News Highlights: Motorcycle, Solar Lighting, Cook Stove & More!
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Martin Becktell
Oct 4, 2021, 1:45:34 AM10/4/21
to ecomercy-p...@googlegroups.com
Dear Friends,
May God bless all those who have donated via our recent Facebook fundraisers or via our website, ecomercy.org. We could not carry on without you. Thank you for loving the Lunagula family and their mission as stewards of St. John Chrysostom School-Farm Co-op. Please enjoy the following photos showing news highlights of the past three months.
May God bless all those who have donated via our recent Facebook fundraisers or via our website, ecomercy.org. We could not carry on without you. Thank you for loving the Lunagula family and their mission as stewards of St. John Chrysostom School-Farm Co-op. Please enjoy the following photos showing news highlights of the past three months.
My last email on August 3rd showed our school gates purchased, but not yet installed. Here is one of the two of them being installed. This is the primary school entrance:
And this will be the secondary school entrance. Construction is ongoing:
We finished the built-in stove for the secondary kitchen. Here it is with the cement still wet:
Purchased 10 pairs of gum boots for EcoMercy staff and volunteers:
The father of one of our dedicated, young volunteers, Yasin, got sick and died. Yasin asked us for help with a coffin to give his father a more dignified burial.
Our dear Papadia Elizabeth, 'my' father Stephen’s wife, became ill with typhoid fever (according to the doctor’s tests), greatly distressing us, yet she managed to receive treatment through your donations. May God bless you. Typhoid fever if left untreated has a death rate of between 10 and 20 percent, much higher than COVID. Yet it doesn’t receive as much press because it mostly occurs in very poor regions of the world. One of the ways to avoid this illness is through biosand filtration. The Lunagula’s now have a biosand filter, but nevertheless the bacteria which cause Typhoid can be encountered through means other than drinking water. We thank God that Papadia is okay now!
We took broiler chickens to Jinja to sell (renting a van). Stelio and Joachim hoped to make a profit, which could be invested back into the farm, purchasing goats. However, all the business, including motels and roadside stands, which sell chicken meat were shut down due to COVID. So most of the chickens were consumed by the Lunagula family, St. John Chrysostom School Staff, EcoMercy volunteers, and parishioners. Although no profit was made, it was an educational experience. One of the goals of EcoMercy International is to create “sustainable livelihoods,” so that if our charity organization is closed or moves on to helping another community, we will leave a lasting legacy.
One of several farm projects undertaken was a large bean plantation. Oxen were rented. At least two ground nuts plantations and various vegetables were also planted to coincide with the second rainy season which runs September to November. Again the goal is food availability and security for St. John Chrysostom School through sustainable/regenerative, organic agriculture.
We rewed the school’s P.O. Box. and managed to send a package from Harbor, Oregon, to Kamuli town, Uganda. My kids made some cards for Father Stephen and Joachim:
A resident of Nakyaka village, Kisuule Benon, found Stelio & Joachim to ask them to purchased his motorcycle, which he offered to sell at a reduced cost in order to pay for a surgery for his son. We ended up paying him more than he asked, securing the motorcycle for just $612 and thus also help his son. You can see how happy Stelio and Joachim are in this photo. This would not have been possible if not for a donation that amazingly came in the day before, 17 July, for $333 with this note: "Repurposing my government's needless child grant for something more useful. May God continue to strengthen you in your resolve to help these people.”
And this will be the secondary school entrance. Construction is ongoing:
We finished the built-in stove for the secondary kitchen. Here it is with the cement still wet:
Purchased 10 pairs of gum boots for EcoMercy staff and volunteers:
The father of one of our dedicated, young volunteers, Yasin, got sick and died. Yasin asked us for help with a coffin to give his father a more dignified burial.
Our dear Papadia Elizabeth, 'my' father Stephen’s wife, became ill with typhoid fever (according to the doctor’s tests), greatly distressing us, yet she managed to receive treatment through your donations. May God bless you. Typhoid fever if left untreated has a death rate of between 10 and 20 percent, much higher than COVID. Yet it doesn’t receive as much press because it mostly occurs in very poor regions of the world. One of the ways to avoid this illness is through biosand filtration. The Lunagula’s now have a biosand filter, but nevertheless the bacteria which cause Typhoid can be encountered through means other than drinking water. We thank God that Papadia is okay now!
We took broiler chickens to Jinja to sell (renting a van). Stelio and Joachim hoped to make a profit, which could be invested back into the farm, purchasing goats. However, all the business, including motels and roadside stands, which sell chicken meat were shut down due to COVID. So most of the chickens were consumed by the Lunagula family, St. John Chrysostom School Staff, EcoMercy volunteers, and parishioners. Although no profit was made, it was an educational experience. One of the goals of EcoMercy International is to create “sustainable livelihoods,” so that if our charity organization is closed or moves on to helping another community, we will leave a lasting legacy.
One of several farm projects undertaken was a large bean plantation. Oxen were rented. At least two ground nuts plantations and various vegetables were also planted to coincide with the second rainy season which runs September to November. Again the goal is food availability and security for St. John Chrysostom School through sustainable/regenerative, organic agriculture.
We rewed the school’s P.O. Box. and managed to send a package from Harbor, Oregon, to Kamuli town, Uganda. My kids made some cards for Father Stephen and Joachim:
A resident of Nakyaka village, Kisuule Benon, found Stelio & Joachim to ask them to purchased his motorcycle, which he offered to sell at a reduced cost in order to pay for a surgery for his son. We ended up paying him more than he asked, securing the motorcycle for just $612 and thus also help his son. You can see how happy Stelio and Joachim are in this photo. This would not have been possible if not for a donation that amazingly came in the day before, 17 July, for $333 with this note: "Repurposing my government's needless child grant for something more useful. May God continue to strengthen you in your resolve to help these people.”
I’m also very happy about the purchase of the motorcycle because I experienced firsthand what a difficulty transportation can be in rural Uganda. Growing our farm can carry on much better now. Stelio can travel back and forth between the school in Nakyaka and his plots of land in Nawango. Yet please pray for everyone’s safety.
We ordered the steel gates to be made about 23 July. But you have already seen a photo of them above.
Payed for grinding corn harvested from the school property for our teachers and volunteers who are still living at the school:
Purchased a solar lighting and phone charging system for Stelio & Joachim to use. Here they are putting it on the roof:
Lights are going to make a big difference for Stelio and Katoko and their children:
The receipt showing the cost of 1,060,000, approximately $312.
May God bless all who have donated. We thank God for your continued support as we continue to grow the farm and prepare for students arriving in January. I am appalled at how long the Ugandan government has ordered the closure of schools—going on two years. This has occurred despite the fact that even the CDC itself has said that they no longer recommend lockdowns as a means of controlling viruses, because lockdowns themselves cause numerous social health problems. It would have been fine with us if parents continued to bring their children to school, but not enough of them would because they are afraid of the government. Please pray for our preparations for the 2022 school year:
We ordered the steel gates to be made about 23 July. But you have already seen a photo of them above.
Payed for grinding corn harvested from the school property for our teachers and volunteers who are still living at the school:
Purchased a solar lighting and phone charging system for Stelio & Joachim to use. Here they are putting it on the roof:
Lights are going to make a big difference for Stelio and Katoko and their children:
The receipt showing the cost of 1,060,000, approximately $312.
May God bless all who have donated. We thank God for your continued support as we continue to grow the farm and prepare for students arriving in January. I am appalled at how long the Ugandan government has ordered the closure of schools—going on two years. This has occurred despite the fact that even the CDC itself has said that they no longer recommend lockdowns as a means of controlling viruses, because lockdowns themselves cause numerous social health problems. It would have been fine with us if parents continued to bring their children to school, but not enough of them would because they are afraid of the government. Please pray for our preparations for the 2022 school year:
Our next major project will be a house for my father in Christ, Stephen, his wife and the grand children who live with him, which shall be located on the church/school property. What could be more important than to have our school dean, pastor and priest, comfortably settled on the parish land? This has been his long time dream and wish. Please set up a recurring donation today at EcoMercy.org. Recurring donors will be added to a separate email list and will receive detailed expense reports, showing each amount funded and the specific purpose of the funds.
A blessed day to you,
Martin Becktell,
Director, EcoMercy International
✝️💧🌱🌍
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