On the Ground Update #1: The Construction of the Food Storage Unit

Greetings from Gulu!

This will be the first of many updates during my time here in Gulu and I’m excited to be able to share my experiences here on the ground with you all in the States (and elsewhere)!

First, a bit of reflection. The last few weeks have been busy visiting all of St. Jude’s programs, getting updated on the past six months of activity, and sharing the launch of Rationale with everyone at the Home. It has been an extraordinary experience to be able to reflect on the launch of this project alongside all of those that have made it possible in Uganda, as well as those students already benefiting from our programs. The response has been incredibly encouraging and I’m extremely grateful for having the opportunity to launch the project while I am here in Gulu. The relationship we are building is one that transcends the work of any one individual, the net of support of a well-meaning group, or the scope of impact possible by a near limitless pool of funds. We are building a community of individuals committed to the vision of having all secondary and university students affiliated with St. Jude Children’s Home unencumbered by school fees, of developing a space where one day these scholarships are available to each student through funds internal to St. Jude. This is why we invest in the farm and things are progressing quickly as usual!

St. Jude was eagerly anticipating the construction of a food storage unit during our last visit in November/December 2011, and sure enough I arrived to a near complete project last Friday when we traveled to the food security farm in Nwoya district to evaluate its progress.

The farm is currently 243 acres and is home to a near endless number of crops (groundnuts, rice, two varieties of maize [corn], cassava, beans, peas, simsim [sesame], boo [greens], millet, sunflowers for cooking oil, and more!). Given the expanse of the farm and relatively limited amount of labor to cultivate and transport the crops at the end of each harvest, it became clear that a large storage facility needed to be built to shelter the crops between transport periods. In less than six months that facility is now almost complete. After the installation of the roof and possible partitions inside it will be ready to store the yield of each harvest, saving time and resources by facilitating dedicated transport trips and maximizing the amount of produce that can be utilized by St. Jude back in Gulu. It is a massive structure that will be an asset to the future of the farm. We couldn’t be happier to see its quick success and the residual support it will provide to our programs on the farm.

-Matthew