Tag: Farming

A Note From Our Founder, Kelsey

Written by rowan on November 3, 2022. Posted in All. No Comments on A Note From Our Founder, Kelsey

Hello family of ROWAN!

As you have stood by us during this unforeseen mining crisis in our region, I wanted to give you a real-time update on what ROWAN is doing to actively protect and fight for the rights of not only our own beneficiaries, but over 2 MILLION affected by this project.

For the past month, we as ROWAN, along with the support and guidance of the local lawyers out of Kampala have guided negotiations between the mining company and the people.

What are we negotiating?

As the mining company uses their exploratory license to find minerals in our region, their next goal would be to get a signed MOU from individual land owners to obtain a mining license. Initially this MOU was found to be extremely shallow, with zero interest in the peoples’ rights and need for compensation. The mining company had a plan to divide and conquer in order to obtain such signatures.

Thankfully, through the collaborative efforts of our ROWAN staff and lawyer team, we educated the community to stand together as one. The community is now working in unity across 3 Districts!

Our lawyers are actively visiting the affected communities and educating people on their rights. They are guiding our steps and standing in the gap between the government, mining company, and the PAPs (Project Affected Persons.)

It is a long road ahead, but we are hopeful in God’s protection and provision of His children.

When you stand with ROWAN, you are not only supporting the orphans and widows in our program, but you are supporting our advocacy efforts. It is no surprise to our God that we are located at the heart of this crisis, and we have unshakeable faith that God will show us the opportunity to impact millions for His Kingdom! What an honor.

The most important thing right now is to intercede for the ministry and those on the front lines of this effort.

Prayer prompts are here ♥

With Love from ROWAN,

Kelsey Hargadine

Planning for the Future

Written by rowan on June 9, 2021. Posted in All. No Comments on Planning for the Future

Board and staff learning together

While Uganda fights Covid-19 with a second lockdown, God’s people don’t stop caring for one another. Just two months ago in April, 2021, the ROWAN board and staff gathered for a two-day leadership workshop in Iganga Town. Pastor Paul and others led the team in activities based on the theme, “Fulfilling our Role and Calling”. Pastor encouraged the close-to-20 team members there to see their work as a divine calling which should be honored and observed.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10

The board and staff created and took ownership of the following FIVE goals:

To work in love harmony and unity with colleagues.
To ensure ethical conduct while at place of work
To ensure workplan development and integrity while at work
To ensure timely report development and submission
To ensure team work and time management in work processes

Pastor Paul welcomed four new board members and four new staff members. Their names and roles are as follows:

New Board Members:

Malinga Isaac…Board Chair & in charge of Health Affairs

Sam Davis Kuloba…Organizing Secretary & in charge of Sponsor Affairs

Tom Musira…..Secretary &in charge of Human Resource Affairs Edith Edith Nyende…………Board member & in charge of Entrepreneurship & Farm Management

New Staff Members:

Onyango Valiriano…..Farm Manager

Nkonoka Scovia………Sponsor relation staff-1

Rachael Babirye………Sponsor Relation staff-2)

Joy Namuganza………Project Officer

Pastor Paul with three new board members who will use their experiences, talents, and skills for transforming the ROWAN organization in even better ways.

New ROWAN staff: From left, Onyango Valiriano (Farm Manager), Nkonoka Scovia (Sponsor relation staff-1), Rachael Babirye (Sponsor Relation staff-2), and Joy Namuganza (Project Officer)

All those who participate in ROWAN programs appreciate and are blessed by the hard working board and staff. May God give strength to each of the 20 team members who follow HIM and work together as a team to care for so many widows and orphans.

Moms to Mamas

Written by rowan on May 8, 2021. Posted in All. No Comments on Moms to Mamas

There’s no better way to honor the moms in your life than to bless a mom in need.

This Mother’s Day, we want to bridge the gap between the moms in your life and the mothers (who are widows) in ROWAN who are in real need of a sponsor more than ever before.

This year ROWAN has launched our Legacy Program: A four year comprehensive plan for our widows to learn business practices, grow in their faith, practice life skills, increase their passion for their families, all while meeting their physical needs each week.

So what is Mothers to Mother’s Campaign?

We have 18 mamas who need a sponsor to help them through this 4 year program. That could look like:
$38 a month, $228 every 6 months, or $456 a year. They will graduate at the end of 2025!
What will your mother receive?

Your mother will receive a sponsorship card with their photo and details
Access to write her letters online *Anytime! She will respond within three weeks of your message!
Updates on her progress in Legacy Program through ROWAN quarterly.
An opportunity to visit her mama at her graduation party in Uganda!

Will you consider sponsoring one of these mamas? For your mom, your mother-in-law, your sister, your aunt, your grandmother, your friend, or any special woman in your life who has loved and taught you. Visit the 18 mamas here and consider giving your mom or mentor the gift of loving one of these precious women who are in need of love from someone who has loved you. If you can’t sponsor a mama monthly, a one-time gift goes a long way to sponsor our 18 mamas! Thank you for reading about our mamas and considering changing their lives through the Legacy program. mother’s

We understand if you can’t give right now. This virus affects us all differently, and we sympathize with those of you who wish you could give but aren’t able to. If you are looking for other ways to help, please share about ROWAN with your family and close friends. Our hearts are with each of you this holiday weekend.

ROMANS 5:5

Locusts Invade Uganda

Written by rowan on March 11, 2020. Posted in All. No Comments on Locusts Invade Uganda

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

Exciting Agriculture Update!

Written by rowan on February 26, 2020. Posted in All. No Comments on Exciting Agriculture Update!

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.”

Jackfruit – The Fruit That Brings People Together

Written by rowan on April 2, 2019. Posted in All. No Comments on Jackfruit – The Fruit That Brings People Together

You can’t really visit Mawanga and Pastor Paul’s home without experiencing the fruit that the village produces. Whether it is mangos, passionfruit, pineapple or watermelon, you will experience the best tasting fruit you’ve ever had. But no other fruit takes the time and energy than that of a jackfruit or known as ffene in Uganda. A jackfruit is a social affair that isn’t as simple as just cutting it up and eating it.

My husband looking for the perfect jackfruit

First you have to climb to the top of the tree to get to the big ones to see if they sound hallow. I was once told that a good jackfruit makes the same sound as your hand hitting your stomach. Once you have chosen the perfect jackfruit, you will need a good sharp panga (knife) to cut it down.

All prepped and ready to enjoy

Make sure you don’t forget the vaseline or cooking oil on your hands before breaking into a jackfruit to keep the stickiness off your hands. Forget about the interesting smell it gives off and just enjoy the massive amount of fruit it produces.

Wiping away the sticky from inside with a banana leaf

Now jackfruit can range in size and weight. They can be anywhere from 10-30kgs and quite large. Which is why they are commonly shared among many people sitting in the shade under a tree.

Sharing stories and jackfruit

The people of Uganda love jackfruit. My husband misses it so much he almost spent a hefty amount on one that we found in a store here in Canada. Thankfully he decided that $120+ is too much for a fruit that costs so much less in Uganda, and free in the villages if you have jackfruit trees around.

If you have never tried jackfruit, you owe it to yourself to volunteer and visit Mawanga to really experience this fruit that brings people together.

We’ve GOAT Great News!

Written by rowan on March 11, 2019. Posted in All. No Comments on We’ve GOAT Great News!

Have you heard about our local goat business?! All profits will go directly to sustaining local incomes for ROWAN staff members.

(In case you missed it, catch up on the business details!)

Remember Christmas 2017? Many of you donated goats so that orphans and widows could benefit from goat byproducts on a subsistence level. Soon after, many families wanted to gift the firstborn of their goats BACK to ROWAN!

Then, in 2018, a good friend of ROWAN made a generous donation to kickstart it and cover initial expenses. From building a fence, veterinarian expenses, and hiring a Manager to building a home for him on the property, we are almost ready!

We’re ecstatic about this project as animal husbandry is a very resilient industry in this region. Stay tuned for pictures of newborn goats – also known as kids! Until those cute photos come in, keep scrolling for some visual aid 🙂