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Tag: Education

Locusts Invade Uganda

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Swarms of locusts have entered Uganda  by way of Kenya. This very serious desert locust invasion threatens East Africa, the United Nations has warned. Locusts threaten the food security of millions of people.  Swarms of this magnitude have not been seen in decades. In Kenya and Somalia, many crops have already been devastated.

The Eagle Online Uganda news source stated today, March 10, 2020:

The desert locusts have since been sighted in 24 districts in Teso, Lango, Acholi, Sebei and Bugisu sub- regions of Uganda.  Since the outbreak, government through its agencies has step up control measures which include rapid spraying in all affected areas with both manual and motorized pumps and sensitization of people. 

The Minister of Agriculture, Vincent Ssempijja, said:  “The existing swarms have not caused significant damage to the vegetation cover, however, there is an eminent threat to food security when the eggs hatch into hoppers in the next few weeks as has been the case with our neighbour, Kenya.”  He said the swarms however continue to spread to other districts and possibly laying of eggs is expected to continue while our efforts to control the adult locusts continue.

The Observer Uganda online stated on February 12, 2020:

“A typical desert locust swarm can contain up to 150 million locusts per square kilometre. UN reports indicate that locusts can reproduce rapidly and, if left unchecked, current numbers could grow 500 times by June. A swarm can destroy as much food crops in a day as is sufficient to feed 2,500.”

Forecast (March-June 2020) on the desert locust upsurge in the Greater Horn of Africa. Photo: observer.ug

Please pray for ROWAN villages and all of East Africa that resources will be allocated quickly to treat this invasion effectively and that crops and lives would be saved. It’s hard for many of us to imagine experiencing this type of natural disaster. Please join us as we prayerfully imagine ourselves in the place of our brothers and sisters in East Africa.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way

you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

ROWAN 2020 STAFF Retreat

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From the fruit stand in the neighborhood market to the vast empire of Microsoft or Disney, we all interact with businesses large and small.  Peter Drucker, father of the practical foundations and philosophies of modern business, said this:

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
The ROWAN staff, without possibly realizing it, teaches us this very truth.

ROWAN staff recently had their 2020 Staff Retreat in Iganga. The theme was: “Enhancing Teamwork for Effective Service Delivery”.  They spent time in sessions engaged with the following topics:

  • Discussion of Expectations, Fears, and Objectives
  • The role of Teamwork and Identifying One’s Role on the Team
  • Strategies for Team Effectiveness and Performance 
  • Issues and Challenges Affecting Teamwork 
  • Alignment of Teamwork with Christian Values

ROWAN leaders spend time in preparation, prayer, and planning to do the right things. This group of flawed people, saved by Jesus Christ, takes the time to discern, pray, wait on God—through some very difficult and painful daily struggles—to do the right things for the widows and orphans in their care.

If you’d like to sponsor a widow or orphan through this growing organization of leaders that Peter Drucker would be proud of, please choose someone to sponsor in Uganda today.  You will become part of our AMAKA (family) doing the right things for widows and orphans and you will be changed for the better.  It happens to each of us who follow God’s tug at our hearts and it will happen to you.

Photos from the ROWAN 2020 STAFF Retreat—PICTURES THAT SPEAK A THOUSAND WORDS:

Endangered Mountain Gorilla of Uganda

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As ROWAN is in Uganda, we thought it would be helpful for our readers if we shared a bit more about this amazing country. This is an amazingly diverse land with a huge variety of animal & plant life to learn about. Perhaps Uganda’s most famous resident is the critically endangered mountain gorilla.

Uganda’s mountain gorillas.

High Altitude

As the name states, mountain gorillas prefer to inhabit mountainside forests at around 8,000 to 13,000 feet. Critically endangered since 1996, a variety of regeneration programs are in place to raise their numbers in the wild. In fact, Uganda is one of the only places in the world mountain gorillas can be found in the wild.

Uganda’s mountain gorillas.

Mountain Gorilla Facts

Mountain gorillas are vegetarians & their diet is made up of roughly 10 different species of forest plants. Favoring items like thistle, wood & roots, they rarely need to drink water as their diet provides a great deal. This is a very social animal, living in small groups (less than 40) dominated by a male silverback, leader & protector. Generally potential conflicts are resolved through a show of strength or intimidation tactics, but silverbacks have been known to give their life for the safety of his group. Young males are driven away from the group at around 11 years & often travel in packs until they reach sexual maturity.

Learn More

To learn more about this lovely animal, get involved to help them or take a trip to Uganda visit the Uganda Wildlife Authority or the Uganda Wildlife Education Center.

Exciting Agriculture Update!

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In Uganda, the District Agricultural officer is a government position. The officer who works in the ROWAN area is named Peter.  His job in the district is to empower people with modern productive methods in agriculture and appropriate technologies. Peter is a young man who fell in love with ROWAN this past year. You can see him in the photo below at the annual Christmas party passing out solar light kits.  He is amazed at the impact ROWAN is making in the community. He was singing a song to Pastor Paul that said “I want to work with you, I want to work with you!”

District Agricultural Office Paul with Pastor handing out solar light kits!

He has promised 5,000 chickens and 500 cassava seeds to give out across our 30 villages. ROWAN will divide them across our zone leaders and identify potential beneficiaries to receive these chickens and cassava. As people pray for ROWAN, we don’t always know how God will provide.  Since Peter’s job is to help and train the people in agriculture, he saw that ROWAN was already on the ground doing just that.  He wants to help and provide resources and this is huge! We are grateful to God and all those in the villages and across the world who pray for ROWAN. This is a tangible blessing—please thank God with us.  C.S. Lewis said, in his book Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer:

“Gratitude exclaims… ‘How good of God to give me this.’ Adoration says, ‘What must be the quality of that Being whose far-off and momentary coruscations are like this!’ One’s mind runs back up the sunbeam to the sun.” 

How to Behave in Uganda

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As ROWAN is in Uganda, we thought it would be interesting to share some of the local Ugandan customs with our readers. This is an amazingly diverse country, from tribes to wildlife it has a great deal to offer those lucky enough to visit.

Amazing Place to Visit

Uganda sees over 800,000 tourists each year, their many bodies of water, friendly people & diverse wildlife calling visitors from around the globe. Ugandans often refer to foreigners in their country as mzungu. While the official languages of Uganda are English & Swahili, a wide variety of languages & dialects are spoken throughout the country.

A Few Social Graces

Here are seven bits of advice for visiting an incredibly friendly country. 1. Keep your hands to yourself – Public displays of affection are frowned upon by Ugandan locals. 2. Proper greeting – When greeting a Ugandan, it is impolite to simply say ‘hi’. ‘How are you’ is a much more appropriate greeting. 3. Watch your hands – Pointing is considered an insult in Uganda (true of many African countries). When necessary to point, the whole arm should be used for the gesture. 4. Stay laid back – Punctuality is not an important trait to the Ugandans. it isn’t uncommon for them to be (very) late for a meeting. 5. Watch your step – Be sure to look both ways before crossing the road in Uganda, pedestrians do not have the right away on the streets. 6. Practice modesty – Women in Uganda are expected to wear dresses that cover their legs to maintain modesty. 7. Dress for the occasion – The men in Uganda always wear trousers, no matter the temperature. Young boys (& foreign men) may wear shorts without breaking local norms.

Learn More

To learn more about life here or plan a trip to this amazing country visit Ugandan Tourism Board.

Jambo! International Mother Language Day

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This week, on February 21, it is INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY. This day was approved by the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) General Conference and has been celebrated GLOBALLY since 2000, for twenty

“Understanding why and how languages differ tells about the range of what is human,” said Dan Jurafsky, the Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor in Humanities and chair of the Department of Linguistics in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford. “Discovering what’s universal about languages can help us understand the core of our humanity.”

What is the language of Uganda?

Luganda, a Bantu language, is the common national language of Uganda. Wikipedia tells us it is spoken by more than eight million Baganda and other people principally in central Uganda, including the capital Kampala.

From Volunteertherealuganda.com: “Luganda is one of the main languages spoken in Uganda. It is the language of the Baganda tribe. While there are over 50 languages in Uganda, Luganda is by far the most widely spoken in the south central region.  The Kingdom of Buganda stretches from Lyantonde in the west to the River Nile in the east.  Luganda is a musical language that is spoken rather slowly. It’s not at all like English.”

In the areas that ROWAN serves, Lusoga is the regional language.

From Wikipedai:
“Lusoga (Soga) is a tonal Bantu language.  It is the native language of people who are indigenous/originally from the Busoga region. In terms of the number of speakers, is one of the major languages spoken in Uganda, after English, Swahili, and Luganda. However, it is mainly spoken in the Busoga region of southern Uganda by + 3 million people (2007 census).  It is tonal in the sense that a given word can change its meaning depending on its tone, i.e. some words are differentiated by pitch. Words that are spelled the same may carry different meanings according to their pitch. Lusoga is rich in metaphors, proverbs and folktales.”

Language and communication are foundational and fascinating for understanding one another.  God chose to create a multitude of diverse people and languages. When entering another’s language, it helps us to slow down and listen to one another. We stumble along together, until we are hearing each other. Learning from each other brings us together. 

“He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Daniel 7:14

If you find yourself in Uganda visiting ROWAN, here are some of the common phrases you will definitely hear:

Jambo!                              Hello
Welaba!                            Goodbye 
Mukama Yebizibwe      Praise the Lord
Yesu                                  Jesus
Catonda                           God

Holiday Program Underway!

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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. 

International Day of the Girl

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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! 

Zulaika Babirye:

https://loverowan.reachapp.co/sponsorships/zulaika-babirye

Joan Naikazi:

https://loverowan.reachapp.co/sponsorships/joan-naikazi

Zaina Kagoya:

https://loverowan.reachapp.co/sponsorships/zaina-kagoya

Consider joining our sponsorship family today!

Many more orphans and widows are still hoping for a sponsor.

Click here to see who you can help!

ROWAN Programs – Education & Training

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Not only have we been sharing more about Uganda with you, lately we have been sharing more about what we do. ROWAN has a lot of amazing programs, allowing almost anyone to get involved to help those in need! We thought we share a little more about how those interested can get involved.

We helped educate all of them!

Why Education Matters

Simply put, education reduces poverty. Studies show that each year of schooling increases a person’s earnings by an average of about 10%. This is true worldwide. Illiteracy is Africa’s most virulent disease & because of that it’s the only region in the world where poverty has increased in the past 25 years. Even when children beat the odds & make it to school, there is an average of 40 students per teacher in rural communities.

Classroom learning

What Our Education Programs Provide

It’s a tall order to fight against the kind of odds above. Luckily we are up for the challenge. When you donate to our education & training programs you help us provide the following:

Orphans
1. Uniforms, books & exam fees for primary level (elementary age) children.
2. Scholarships for secondary students (high school age). This helps supplement the sponsorship funds for boarding school.
3. Special gifts for children as they graduate higher level education. Because they deserve it! 🙂

Widows & Widowers
Literacy training that empowers widows/widowers (who never had the chance to go to school) by teaching them to read, write & study the Bible independently. Edith learned math skills in literacy class, so she started selling gasoline. She is now the #1 stop for taxis & motorcycles in Mawanga!

Classroom learning

About School in Uganda

The education system in Uganda starts with primary education (7 years), followed by secondary education (4 years of lower & 2 of upper), then post-secondary education (3 to 5 years). In 1997 free primary education was made available for up to four children per family.

That is some classroom!

Quick Uganda Facts

– The incidence of AIDS decreases in villages that have primary schools.

-A child who quits attending school is 3x more likely to be HIV positive later in life than a child who completes basic education.

– The average ratio of students to teachers in Uganda is 50:1.

-Although 9,000 to 12,000 students a year are qualified for higher education, only 25% of them are able to find room in the limited number of institutions.

What a smile!

How You Can Help

Our Education & training programs are a constant. Educating people who need it will always be a challenge. Anything you can spare is beautiful to us, whether it’s a few dollars or a new school!

Why Build a Hall?

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This week the world watched as the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, caught fire. Part of her centuries-old structure was destroyed, and her grand spire burned away. 

Notre Dame Cathedral

Historian Yvonne Seale writes at vox.com:

Notre Dame de Paris was never the preferred cathedral of kings. Notre Dame was instead the cathedral of ordinary Parisians. Since the Middle Ages, it’s been the backdrop against which the city’s inhabitants have lived their lives. The building, which stands on a small island in the Seine River, was a constant amid the upheaval of the French Revolution and the terrors of the Nazi occupation. As one 14th century scholar wrote, the cathedral was “like the sun among stars.”

There’s been a church on the site now occupied by Notre Dame since at least the sixth century. In 1163, Bishop Maurice de Sully launched an ambitious project to build a new cathedral for the city’s growing population.  For centuries, the cathedral has been a tourist draw, a meeting spot, a place of refuge in times of crisis. It fostered both the beginnings of the University of Paris and, quite literally, the city’s abandoned children in the orphan home it ran.

“It’s just a building,” some say. “It can be rebuilt.” This is true. However, people bond with places. And the longer a building exists, the more memories are housed there and in the people who make it part of their lives.  The cathedral has stood for centuries as a symbol of beauty, help, and refuge.  Sometimes a building matters.

ROWAN is building a Hall of Hope.  Why build a hall?  Ten years ago ROWAN began under the Ugandan trees.  Most organizations start up and fairly quickly look for a building.  Widows and orphans began gathering with ROWAN staff under the trees, in harsh weather, rain or shine, with no thoughts of a building.  But God began to bring more women and children to ROWAN and ten years later the family is overflowing!  The Hall of Hope will have two large classrooms for tutoring, literacy, Bible studies, tailoring, jewelry-making, and much more. There will be additional office space; most of us know the value of a desk or table to work from.  What might be most exciting though is that the Hall holds 600 people and will be able to house the entire ROWAN family, at once. The ROWAN family has never had a place where they can all gather together.  In the past, it was difficult to even get people to come on the property, as the word AIDS is in our name. The shame and stigma are high.  But God lovingly brought dignity to those who came, and more came, and it became clear it was time to give them a place, a beautiful building, their “sun among stars”.  They can look at their Hall of Hope now and think, “WOW, that is for me.” People will pass by and see who this beauty is for.

We know that Notre Dame began as a place for ordinary Parisians to worship God.  “If anyone is worth a beautiful building, let it be the widows and orphans. ROWAN is their family and the Hall is our family room.”— Co-founder Kelsey Hargadine

The Hall of Hope will be dedicated on May 26, 2019.

Help Furnish the Hall