tom and randy's garden

During CTT Team 6’s visit to St. Mary Kevin, everyone took a break from projects one pleasant afternoon to celebrate the dedication of ‘Tom and Randy’s Garden’, a 69’ x 144’ plot of land that is nearing its first harvest of maize and cabbage.

The launch of this new project (which was made possible by a generous anonymous donor)  has been highly anticipated and now a cause for grand celebration. Guests were escorted in a procession to the flourishing garden by the marching band, which belted out jubilant tunes.  Even some local villagers joined the group. Once assembled within the secured walls of the garden space, several orphans representing the various ages of post-Secondary, secondary and primary level (Nelson, Nicky, Tina, and Kaifa) eloquently conveyed their appreciation for the fine vegetables that will soon begin to enrich their daily diets.  In addition, the full-time gardener and Joan Faith shared their thanksgiving for this project. 

    

Food in Uganda is always a struggle.  Even though the country is blessed with a favorable climate and incredibly fertile soil, most people living in Uganda still go hungry.  They go hungry because of prices, which only continue to increase. When prices get too high, families must make the tough choice between eating lunch or supper, because they simply cannot afford both.  Also, people in Uganda go hungry due to poorly balanced diets. Often the cheapest foods here in Uganda, even if grown locally, are not necessarily those high in vitamins.  Eating the same low nutrition foods too much or too often can lead to certain health challenges.

St. Mary Kevin Orphanage is no stranger to these challenges.  SMK is committed to providing three meals a day to the children, but with a budget of $.75 per day per child, it is a struggle to serve balanced meals.  The staple food product at every school in Uganda is maize flour.  It is made into liquid porridge for breakfast and firm posho with a side of beans for lunch and supper.  While there may be a variation of a meal (or two) during the week, children eat that same menu daily.

 

With the introduction of ‘Tom and Randy’s Garden', more vegetable and fruits will be added to the children’s daily diet. With a crop of more than 100 ears of maize almost ready for harvest, orphans will enjoy ears of roasted corn with several evening meals.  With more than 60 heads of cabbage growing large and firm, their bean mixture will consistently contain bits of the vegetable for an additional boost of vitamins. 

The additional great news is that CTT Team 6 came bearing seeds from Sutherland (in Atlanta, GA) ready to be planted in the garden.  In the months to come, the children will enjoy carrots, watermelon, various types of greens, squash, cauliflower, green pepper, turnips, and much more. 

Great thanks to Change The Truth for establishing and funding ‘Tom and Randy’s Garden’.  And an even greater thanks to Randy and Tom, who began a small garden project at St. Mary Kevin during CTT Team 3’s visit in 2009. The two men had a strong desire to enhance the nutrition of the orphans.  This new garden will do just that – and will continue to benefit the children in a healthy way over and over again for many years to come."

Post written by Melissa

Photos courtesy of Suzanne

tom and randy's garden

Tom and Randy at the orphanage in 2008

During this next week, we Americans will gather with friends and family to give thanks for all the good things in our lives. Especially food. Which I, for one, always seem to take for granted.

In round numbers there are 7 billion people in the world. 925 million of us are "undernourished" - that's "hungry" to you and me. One in seven of us. Nearly all of this hunger occurs in developing nations.

Like Uganda.

Don't worry... this is not going to be a guilt ridden essay about how much food we'll likely consume on Thursday. It's actually a post with some very good news!!!

Let me begin by reminding you that the food situation in Uganda has done nothing but deteriorate since I first went to the orphanage in 2006. That's because the price of beans, rice, sugar, maize and other staples have continued to increase - and have even skyrocketed during the past couple years.

The scenario at the orphanage has gotten so bad that feeding children during the long school holiday breaks has become very difficult. For the past year or so, SMK administration has had to send all children "home" to their guardians because there simply haven't been enough funds to buy and prepare food during those long stretches of vacation. There are some children who have nowhere to go; they, of course, stay, and the necessary provisions are made.

CTT sends SMK a monthly stipend for food. We absolutely do what we can to help, but the need keeps getting greater and greater.

Now, the good news! Because of the generosity of an anonymous donor, a large plot of land at SMK is now being turned into a garden - chock full of heathy fruits and vegetables - that will become a sustainable and long lasting source of food.

We're hoping this will alleviate the problem somewhat. This, in tandem with accepting fewer new orphans into the program and finding more sponsors for those who are there, should make things better.

The garden, which will be dedicated when Team 6 arrives in December, will be called "Tom and Randy's Garden" in honor of two beloved CTT friends who were part of Team 2 in 2008.

The garden was actually born a couple months ago. First, a huge brick wall had to be built around the edge of the land. Seeds were then purchased, and the land was tilled. A part-time gardener was hired, and the planting has now begun! The east African sun and rain will do its thing. Weeding and harvesting will be done by the gardener, with the help of some of the older children.

Thanksgiving indeed!! CTT is grateful to the donor who made this endeavor possible and to Tom and Randy for all they mean to the children - who still think of them and miss them four years after having first met them.

[Thanks to Melissa for the pictures of the sweet new garden.]