By Sarah Chase
PWRDF partner Josephine Kizza and Bart Dickinson, Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator at PWRDF, were welcomed to the Sunday Worship Service at St. Michael & All Angels, London on October 23, 2022 as they visited Canada to report on the work of St. Jude’s Family Projects at PWRDF National meetings and work with another partner, Western University.
It was inspiring to hear how one widow’s objective (begun with her late husband) was to provide nutritious food and a sustainable income for her family in an area where resources are scarce. With humble beginnings, her vision has grown into St. Jude Family Projects, a non-governmental organization in Uganda with partners, like PWRDF, who have supported the project for many years changing the lives and prospects for many families and especially those headed by women.
St. Jude’s Family Projects now trains and supports local farmers that want to become sustainable in farming practices. Josephine explained that they train farmers in agro-ecology and organic farming, using integrated systems to prevent waste and mitigate the effects of climate change. They work with women, men, youth, and schools in the local community.
Josephine has also initiated women’s cooperatives and dried fruit processing to add value to crops, provide better livelihoods for farmers, and secure food supply in dry seasons.
The COVID pandemic increased the importance of this educational facility as many young women were forced into marriage during the pandemic, when schools and agencies were closed. Now that public areas have opened up, these women, many with young children, have escaped their situations but must feed and support their family.
It was a privilege to hear directly from a PWRDF partner. Sometimes it can seem like the life-enhancing work of PWRDF partners can seem far away. Now we feel connected to Josephine and her faithful work through her stories and in our prayers and outreach.
Sarah Chase is a member of PWRDF Huron Committee.