Can you imagine what life would be like if you had 16 children? How would you feed them all or afford to send each of them to school? While this may be difficult to fathom in places like the U.S., families of this size are still common in rural and impoverished areas in Uganda. This is the reality for fathers like Peter.
Then he learned about Bright Hope’s agricultural programs offered through his local church. These initiatives help families learn new and relevant agricultural practices and provide them with the seeds and tools they need to get started. By partnering with the local church, there is also an emphasis on incorporating family values, where participants are not only unearthing long-term solutions to hunger and poverty, but addressing family challenges as well.
Peter and his family endured many bad seasons prior to attending the agricultural program. Despite working day in and day out in the fields, they lacked the resources to stop their crops from washing away or being eaten by pesticides.
“We could no longer prepare for the season. When we expected rain, none fell, and when we expected the sun to dry the land, the rain came and washed away our crops,” Peter shared.
But the struggles with his crops weren’t the only challenges for Peter. As his family grew, his home began to feel smaller and smaller. With little space, Peter’s children were sleeping on the floor, often hungry, and unable to get a full night’s rest. Peter did all he could to provide for his family, but he knew that it wasn’t enough.
Through the agricultural program, Peter received a small bag of seeds and began implementing the techniques he was learning. Three seasons have passed since then, and his family has begun to reap the benefits. Peter is now harvesting prosperous crops which provide enough food to feed his children and send them all to school. He is also selling his produce in the local market and investing the profits into building a larger house for his family.
“My house is not finished yet, but we hope to continue building the walls and adding a roof. We hope that this season will bless us with enough to finish building our home,” Peter said.
