Donate on "Giving Tuesday!" $5000 needed now for demonstration dairy.

[EcoMercy International]

Dear friends,

Giving Tuesday is a day when a lot of people give money, but don’t give for that reason. Please give today for the sake of Christ and to help people in the Busoga region of Uganda through St. John Chrysostom School. May God bless you with a very merry Christmas season!



Donate through our Facebook fundraiser here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/406805801561790. Or you can always donate at EcoMercy.org. Monthly donations are very encouraging!

Here’s our project:

Since I've know the Lunagula family in Uganda I've noticed that milk is almost never a part of their diet. I've also observed that they and other Ugandans suffer from a high rate of stomach ulcers which can be caused or at least exacerbated by eating only one meal per day consisting of starch.

For a long time I've wanted to fund the purchase a small number of milk cows, but other needs including water and shelter have been more pressing. One concern is how the cows will be fed. We believe there is enough land for three to five cows. Dean of St. John Chrysostom School, Stephen Lunagula, would like to grow elephant grass for feed on a corner of the school property. And we would also like to experiment with rotational grazing by creating a series of paddocks, which will allow the grass to rest and flourish after intensive grazing. Cow urine will be captured on the concrete floors of the cow stalls and channeled to containers for use in controlling ticks and fertilizing plants without chemicals.

We are not certain how much milk the cows will produce and the Lunagula family will be the first to benefit since they will be responsible for the cows. But at the very least the methods and systems used to keep the cows will be taught to students.

At this time $2620 more is needed for building the cow stalls and shelter, which will also cover the cost of building a set up for goats.

The cows themselves will be a breed which is harder to find in Uganda, but which will provide more milk. We will update you when we know the exact breed. See the attached budget for them and some goats coming to $3230. This will equal about $600 per cow since two of the cows will be pregnant.

For a rural people mostly growing corn to eat and not having refrigeration, milk is hard to find and dearly needed. But with a little gumption and by your prayers and support, we hope to introduce a method of keeping cows that can be successful on relatively small plots of land.

Our mission: "To empower Nakyaka village children and youth with the mastery of regenerative agriculture concepts and solutions, while facilitating their academic schooling, for the strengthening of families and the glory of Jesus Christ.”

Thanks very, very much to all who have donated and will donate! May God bless you! You will make a huge difference in practical ways and give people hope, especially the Lunagula family as they dedicate their lives to service.

Here’s a recent Google Earth screen shot of the campus:



And here’s one from five years earlier:



In the recent image you can see the addition of three buildings in the lower half of the photo near the secondary school: the kitchen, teachers quarters, and “guest house,” which the Lunagula’s are staying in now. You can also see the addition of the primary kitchen and the gates to the property and a dividing fence between the schools. More land is in cultivation and there are some changes with the trees. Some new trees are visible!

I hope that EcoMercy International helps you to see what beautiful people Ugandans are and especially these folks at St. John Chrysostom School.

A blessed day to you,

Martin Becktell, director

EcoMercy International, Inc.
ecomercy.org