Bright Hope empowers families by supporting sustainable farming in Uganda.
As the morning sun rose, Michael and his brother picked one corn cob after another. They rejoice in another bountiful crop. Michael and his brother take care of harvesting. The rest of the family focuses on clearing ground for the next season. Michael’s family lives comfortably now, but they haven’t always had a profitable business or financial security.
Michael shared: “Together with my wife, we struggled with educating my eight children. Garden harvests alone were not enough to generate the required amount of money for their school fees. But when our pigs gave birth the first time, our hope was renewed! We sold some piglets and were able to pay all their school fees. We also kept some piglets, which grew and gave us more piglets.”
Michael is a member of a Fathers’ Club at a partner church in the Buikwe district in central Uganda. Michael received two pigs through the church in 2019 that have given his family hope through sustainable farming in Uganda.
Now, Michael feels confident as a father and testifies that his pig-breeding business has helped him end his financial woes. When his pigs increased in number, he sold some and bought a cow. The cow gives them milk which they sell to other people in the community, but they also keep some for consumption at home.
“I feel that we are very blessed because of the church and all these programs. They have given us hope that we never thought we could have. A cow was far beyond my dreams, but now we actually have two because she (the cow) just gave birth. We are growing as a family, and we bless God for that.”
Sustainable Hope Through Crisis
In the middle of skyrocketing, worldwide inflation, and on the heels of the pandemic, most extremely poor families have fallen deeper into desperation. When COVID-19 hit, Michael’s older son had just completed an advanced-level education and was ready to go to the university. But after the lockdown, Michael and his wife didn’t have enough money to pay for their kids to all continue with school.
“…Again, the church came to my rescue when they gave me seven kilograms of corn. I only topped up with three kilograms to make ten. I have harvested 1200 kilograms from it. I plan on selling 1000 kilograms and keeping the 200 for food at home. With the growing prices of everything, at least we will not be buying food. I have already secured a vacancy for my son in a technical school, so some of the money from the corn will pay his tuition and I will re-invest the rest of it in the garden. I want to plant a bigger garden of corn so that it can supplement the rest of our crops as a family.”
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At Bright Hope, our Hope for Tomorrow projects supply the extreme poor with the training, tools, business opportunities, and start-up cash needed for success. We’re helping farmers transform their families’ futures in developing nations like Uganda and Zambia. When you support our Hope for Tomorrow programs, you empower the poor to break free from the grips of poverty – permanently. Get involved today!
