Watermark in Africa

We headed out the next morning driving south from Gulu.  As we crossed the Nile, we entered Masindi district and approached the town of Bweyale.  There we met up with Jessica, the wife of Nelson, ALARM’s Country Director in Uganda.  We met at a piggery (pig farm) that ALARM launched in March.

 

The piggery is a creative way to do microfinance.  Rather than loaning money, ALARM loans pigs.  Why pigs?  Pigs have a short gestational period (about 112 days), have two gestational cycles per year, produce about five baby pigs per gestational cycle, eat just about anything (no need for special, expensive diet), and rarely get sick (so lower early mortality rate).  So they started with 11 pigs in March, and they now have 31 pigs and growing.

 

Why Bweyale?  ALARM has trusted friends in the region, a foundational element of all their ministry.  In addition, many of the Acholi people (who love in Gulu and Pader where we do the bulk of our work) moved to the area during the decades of war.  In general, it was safer in Uganda south of the Nile because the LRA avoided going south of the Nile and the Uganda military had a larger presence south of the Nile.  As is typical coming out of the atrocities in the north, most of the families are widows caring for their orphaned children (generally large families).  They struggle to feed their families, relying on the World Food Program and generally only have grains.

 

So ALARM works with local churches to identify widows in great need.  They are launching the distribution of these pigs in late November.  They will provide the widow with a couple pigs.  Each time the pig reproduces, the widow gives one pig to ALARM (effectively payment for the loan), one pig to a widow she knows who is in need, and keeps the remaining pigs (usually 2-4) for herself.  ALARM wants to reach 2,000 widows over the next five years.

 

As always, ALARM’s plans go beyond meeting the basic physical needs of the women.  ALARM is working with the female leaders in the local churches to provide Bible studies to the loan recipients and ultimately impact their children as well.  As Jessica told us, “In Uganda, if you train a woman, you train a nation.”  They also plan to introduce community through the program, especially to help the women through the therapy of sharing and addressing their pain.  They hope to reach Christian and non-Christian widows, proclaiming and providing the hope of the gospel.

 

The largest ongoing cost of the project is food for the pigs since they eat a lot.  So ALARM is beginning to plant maize to address this challenge.  They will provide the maize to the families they are ministering to, and they will use the refuse (stalk, leaves, etc) to feed the pigs.

 

We asked Jessica how Watermark can serve this ministry, and she shared three things.  First, she noted reaching 2,000 women is a dream she can’t accomplish by herself, so this needs to be a collective movement of the church.  Second, she asked us to pray.  Jessica said it is easy to give someone a pig, but the pig can die or the ministry can be ineffective.  Third, she asked us to consider providing financial resources as they attempt to expand the number of pig stalls from 12 to 24.

 

Please be praying for this ministry.  As they go out to begin distributing pigs in late November, pray they find the neediest of the needy.  Pray for the local church partners.  Pray for the gospel to be proclaimed and people to come to their Lord and Savior.

 

Monday – An interview with Jessica Okello.