Farm

Girls On the Farm

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Monica helping break up the Ugandan clay soil

Last week was a big one! The team was at the farm Monday afternoon til Sunday without much internet, so I got a LOT of video today (check out Instagram over this week for those!). Monica and Fauza, who head our media team, went with Ronald and some of the lads. Everyone had to work hard to earn their keep. (It must have been fun, though, because they’re going back on Wednesday!)

Now we’re in the final stages. I have the irrigation budget in hand, which will be a big help during the Ugandan dry seasons. The gate and sign will be ordered and installed. And we’re discussing the addition of livestock.

There’s a lot of differences in livestock raising methods between the West and Africa, so we’re working out how to do it that (hopefully!) brings in the best of both worlds. We’ll start with a few dozen hens, using the garage as a coop. It will take a few months until they lay, but that will give us time to make sure we have a healthy setup and happy chickens.

We’ll follow later this year with goats, which we will use mostly for milk for the girls at the compound.

I’ve always wanted a farm — I would like one a little closer to home one day! — and am so excited to get out there NEXT MONTH and dig in the dirt. My gardening gloves are already on my “to pack” pile.

Thank you all for your donations for the farm over the last 7 months! As I mentioned last time, this project will be retired on the 15th, whether or not we reach our full funding goal. If you haven’t shared it, we’d so appreciate your word-of-mouth introduction to friends and family who may want to help as we establish Mikisa Farm for Touch the Slum.

Webele nyo!

Jennings

PS I became a Jaja for the second time on Friday, which is wonderful! Congrats to my daughter and Board member Ryan and her husband Eric on their beautiful new boy!

FINAL FARM FUNDING!

PSS As always, 100% of your donations go to the project!

Girls On the Farm Read More »

Let There Be Light!

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I’ve lived in hurricane country all of my life, first in Florida and now in North Carolina, so I’m very familiar with the “WOW, is it dark when the power goes out!” feeling. We also lived in Nicaragua which has… let’s generously say an “unreliable” power grid.

Ronald and three friends are at the farm all week, so Tuesday morning my first question to him was, “It was pretty dark out there, wasn’t it?”

His reply was, “My signal is so poor out here and it’s so dark!”

But Tuesday night… voila! There was light!

Thanks to you and our generous supporters on DonorSee, we’ve now got the solar system installed. This gives us some light at the house as well as power to run the well pump. (There is a hand-pump for rainy days that don’t see a lot of power generated.) We’re also going to put a light at the entrance gate for safety.

I can’t tell you how good it feels to be getting the farm project completed. It’s been about 6 1/2 months since we posted it on DonorSee and we’ve raised 88% of the funds. In just a week, we’ll be a fully functioning little farm… That’s just amazing!

We will be taking down this project on the 15th, whether or not we’re 100% funded.

We’ve got some urgent large projects that need to go up on DonorSee — an ecobrick water tank for Hopeland Primary, a well at Wells of Hope, and a culvert enlargement project at Hopeland to mitigate their flooding problems — and we can only have one large project up at a time.

If you want to contribute to this last work at the farm over the next two weeks, we’d really appreciate your support – just click the button below. Either way, we’ll keep you updated on life at Mikisa Farm, including my visit out there in March. (I can’t wait!)

Blessings,

Jennings

PS Gideon just sent me the results of the result for Hopeland’s P7 class national exams, which are a REALLY big deal. If you don’t pass those, you can’t go on to secondary school even if you have the funding. (Yeah, crazy…) THEY ALL PASSED! This is SUCH amazing news. Thank you for your support of Hopeland and Wells of Hope. You’re making a difference every day!

FINAL FARM FUNDING!

Let There Be Light! Read More »

Fun at Mikisa Farm!

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While holes in the ground usually aren’t too exciting, this one really is! (No, really!)

Ronald is standing at our HAND DUG — yes, someone goes down in that hole and physically digs — well. They hit a rock layer which delayed them somewhat, but we are just about finished with the digging. It looks like we will soon have access to abundant, clear water year round!

Check out the banana trees behind Ronald, too. Those were just planted as 2′ high starts back in the fall! I’m telling you, you can literally throw a stick in the dirt and grow stuff in Uganda.

There’s a LOT going on right now, and Ronald will be spending all next week living in the farmhouse with Derrick, getting it coordinated. (God bless his gift of administration!) Here’s where we are:

  • Now that Derrick is moving in, we’ll get the glass in the windows and the water tank installed. Those are things easily stolen if no one is on the property.
  • The house and yard will be cleared and cleaned of construction debris.
  • Household furniture and goods are being purchased this week so the house will be set up for full time living.
  • The goat pen and chicken coop will be started and we’ll be sourcing the animals.
  • The gate and “Mikisa Farm” sign will be ordered and installed.
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  • We’ll make sure that Derrick has all the tools and supplies he needs.
  • The solar system, well pump, and irrigation system will go in.

Then we grow! (More…)

It’s thanks to you and your generous giving that has allowed us to get this far on the farm. We made the decision to go ahead and finish all our projects using money from Year End giving even though the project on DonorSee is at 85%.

We believe we will get the rest of the funding to backfill the budget, but we KNOW that we need that farm to be producing at capacity for our girls and their food as soon as possible. If you can make a donation today to help, that would be amazing — but if not, we are so grateful for all your support since 2009!

Mwebele nnyo!

Jennings

PS Our Board Member (and my daughter) Ryan is expecting baby #2 soon! We’d appreciate your thoughts and prayers. This Jaja can’t wait!

FOR THE FARM!

Fun at Mikisa Farm! Read More »

Looking Ahead in 2023

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Over Christmas, we lost two young students at Wells of Hope School to malarial fever. Gideon and Celebration Tabernacle Church, which oversees the school, have launched a campaign to put 400 mosquito nets into the hands of the students this month. We have the first of 4 projects up on DonorSee to help! Since there is no clinic in Rwakobo village – the nearest is 10+ miles away – and since the villagers are shockingly poor, malaria is rarely treated. Nets cost about $4 each, which is more than most villagers make in a week.

We will be expanding our Literacy Program starting with the next term to at least double the number of students in the program. (Thanks Expat Money Community!) We will be hiring a teacher this month who will help our current teacher, Fortunate, as we have more students than usual this term who are struggling.

Thanks to your generosity over the Giving Season, we are bringing our five our full time volunteers on board as paid staff. These great people (one social worker, our finance/accounting guy, our daycare manager, and two teachers) worked all of 2022 free because they believe in our program. We are very excited to be able to pay them what they’re worth in 2023!

My mom is joining me on my next trip to Uganda, March 19 through April 10. She’s a retired hospice social worker and mental health professional plus a great artist and teacher, so we’ll be using all her talents to bring new knowledge to our staff and students. She’s never been to Africa, so we’ll be going on safari at Lake Mburo so she can see all the beautiful native wildlife there.

The farm is 85% funded, and Farmer Derrick has moved into the farmhouse. The water project is underway, and we bought a slightly used boda (motorbike) for deliveries and errands. Next up will be chickens and new planting, plus continuing to harvest our current crops of fruit and veg. This year we’ll get the greenhouse up, a (sturdy!) goat pen built, and increase the volume of what we’re growing. I can’t wait to visit!

And, of course, every day we’ll have classes filled with enthusiastic teen girls learning new skills, our free clinic and daycare running, and Mama Santa’s delicious meals.

We’re so excited – and so grateful that you’ve make this possible. Thank you so much!

Blessings,

Jennings

PS Don’t forget to check out our social media – I post a lot of things there every day that you won’t see anywhere else. Links at the bottom!

Looking Ahead in 2023 Read More »

Quick Update at Year End

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First, we JUST crossed $75,000 in total donations raised on DonorSee – in just 16 months! As a small nonprofit, that’s HUGE!!! (And that’s all YOU!)

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Second, we’re really close to fully funding the farm! And so much is going on out there right now – check out our Instagram page for more.

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And finally, we’re pretty close to our goal for year end fundraising at DonorSee – which was a stretch goal to begin with. We’ve had 6 projects funded in the last 24 hours! If you want to help today or tomorrow, you can go to this page and either make an unspecified donation or see all our project.

We SO appreciate all your support, encouragement, emails, and (of course) donations over this last year — you’re the best!

Webele nyo!

Jennings

PS What are you doing to celebrate the new year?

Quick Update at Year End Read More »

Brenda Needs Your Help

When 15-year-old Brenda’s baby was just one week old, her mother beat her severely and threw them both out into the street in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

Fortunately, the local LC lady knew about our program and brought her to us in the early morning hours. Brenda got shelter, clothing, food, and, in the morning, medical treatment from Nurse Sherry at our clinic.

Next term, Brenda will start in Skills for Life, and she’s taking part in the Literacy program, too. All at no cost to her!

We have had several dozen teen moms in our residential and vocational programs. Some come to us homeless, desperate, and ill, like Brenda. Some live with a parent, an auntie, or a friend and have a somewhat stable (if challenging) home life.

All have little hope of a future outside of a cycle of sex work and unplanned babies, probably with HIV/AIDS thrown in at some point.

Until Touch the Slum!

We are the only organization in Namuwongo — home to over 30,000 people — working with teen moms. We are the only organization in the slum that offers free vocational and literacy training. And we are the only organization that has a free residential program for both teen moms and for Skills for Life students who become homeless while enrolled.

How do we do it? YOU!

Your generosity impacts the lives of these destitute teen moms every single day. It creates a safe harbor, opportunity, stability, education, medical care, food, and hope.

Every dollar you give to Ten Eighteen — 100% — goes to teen moms like Brenda who just need a hand up so they can create a sustainable life for themselves.

Your year end donation will enable us to keep saving lives and offering opportunity — not with handouts, but with hand-ups.

Will you give today?

YES! I’LL GIVE TODAY!

Thank you so much!

Webele nyo,

Jennings

PS Please share this email with your family and friends and let them know why you support Ten Eighteen. Word of mouth is a precious gift that keeps on giving!

PSS As I wrote in the Subject line, last night we had our 200th project on DonorSee funded! The farm project is 85% funded and we have a donor who has said if we can “get closer” he’ll close it out by year end. Can you give a little extra to help us have a fully funded farm going into 2023?

FUND THE FARM!

Brenda Needs Your Help Read More »

And I’m off to Panama!

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I love to travel. I’ve been to over 60 countries and lived in several. Pre-pandemic days, I was averaging 4-5 international trips a year. (And I miss it!) While all the fun has been sucked out of air travel over the last decade, traveling itself never gets old.

Tomorrow morning, I head back to Panama!

Some of you know that our Board member, Mikkel Thorup, lives in Panama City where he runs his businesses for the worldwide expat community. My husband and I were down there in March for Mikkel’s birthday party and really had a good time. (We like the country and beach more than the city – and Panama City has a whole lot of very tall, very skinny buildings that make me nervous!)

For the Expat Money Christmas party, Mikkel is hosting a silent auction to fundraise for Ten Eighteen. I’ll say a few words and answer questions. Last year, the Expat Money community raised over $8000 to launch our Literacy program!

This year, our goal is $16,000 to launch Literacy 2.0 to triple our reach.

Expanding Literacy to more girls will help them throughout their lives, and more immediately in Skills for Life. Reading, writing, and speaking English will allow them to get jobs or have small businesses that cater to people from other tribes who live in Namuwongo – there are 60 tribes in Uganda and all have representatives living in the slum. English is the common tongue. It will also give them knowledge and skills they can pass on to their own children, giving those kids a head start.

I’ll be gone from tomorrow until the 14th – you can find daily updates on social media (links below) to see who I meet and what I’m doing.

I’m really grateful to Mikkel and the Expat Money community for their ongoing commitment to Literacy for girls who’ve never had the chance to go to school!

More soon!

Jennings

PS Our farm project is now 83% funded! We’ve raised $21,540, with just $4,360 to go. Starting the 15th, we’ll be getting the compound ready for a full-time farmer by installing a small solar system for lights, digging a borehole for water, and getting basic furnishings. You can help us get the farm funded THIS YEAR by donating now! Click the button – every dollar counts!

FUND THE FARM!

And I’m off to Panama! Read More »

Update on the Farm – We Have Beans (and more!)

Rainy season is over, for which everyone is (temporarily!) thankful. Of course, now it’s hot… TIA! (“This is Africa!” which explains pretty much everything!)

This fall has been exceptionally wet and cold, so Ronald and Fauza weren’t really sure what they’d find at the farm when they got out for a visit.

They were wowed!

Apparently, it wasn’t too cold, because the plants have done amazingly well. What all’s happening?

Beans are ready to harvest – look how beautiful they are!

The matoke (top photo) is coming along great.

The maize is starting to put on cobs.

The new banana saplings have all rooted firmly in the earth.

The cassava is lush and we can get a second harvest from them soon.

With the latrine done, the house finished, and the perimeter fence up, we’ve accomplished SO much in just 3 1/2 short months!

The project is 64% funded, so we’re at a pause except for planting some moringa, tomatoes, onions, eggplant, and other crops. But once we’re at 100% (well, really, as the funding comes in) we’ll be able to take the project to the next level.

What’s still to do?

  • Build the greenhouse
  • Dig the well
  • Buy the grain mill for the maize
  • Construct the coop for chickens and pen for goats
  • Hire a full-time farmer/caretaker

We are so thankful for our volunteer farmer, Pastor Moses, who has overseen everything so far, cleared the land, planted, and tended the crops. He’s also the one who told Ronald about the land, so we are very indebted to him!

With Giving Tuesday and year-end giving coming up, we’d be honored if you’d consider giving to the farm project as part of your end-of-year giving plan. 100% goes to the project, and you’ll have the benefit of seeing the whole thing unfold here and on social media.

We so appreciate your support!

Webele nyo,

Jennings

PS If you want to give now – $25 can help us buy seeds for the next crops! – just click the button!

FABULOUS FARM FUNDS!

PSS DON’T FORGET to get your free ticket to hear my talk on the 11th at the Expat Money Summit, which started on Monday. The Summit started yesterday and there are loads of other great speakers talking about really interesting topics like investing.

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Update on the Farm – We Have Beans (and more!) Read More »

October Has Already Been Exciting!

WOW!

October has been amazing!

Here’s what going on at Touch the Slum (and Wells of Hope Primary School) already this month:

GRADUATION

Our biggest-ever graduation happened on Saturday and it was amazing! I’ll be making a video to put on our YouTube channel this week, but for now, you can see the joy in the girls’ faces above as 35 graduated in Literacy, Tailoring, Advanced Tailoring, and Hairdressing. We had quite the fashion show thanks to the Advanced Tailoring girls — you’ll have to wait for the video or check out the Reel I posted on Sunday on Instagram.

The project for graduation funded 100% on Sunday, which was wonderful! We ended up having to rent a tent because of the weather, and the regular costs add up, too. So we’re really grateful for the support!

WEBSITE

HUGE thanks go out to Board member Mikkel Thorup and his Project Manager Dom Alves (who lives in Brazil!) for a complete re-do of our website. We’d been on SquareSpace for a long time because, well, it’s easy! But it lacked functionality, and we were ready to be able to do some new things with it. It launched this past weekend, and we’re SUPER happy and grateful — check it out and let us know what you think!

SHOW ME THE WEBSITE!

WELLS OF HOPE PRIMARY

Some of you will remember from my last visit that Wells of Hope had gotten a loan to build a second brick building, but didn’t have the money for the concrete floors, blackboards, windows or desks. We’ve been chipping away at that on DonorSee, funding the blackboards, and going one class at a time for desks and windows.

A local donor funded the cement floors, which was amazing. Then last week, we got the first 5 windows put in. That so inspired someone that Gideon knew that they donated the remaining 19 windows! Now all we need is 12 sets of the glass inserts, and we’re rain-proof.

We also funded the 3rd classroom’s desks! The order went in for those yesterday, so we’ll be installing them in a week or so. Then on to classroom #4.

This is HUGE for the incredibly poor village of Rwakobo – who didn’t have a school EVER until Wells of Hope opened in 2019. (And then closed for 2 years thanks to government pandemic policies.) Gideon and everyone out there is amazed by the generosity shown to their little school, and we really are so grateful.

And y’all – it’s only October 4th!

Thank you so much for following along with us on this great journey.

Webele nyo!

Jennings

PS We are planning our holiday cards EARLY this year! (I know, it’s a shock!) If we don’t have your physical address, we’d love to add you to our mailing list so you can get the occasional greeting from Ten Eighteen. Just hit Reply – we won’t share, spam, or visit, we promise!

October Has Already Been Exciting! Read More »

Update on the Farm – Put a Roof On It!

Ronald picked a great day to go out to the farm yesterday – look at the blue sky! It’s been SO wet this rainy season in the Kampala area, and even worse in the west.

This is Hopeland School on Sunday! Not good…

Anyway, back to the FARM.

As you can see, the roof work is underway and nearing completion. The doors and windows have been ordered and are being made. The cement was poured for the floors on a dry day – which was followed by NOT dry days, but it’s finally hardened. And look at the beans growing out front!

The rains will last a few more weeks. (Then we’ll be complaining about it being dry, I’m sure!) Meanwhile, they’re pressing on with the construction as the weather allows, and it’s looking so good!

The farm project is 63% funded, which is amazing. We do need the other 37% to come in in order to be able to get everything done that we have planned, like the greenhouse, the grain mill, and the bore hole. But we’ve made HUGE progress since July 11 when we launched (only 2 1/2 months!!), and we’re so grateful to you for your support.

If you know anyone who might be interested in donating to this sustainable farm project, please pass the email along. 100% goes to the project, so even a small donation really goes a long way. We’d love for you to also consider it for some of your year end giving budget (because holy cow it’s almost October!).

Thanks for believing in us and for helping us create lasting and sustainable lives for teen moms and teen girls in the slum. We never, ever take that for granted and are so amazed at your continuing support. Webele nyo!

Blessings,

Jennings

PS Here’s the link for the farm. When you go to DonorSee, make sure to Follow us, too, so you can keep up with all we’re doing there. We always have 12-15 projects up at a time — many more than I can update you on in a short newsletter!

TAKE ME TO THE FARM!

Update on the Farm – Put a Roof On It! Read More »

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