August 2006
Masindi, Uganda Aug. 2006
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Philista and I send you greetings from Masindi, where we have just returned after fetching
the children from their boarding schools in Kampala. Before that, we spent a few weeks in
the U.S. visiting churches and preparing for several new projects in Masindi-Kitara
diocese. Here is an update.
MASINDI HOUSE. We were given an old house built by the British before independence in
1962, and told that this was to be our home after we corrected a few “slight problems”.
Work on this “project” began last September, and I am still wrestling with finishing touches.
It was, to put it mildly, a disaster (see the before and after pictures of the ‘boys quarters’).
The walls were sound, and you could see that the house had been very nice at one time.
But what a mess! Smoke from charcoal fires had covered the walls and ceilings. Most of
the glass was broken, the ceiling was falling down, the roof leaking, the locks broken, the
bathroom worse than filthy, and the kitchen overrun with cockroaches. Everything in the
kitchen had to be removed, including a large pantry, and then replaced.
In poor countries such as Uganda, there is frequently a real sense of defeatism among the
people, and the church is not immune to the disease. Houses fall apart, roofs leak, trash is
piled everywhere, city streets aren’t cleaned, cars and trucks break down constantly and
are parked right in the middle of the road, and fundis (“engineers” in Swahili, if you can call
them that!) put out shoddy, third rate work using old, worn out parts that may well be stolen.
The Masindi house (and 3 acre compound) was no exception, and has taken an enormous
amount of work (and repeat work) to get it back to habitable condition. I have done a lot of
teaching along the way, and it has been a real eye opener. It’s not that people here can’t
do good work: they certainly can, witness the crafts, batiks, clothing and musical
instruments. But they are hampered by a lack of good tools and equipment, and then by
their own thought processes, which tell them not to invest any more than the bare minimum.
Survival comes first, not quality.
One thing we missionaries can do is to raise the standards by showing the way, and by
providing the tools. I have routinely had workers come back and redo some poor plumbing
connections, or poor painting, or faulty electrical wiring. But they have been grateful in the
end, because they discovered that it is possible to have pride in one’s work and to
improve. From time to time, I have also donated tools and supplies to various tradesmen,
so that they could do better work, for which they are always very grateful. This project will
soon be completed, and “you are most welcome” to come visit us, and will be able to stay
comfortably. We have an extra room for visitors, and the new shower has warm water when
there is electricity.
TAILORING SCHOOL. Preparations for Philista’s new tailoring school are moving along
well. The first class will have 20 students. We have located a good building for the school,
close to our home and the diocesan offices. A good teacher has been located (a young
Moslem girl), and we are getting the sewing machines and equipment needed from
Kampala (Singer treadle machines, since electricity is so erratic.) The carpentry shop at
the local prison is making furniture for the school, and Philista is writing the curriculum in
between sewing sessions in our home ‘studio’. We hope to start instruction by the end of
September. This project is in conjunction with the Mothers Union of the diocese.
AGRICULTURE Every church in this diocese is blessed with land holdings, and in some
cases, substantial holdings! The cathedral has 150 acres, Kiryandongo has 250 acres,
and another parish has over 500 acres. And this is freehold, which means that it belongs to
the church in perpetuity. Of course, there are problems with it. None of it has been
surveyed, and there are many squatters. But the land is fertile, and much of it is still virgin.
85% of the people in Uganda are “farmers”, and in the North, which includes Masindi,
poverty levels are estimated at around 63% or higher. The best way to help the most
people for the least cost is to improve their incomes and diets from agriculture.
Our first attempts to help the churches have been quite successful. One new parish
(Ntooma) and one archdeaconry/old parish (Kiryandongo) are the test cases. I am
providing the funds to clear some land, plow the land with a tractor, and buy the seed, and if
necessary, the fertilizer. The Christians must do the ground prep, weeding, harvesting and
storing, and marketing. But the potential here is great, and I believe the good Lord when
He says the fields are ripe for harvest. Here is an example:
Kiryandongo Parish
+clearing five acres of land $50
+hiring a tractor to plow once $125
+second plowing $125
+seeds $40
Total $340
Harvest in Dec. /Jan 07
600,000 Ugs. per acre x 5 $1630
500,000 Ugs. holdback for second season -270
Total $1360 profit
So the profit should be over 2,000,000 Uganda shillings, which is a great amount for a
parish which is used to collecting around 10-20,000 shillings on the typical Sunday. And in
the small local churches, the offerings are usually around 3000 shillings a Sunday! We are
hopeful for great things from this little project – that it will be successful, and that the word
will spread quickly to other churches, who will want to adopt a similar program for
themselves.
You notice that the inputs are low, and that I am expecting a return from the “investment”. All
I am doing is “planting the seed”, as Paul says, but the people must water and keep the
growth going. Why should I tell an African farmer how to farm? He already knows more
about it than me. But I want to encourage him to farm, and to farm more than just for
subsistence. And if I can share with him some useful tools, that’s wonderful. And all the
while, I am watching him, studying his work, and learning new ideas to make the work even
more effective. So often, the donor community treats Africans as it they are helpless and
hopeless. But when they are treated as fellow human beings with lots of talents and skills,
the results are terrific.
By helping the local churches, we help the parishes. By helping the parishes, we help the
archdeaconries. And by helping the archdeaconries, we help the diocese. It is so
gratifying to see the excitement on the faces of the church leaders when they know that we
are serious about helping them get started, will encourage them along the way, and expect
good results.
Feeding the sheep can mean many things, and surely it means more than just spiritual food
on Sundays. When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink, he was thirsty. And
many of our Christians here in Masindi are quite hungry. When we feed their bodies, we
are also nourishing their souls: the Lord can take this and multiply it, just as He multiplied
the loaves and fishes.
KITCHEN GARDENS
In the meantime, we are preparing a field workshop for the women of the churches, and
especially the pastors’ wives. It will be small, but beautiful. It has to be, to succeed. Our
workshop will cover very simple, small ideas that can be implemented by any family in a
kitchen garden. So much of the time, the focus of aid efforts is at the top, at the
governmental level. We want to go to the smallest common denominator, which is the local
church, the pastor’s family, and their Christians, and inspire them. If the training and
assistance catches on at that level, then it will spread quickly, for pastors and catechists
here are looked to as role models.
We are hoping to use this as a pilot project for our Planning/ Development Office, since
there are many Christians and organizations overseas who want to see success, and want
to see it sustained. Philista and I have many contacts both within the Church and outside.
We will spend time these next few months writing grant proposals and talking to friends, to
see if they will join with us in some exciting new work. We are also looking actively for an
agricultural extension worker, who can travel around the diocese and do much of the field
work in the churches. There are many young Ugandans who have received training in
agriculture or related fields, but have difficulty finding work. This is because of the lack of
credit in Africa. They may have the knowledge, but no bank will lend them enough to get
started in commercial farming, or will charge them rates in the high 20% range. We are
hopeful of finding someone with the training, provide them with a motorcycle for transport,
and pay a salary of perhaps 200,000 Uganda shillings monthly, which is good pay in our
area ($110 a month).
Work is also progressing well on drafting the new diocesan constitution and helping to put
new structures in place. In September, I will meet with some medical people, to prepare for
some friends from the U.S. who are experts in that field who are coming to help us. Final
preparations for the Kuluva Hospital container are underway, and then some preaching and
visits to parish churches. When the container stops in Masindi, we will offload many
donated items, such as the bibles, and the new generator and industrial sewing machines
for Philista’s garment business. It is a busy time, but the work is bearing much fruit. We
are grateful for your continued prayers and support, and look forward to the future of our
work here, and of the Anglican Communion with confidence.
Fr. Jim & Philista Short
Masindi/Kitara Diocese
PO Box 515
Masindi, Uganda
yakoboshort@yahoo.com
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