Update from Thomas April 2025

Recent Events

Overview

The 2025 projects include Foundations for Farming (UGA08), vocational training (UGA04c), and micro-loans (UGA04e). These projects were approved for support by BHW for the 2025 fiscal year. The projects were funded in a timely manner to meet their schedules for operation.

The projects are designed for sustainable livelihoods among refugee communities in Uganda who farm on hired land obtained from the host communities. The projects aim at transforming the livelihoods of refugees by enabling them to use farming practices that boost their production towards self-sustainability in terms of food and income.

The vocational training aims at skilling youths towards job creation and employment. The beneficiaries include refugees, mainly South Sudanese refugees, and underprivileged nationals. 

Current stage 

Implementation of the various projects is ongoing as intended. There is a high demand from the communities to engage in the project as beneficiaries however, we have embarked on engaging new members within the targeted number of beneficiaries per project in a particular area. Some areas had the training shifted to other parts due to a lack of adaptation from previous trainings such as Kamuli and Buvuma, and due to personal risks of insecurity as with Kiradongo and Palabek districts.  

Foundations for Farming (UGA08)

Foundations for Farming training has been undertaken to refugees in 9 different areas:
- Bidi Bidi, Yumba District - 30 people trained
- Yoyo, Yumbe District - 30 people trained
- Rhino, Arua District - 30 people trained
- Imvepi, Terego District - 30 people trained
- Lobule, Koboko District - 30 people trained
- Palorinya, Obongi/Moyo District - 30 people trained
- Pagerinya, Adjumani District - 30 people trained
- Nawanyago/Bukono, Kamuli/Namutumba District - 65 people trained
- Yei, South Sudan - 50 people trained

Certified maize seeds were given to farmers following the training. 

Trauma Training (UGA04f)

Trauma training was conducted in Adjumani with 30 participants consisting of refugees, church leaders, youth representatives, women refugees and orphanages serving self-settled refugees in Adjumani. The participants were grateful among which some received trauma training for the first time.

They confessed it has given them hope and they presented many testimonies and experiences that required trauma healing and counselling.

Vocational Training (UGA04c)

This year, 2025, we had a student graduating from YMCA, Kampala with a diploma in cosmetology. This student has the desire to engage in skilling youths through short term training, providing skills to many at the same time. The training could be on a term-by-term basis with students attending for 4 weeks three times and graduate to engage in hairdressing, etc especially the girls. We expect four more to graduate this year from different disciplines.

Currently we have 15 students undertaking training in things such as: plumbing, nursing, accounts and finance, pharmacy, laboratory technology, medical clinical officer, engineering and teaching. 

Microloan in Koboko (UGA04e)

The loan is issued to those engaged in income generating businesses which range from selling green vegetables, flour, and second-hand clothes in the market, with a few in short-term agriculture practice.

Current Issues and Challenges

There are emerging risks since the arrest of Christopher (the person suspected of killing Thomas and Joyce's son) causing a shift from training in Kiradongo, Bweyale to Namutumba district, a district with rural farmers lagging due to a lack of agriculture extension services and the distance from major towns. 

Kamuli and Buvuma farmers had major problems with adaptation of the FfF practices as it is a new innovation to the farmers, which was seen in the years of training previously. We expect farmers to adapt the new farming practices. We therefore didn't return to these two places this year. 

Part of this was due to the extension overseers lack of refresher workshops and motivation, i.e. they cannot visit the farmer's gardens. 

Finally, I wish to thank the whole team of at Bright Hope World for the support you have rendered to us making it possible for the refugees and the less privileged local farmers to acquire knowledge freely. 

In His Service

Yours in Christ
Thomas Lubari