – The Pointer Sisters (2008)
Fewer lyrics could better describe Ivan Kirunze, ROWAN’s faithful literacy teacher, and his radiant bride on their Big Day. In Ugandan culture, men do not typically smile during their weddings, but clearly, nothing could wipe the smile from this man’s face!
Minutes before the wedding ceremony begins, Ivan beams with joyful anticipation.
Despite their culturally-rebellious grins, the couple followed the extravagant pre-wedding tradition known as “Introductions.” At this ceremony, hundreds from the community gather to witness the man arrive at the woman’s home and formally ask for the parent’s blessing. In seeking their favor, he will bring a generous dowry of goats, cows, and/or fresh produce. But he can only ask for her hand if he can find her …
Amidst the humming fervor of the crowd, the man and the emcee of the event desperately search for the woman as one might search for the cartoon in Where’s Waldo? Upon her discovery and the family’s acceptance of the proposal, the rest of the night is filled with jubilee.
Ivan unites with his stunning bride at the “Introductions” ceremony.
Isn’t it a beautiful thing to see a groom with unabashed love for his bride? Isn’t it incredible that Christ loves us, the Church, with the same passion? The Word of God tells us that …
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy … and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless … For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and the church.” – Ephesians 5:25-32
Congratulations to the newlyweds! May God bless you with ever-deepening joy for each other and for Him!
His friends and family call him Wafu and he just turned 50 years old (young)!
David Wafula has been with ROWAN since the beginning. He is a full-time staff member and board member. Here are his thoughts on turning 50:
“I can’t believe I am making 50 years of age… my evening is approaching. Making 50 years in Uganda [while] healthy, happy, and impacting others is a huge blessing.”
When asked about his goals, he said, “I have two words that keep sounding in my mind: STABILITY and PERFECTION. This year I have to stabilize and perfect most of the things that I put my hands on. Ministry-wise and family. This year, I want to inspire many and disciple many in the ministry of ROWAN. At 50, you can be trusted but also entrusted.”
“This year is a year of looking back and making evaluations. During this process, I am sure I will [recall] areas I have done well but also improve those areas I have not done well.”
ROWAN is so blessed by Wafu’s wisdom, perseverance, and his wonderful laugh. Join us in wishing him a very happy 50th birthday!
If you’ve met Wafu, please comment with any stories or memories you have with him!
As ROWAN is in Uganda, we thought it would be fun to share more about the country with our readers. This is a beautiful country with diverse animal & plant life, plus many other mysteries to unravel.
A Crown of Gold
This magnificent, showy bird is the Crowned Crane (or Balearica regulorum gibbericeps). It is the national bird of Uganda, appearing on their flag & coat of arms.
Crowned Facts
Unfortunately the crowned crane is listed as endangered, as their habitat is slowly being depleted for crop land. They are interesting, however as they are monogamous & appear to mate for life (up to 22 years). They also both participate in nest building & incubating the eggs. Like humans (& bears) they are omnivores that eat both meats & plants. These birds are worth keeping around.
Home from school for the holiday recess, our children convene at the Hall of Hope for the Holiday Program, where they build community across all class years. Older students, such as Jonathan Wagaba, a current medical student, and Ronald Dyole, an aspiring teacher, take the opportunity to mentor secondary school students on career choices. They encourage their younger peers to contemplate their school experiences and pursue vocations that align with their interests and individual giftings. The Holiday Program provides an incredible opportunity for older students to serve as leaders in the community while younger students gain insights and inspiration from their older mentors.
Ronald Dyole (wearing an orange T-shirt) shares his thoughts on career aspirations with secondary school students.
Beyond the opportunity for sharing and learning, the Holiday Program, which runs 5 days a week, entertains students with a range of activities. Students receive health check-ups, eat nutritious meals, and play games for hours on end. Favorite sports include soccer, jump rope, and netball, a thrilling combo of basketball and volleyball.
Soon, new posts will be rolling your way, written by a name that you may not recognize. That’s me! Chanel Varney – and I’d love to give a proper introduction to you, my cherished ROWAN friends.
I originally hail from Southern California, but for the past three and a half years, I’ve been in Cambridge, Massachusetts studying biology at Harvard. Studying here has been a tremendous blessing, straight from the hand of God. One of the greatest joys of my experience has been my Christian community. Harvard College Faith & Action is a multi-denominational Christian club on campus, started by the Christian Union. With this group, God has brought me closer and closer to His heart, and without this group, I would’ve never known about ROWAN.
After returning from a mission trip to South Africa in December 2018, I knew that God was compelling me to seek out another opportunity to go abroad and meet more of my family in Him. I recall looking at dozens of missions opportunities online, but when I saw the ROWAN trip (posted on the Christian Union website), I immediately felt that I would be going.
In May 2019, I went from not being able to point Uganda out on a map, to personally cherishing a Ugandan community that maps hardly know: the rural, grassy Mawanga. Before my trip, I knew what ROWAN stood for – “Rural Orphans and Widows AIDS Network” – but afterward, I fully grasped who ROWAN stands for.
ROWAN serves a community that loves the same God and that is loved by the same God as me. A community that rejoiced to see me, lavishing me in embraces and enthusiastic welcome. They welcomed me into their homes with more hospitality than I ever found in my own heart. They blessed me with generous gifts, earned by incredibly hard labor because they wanted to communicate their love for me: a stranger, I felt, but to them, a true sister.
Have you ever been humbled by another’s generosity? Perhaps Jesus’s? … whose unmerited kindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). If so, then you will know how I felt during my trip. I was given WAY more than I could ever return – I’m not talking materially, but about something much more precious and everlasting: Jesus’s love. I will graduate with a degree from one of the most prestigious and challenging universities in the world, but something much more applaudable and difficult to accomplish is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). The people of ROWAN do this inexplicably well, and through these people, God reminds me that greatness in this kingdom – becoming educated, rich, powerful – has no value in His Kingdom. Instead …
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4).
“Whoever wants to be first must take the last place and be the servant of everyone else” (Mark 9:35).
I need to be reminded of these truths weekly. Daily. Hourly. Many of us do. I feel blessed that God works through this community to be that reminder in my life. I’m excited and honored to write stories about ROWAN so that others may be equally as blessed.
As someone who loves to write, I often journal, and on occasion, the Holy Spirit will write through me. If you’d like to read what He revealed to me as I reflected on my trip to Mawanga, here’s the link.
Thanks for reading. I hope you are blessed by the stories to come!
no more time wasted walking countless hours to get to the Hall of Hope
time + energy reinvested in education + business
fewer safety threats along the way + more accessible healthcare
field trip + exploration opportunities
Pastor Paul made the announcement at the Christmas Party. Check out the video:
There was dancing, praying, singing, and lots of laughing. People tried ice cream for the first time ever, they thanked God, and the excitement was off the charts. See for yourself:
Remember when we fundraised for the Hall of Hope for Christmas in 2017?
Here it is: everyone gathered under one roof.
We’re praising God for how far we’ve come in the last decade and so excited to see where he takes us in the coming decade.
If you’re like most of us, each year while shopping for Christmas gifts you might catch yourself thinking,
“This is great. But it’s all just… stuff.”
Relatable? Well, you don’t have to feel that way today.
Reports divulge that on Cyber Monday in 2018, Americans spent $7.9 billion. On stuff. We’re still waiting to see what the numbers are this year, but we all know one thing: they’ll be up there.
In the midst of the chaos created during what ought to be the most peaceful time of the year,
It’s easier than wading through online shopping ads, it’s faster than cutting coupons, and it’s just downright fun to be part of something important. When you give a gift in someone’s honor, you’ll help them feel confident that they left this world a bit better than they found it. With this gift, you’re saying,
“I know you’re the type of person who would care about something like this; I know you’re a helper. I appreciate that about you. That’s why I gave this gift in your honor.”
Do you have a child or grandchild who rides a bus? Or maybe your little tribe is just starting to feel like they’ve mastered the bus schedule this year. Are you friends or neighbors with any bus drivers? Do you know any teachers who work at schools where buses safely pick up and drop off students each day? How many buses will you see while you’re driving to work tomorrow?
To many of us, buses have become commonplace. We see school buses, public transit city buses, double-decker buses, mini-buses, shuttle buses, luxury coach buses… but in Mawanga, most folks still get around with the same transportation they were born with: their own two feet.
When you give a bus pass in someone’s honor, that gift restores up to 10 hours in an orphan or widow’s day that they would have spent walking. That could be 70 hours in a week… or up to 3,640 hours in a year. Imagine the possibilities.
We just received heartbreaking news that Tikabula Kafuko passed away yesterday at 86-and-a-half years old.
She will be remembered as a world-changer who had twice as much spunk and life in her than most people have at 25. Tikabula dearly loved to dance, was known to speak boldly, and (as Pastor Paul says) you could always count on her to “make funs” (make jokes). She played an integral part of our pineapple and passion fruit gardens at ROWAN. She enjoyed tending to her small garden at her home, and the community will always remember how hard she worked. Here are some pictures of her gardening:
For the last few years of her long and beautiful life, her body struggled with arthritis and joint pain. Ultimately, she passed away of cancer in her intestines. We would like to thank Tikabula’s sponsors, Norma and Philip Tubbs, for helping make her final years her very best. She called ROWAN “family” and never missed an event. Life expectancy in Uganda is currently about 60 years old, and we are so thankful for so many years beyond that where we were able to learn from and laugh with Tikabula. We are missing her deeply but thankful to know she is resting in the Father’s arms.
If you ever had the privilege of meeting Tikabula, we would love to hear and share your stories and memories to honor her legacy.
The International Day of the Girl was last week, but we still want you to meet some of our neat young ladies!
She recently finished higher education. With a heart for her nation and especially the women there, she determined to study mass communication and journalism. Her dream is to speak up for women’s rights by documenting stories in Uganda so that each coming generation is one step closer to gender equality. In a country where women haven’t been allowed to own land, Uganda is coming a long way. But paving the road for women’s rights is not going to be a quick or simple task. Young ladies like Mariam represent the way forward, but they can’t do it alone!
Mariam successfully completed our program, but many other young ladies still need your help on their journey!
