Kamwenge!

We made it safely in the Western Region of Uganda called Kamwenge. It really is breathtaking here with the mountains and all the GREEN! I think anything can grow here! We have tried many new fruits like Jack fruit (which is really sweet) and we have been drinking passion fruit juice. The weather here is amazing! Most of the time I have a little sweater on, but it is mild and in the 70's I would guess. Everyone has bananas, pineapple, watermelon, jack fruit, and avocado which they try and give us when we visit. Ruco says the terrain/environment reminds him alot of Costa Rica.
The picture here is of some baboons we saw on our drive to Kamwenge (just for Christian and Eli.) We were really close, and got some great shots of the little baby here. Ruco got such a cute shot of him sucking his thumb. I loved it.
So this week, we had 3 days out on the field! For the next two weeks we are working with the fisheries/livestock dept. Basically SP does a similar program to Heiffer Intl's livestock program. They help families by supplying animals that the family can then breed and sell in the markets and also use to feed their own families. This week, we helped with the construction of a fish pond and visited many beneficiary families who own ponds! These ponds are HUGE. Ruco had the opportunity to jump in with the net and catch hundreds of fish. It was so wonderful to hear from the families who really take ownership of the ponds. One beneficiary named "By- Chance" was so proud and told us that because of his fish pond given by SP, he was able to provide enough income to repair his home and roof, and also take his children to the hospital this year. He said his families health has also significantly improved because of the nutrition his family is getting from the fish. Angela, the lady who is the fisheries agent with SP in Kamwenge is awesome. She is so motivated and has already helped 19 families build their own fish ponds. She also has plans to do 3-4 more this year. Each pond takes up to 90 days to complete and is hard work, but all the villagers come together for the projects. This was just such an awesome tangible way that Angela and her team-members are able to help people in the community. It was incredible to see the ways that God has gifted Angela and allowed her to be working on this project with SP!

Next week should be entertaining as we are helping with the livestock program!! I am sure we will certainly have crazy adventures with that! Miss you all!


Ruco with two others in a fish pond
A crested crane we saw at one of the ponds
Ruco and I on a late afternoon walk after work
All the kids who live near our hotel (where we stay in Kamwenge for a couple weeks.)