FIELD NOTES THE BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER FROM FIELDS OF LIFE www.FieldsofLife.org
SPRING / SUMMER 2014 ISSUE 2
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
CHANGING LIVES TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES BUILDING HOPE
RWANDA 20 YEARS ON PRACTICALLY PERFECT MEET FRED ‘THE INVENTOR’ LENT CAMPAIGN AND CHARITY CHALLENGES SOUTH SUDAN APPEAL LASTING LEGACY STAFF NEWS... AND MORE
RWANDA
20 YEARS ON Rwanda is holding 100 days of commemoration to mark 20 years since the genocide. Having visited this beautiful country on a number of occasions, I personally will never forget my visits to Murambi Genocide Memorial in Butare where 50,000 Tutsis were slaughtered over a few days having sought refuge in the technical school there. The sight and smell of hundreds of lime crusted mummified corpses lined up on tables in the classrooms portrays the horror and magnitude of what went before in that place. Man's inhumanity to man is hard to comprehend at times. As we remember, we must not forget that evil cannot be overcome with evil and we pray never again. During my travels throughout East Africa whilst encountering difficult and challenging places, I am amazed at the resilience of people in the midst of great trials and difficulty. East Africa continues to teach me much about faith, hope, trust, family and community. It has been a privilege for Fields of Life, in partnership with the local church, to play a part in helping Rwanda shape it’s future with a sixth school project to commence in June 2014. May I take the opportunity to thank you, our donors and supporters, for continuing to stand with us to support poor and vulnerable communities throughout East Africa and I trust you enjoy this edition of our newly titled newsletter – Field Notes. In Christian Partnership,
Richard Spratt, CEO
RWANDA 2015 2
DURATION: 10 days DATE: Easter 2015 COST: Maximum £2000 (includes flights, accommodation, meals, water, transport, insurance and project costs) (excludes vaccinations, anti-malarial, visa, extra excursions, spending money, team t-shirt/hoody). PROJECT: The team will work at two Fields of Life Primary Schools in Rwanda. The team will run classroom based programmes in our schools. There will also be a small construction element to the trip including assistance with general maintenance work. It is a bonus if you are able to speak French, as Rwanda is a French speaking country. However, it is not essential as the children are taught in English. The trip will also include visits to memorials and museums to learn more about the history and context of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: August 2014 MINIMUM AGE: 16 CONTACT: info@fieldsoflife.org for more information.
In July 2013 Fields of Life opened its first charity shop, Practically Perfect at 16 Railway Road, Coleraine. We were delighted to have the Fields of Life choir from Uganda join with us in September when we officially opened our store.
HOW CAN YOU HELP? Donate! We are always looking for new stock to sell in Practically Perfect! • Ladies Fashion and Accessories • Menswear and Accessories • Children’s / baby wear and toys • Handbags • Jewellery • Books, DVDs, CDs and Videos • Occasional Furniture • Homeware Volunteer! By volunteering with Practically Perfect you will get the opportunity to meet new people, make new friends, become part of the Fields of Life team and learn new skills while raising money to support our work in East Africa.
Become a Practically Perfect Champion! Each quarter Practically Perfect will run various appeals for stock and we are looking for Practically Perfect Champions to commit to spreading the news amongst friends and family as well as within your church/school/business. Fields of Life will supply all Champions with posters and promotional material; all you have to do is help spread the word! g
Please call in to say hello and check out our stock in store consisting of quality and branded items. Look out for our first Anniversary celebrations on 26th July 2014 and think about joining us for this special occasion. g
Contact helen.darcy@fieldsoflife.org for more information. 3
CHILD SPONSORSHIP
MEET
FRED,
,
THE INVENTOR
My name is Lugemwa Fred, I am 21 years old and I live in Uganda with four brothers and four sisters. Unfortunately I lost my father when I was only three years old and my mother struggled to provide for our family with little or no income. I’ll never forget the day my mother came back from town telling me that she was talking to someone and that there was a sign of hope from an organisation running a child sponsoring project. I am very thankful to Kathleen Healy from Dublin, Ireland, in agreeing to sponsor my education. Kathleen supported me through primary and secondary school. I was determined to return the good faith that Kathleen had in me by always working hard in class and I completed primary school with a first grade. I then completed A-Levels in Physics, Economics, Mathematics and Fine Art. Using the physics knowledge I developed during my senior years in high school, I designed a simple essential oil distiller which I sold to a local entrepreneur. This allowed me to eventually construct my own essential oil distiller. I started my first business and was also accepted to study Bio-medical Engineering at Makerere University. I designed new products from the essential oils like basil tea and lemongrass tea as well as a natural mosquito repellent. I developed two formulations for the mosquito repellent and sold one to the Uganda Government in order to raise capital to fund a number of other innovations, one of which I plan to market to NGOs to help reduce malaria among poor people at very low costs. I aspire to produce more of the natural mosquito repellent cream to reduce malaria as it is one of the biggest causes of death globally. g
You can also change a child’s life forever by sponsoring a child through Fields of Life, enabling you to play a significant role in shaping a child’s future. For more information please visit www.fieldsoflife.org or email info@fieldsoflife.org.
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FOL FUNDRAISING FOL LENT CAMPAIGN #fieldsoflifelent campaign On 5th March 2014 Fields of Life staff and supporters across Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, USA and Uganda all joined together and committed to giving up something they loved for Lent! We asked our supporters to take to their social media channels to raise awareness about the work of Fields of Life and to also donate the money that they saved through the campaign! It is our hope that through the funds raised we will be able to drill a well for a community in rural Northern Uganda. Thank you to everyone who took part in and supported the #fieldsoflifelent campaign. As a result of your commitment this Lent through giving up coffee, chocolate, carbs or something else, you have given a community in Northern Uganda a life changing and lifesaving gift – the gift of safe clean drinking water.
FIELDS OF LIFE CHARITY CHALLENGES Fields of Life is always looking for new and exciting charity challenges to allow supporters to raise funds for the organisation whilst enjoying the experience of a lifetime. In 2014 / 2015 we will be promoting the following charity challenges: • Mount Kilimanjaro Charity Trek • Sahara Desert Charity Trek • Mount Elgon Charity Trek • Uganda Off Road Cycle Challenge g For more information on Fields of Life Charity Challenges please visit www.fieldsoflife.org or email helen.darcy@fieldsoflife.org
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SOUTH SUDAN APPEAL
WALKING FOR DAYS TO ESCAPE THE FIGHTING Margaret Anna is extremely grateful to have escaped the fighting in Bor, South Sudan, she is also thankful that she arrived safely in Maridi and is being supported by Fields of Life’s partners. Margaret lived with eleven members of her family in Bor, Jonglei State the epicentre of the fighting. When the rebellion started in her village, she said armed men came to their village at night. “They immediately drove our cattle away and ordered the eleven of us to enter one tukul,” she explained. But nine of the group refused with only two of them, including Margaret, entering the tukul (mud house). The door was then locked with a pad lock. “The next thing we heard were gun-shots as they killed the nine who remained outside,” she continues. Margaret and other women, who were in the tukul, escaped through a narrow window and crawled on their hands and knees to hide in the bush. They walked for days until they reached the Nile River where they were helped to cross to the west of the Nile. They walked on scrimmaging for food on the road, until they reached Mundri, 64 miles from Maridi. They finally managed to get transport to Maridi and safety, where they’ve been supported by the Church with maize, beans, soap, salt and blankets, thanks to the Fields of Life South Sudan Appeal. Margaret is one of thousands being supported by Fields of Life’s Urgent South Sudan Appeal. “Thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters we’ve raised over £31,000 for our South Sudan Appeal which has provided life saving food and emergency provisions,” explains Richard Spratt. Fields of Life’s partners’ in Maridi have been supporting over 1,676 internally displaced people in Maridi Diocese providing food and essential emergency supplies to families, many of whom, like Margaret, have walked hundreds of miles to flee the fighting. 6
WHAT WILL YOUR LASTING LEGACY BE? Fields of Life is committed to seeing meaningful and real change occur in the lives of whole communities in East Africa. It is our desire to empower those living in extreme poverty and to help them help themselves. By leaving a gift in your will you can help us to change lives and transform communities. Fields of Life appreciate that when making a will it is important to provide for your loved ones first – your family and friends. However many often find that even after they have done this, they can leave something to a cause that is close to their heart.
IN MEMORY DONATIONS By making a donation in memory of a loved one, you are helping Fields of Life to alleviate the suffering of many across East Africa while also celebrating their life and making a lasting difference to the lives of others. g
To receive further information on how you can help support the work of Fields of Life through leaving a gift in your will or to discuss this further please contact helen.darcy@fieldsoflife.org
By leaving a gift in your will to Fields of Life, small or large, it is a wonderful opportunity to join in our mission and bring hope to vulnerable and marginalised children across East Africa.
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THE PEPPERS IN UGANDA Wallace and Margaret Pepper have recently returned home, having served in our East Africa office in Kampala, Uganda between September 2013 and March 2014. These are their reflections ... ‘We were sitting in McCartney’s Café in Moira on a March morning in 2013 when Richard casually said, “Do you know anyone with engineering or building skills who could go to Uganda to replace our engineer there who is coming home on furlough for six months?” He has never admitted if it was a loaded question or not, but that certainly was the beginning of an adventure for Margaret and I that will live long in our memories. I know it’s a bit of a cliché that we receive more than we give or that we learn more than we teach when we go on overseas mission trips, but certainly for us this cliché proved to be true. I had been to Uganda and other developing African countries five or six times previously and thought that I knew what the people needed and what I had to do about it. The first lesson I learned in a very short time was that the impressions I had gained from those trips were rather superficial and I had little idea of the culture and needs of the people. I trust that now I have gained a little more insight! I went with the idea that my primary work was building schools. It is apparent that the desire of the schools is to help them deliver high quality Christian Education to healthy children who would grow up to make a difference for God in their nation. Indeed we have spoken to many young people who have come through the Fields of Life system and gained a university education, who believe it is their role to bring a Christian influence to every part of their society, and are convinced that this is what they have been called by God to do. In the past twenty years Fields of Life has pioneered the building of 87 schools in Uganda alone. The focus is to fully develop these schools to fulfil the purpose of our existence. Fields of Life seeks to provide not only classrooms but administration rooms, libraries, toilets, kitchens, teachers’ accommodations, dormitories as well as science and computer laboratories in secondary schools. 8
Teachers also need encouragement and support. Bernard Masaba and the Fields of Life education team organise workshops where teachers come together for three days from schools to share their experiences and gain new skills. Margaret joined this team and demonstrated “Linguistic Phonics�, using sounds and practical methods to help establish early literacy. This was a new approach for most Ugandan teachers, but many could see the benefits of employing this method and became very enthusiastic about using it in their classrooms. Sharing the Christian faith is an integral part of the Fields of Life curriculum and in the schools the young people are expected to help teach the younger children about God through music and drama. We heard many stories of children who had come to faith at school, going home and witnessing to parents and siblings and whole households being converted. While in Uganda we were challenged by a familiar verse, Micah 6:8. We are sure you have heard this many times but we never really spent much time considering what showing mercy with justice and humility looks like and its application can be difficult in an African context, but nonetheless we are called to act. Fields of Life is seeking to foster and support long term sustainability so that these schools will ultimately flourish in their own right. It was a privilege to be used in this work and as we reflect on our time in Uganda we have no doubt that this was God’s time and His work that we were called to do. 9
STAFF NEWS
ANNE BROWN
DEBBIE CAMERON
Fields of Life Trustee Anne Brown travelled to Uganda in March 2014 for an initial six month placement working in the Kampala office. Her husband Scott has taken up a post with the International Health Sciences University in Kampala. Anne is working as part of our Senior Management Team in the Kampala office. Please pray for them and their family as they continue their African adventure.
We are pleased to announce the opening of a new office in Kent, England. Debbie Cameron has been employed as Head of Fundraising and Development GB and we are delighted to have her as part of the team. Debbie has been a passionate and generous volunteer, instrumental in helping us develop links into South East England in recent months. This appointment marks a significant step change for Fields of Life as we seek to engage new supporters to partner with us in the life changing work which we are committed to in East Africa.
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INTERN OPPORTUNITY 2014 2015 10
As a Fields of Life Intern you will be one of the main contacts for Fields of Life within local churches and schools and you will have the opportunity to raise vital support. You will be responsible for distributing and sharing information about the work of Fields of Life and our various projects. Please contact helen.darcy@fieldsoflife.org for more information.
THE DIFFERENCE WE CAN MAKE TOGETHER Fields of Life is always excited to partner with new companies to work together to bring about positive change within the communities we serve in Central East Africa. Through your company or business partnering with Fields of Life you can: - Partner with a cost effective and transparent charity which has low administrative and overhead costs - Partner with local communities in East Africa and receive regular updates on the project and beneficiaries - Have the opportunity to travel to East Africa with Fields of Life to see for yourself the impact your support has made!
COME AND SEE Throughout the year, Fields of Life co-ordinate and lead Five Day Fact Finding trips to enable people to travel to Uganda to see our work on the ground. You may be interested in funding a specific project or would just like to learn more about the different projects Fields of Life is involved in and see our team in Africa in action. This trip will give you a flavour of life in Africa with all its difficulties and delights. g
If you would like to receive further information please contact the Fields of Life office on +44 (0)28 3839 0395.
Fields of Life were delighted to partner with McDonalds Northern Ireland to raise funds for our water drilling programme in Uganda. 11
CONTACT US
Fields of Life is committed to sharing the Christian faith by collaborating with local communities and churches in East Africa to bring about positive change through the provision of quality education, clean water, health promotion and other community based projects.
NORTHERN IRELAND (HEAD OFFICE) FIELDS OF LIFE 25 Carn Road, Craigavon, Co. Armagh N. Ireland BT63 5WG Telephone: +44 (0)28 3839 0395 Email: info@fieldsoflife.org REPUBLIC OF IRELAND FIELDS OF LIFE Treetops, Brides Glen Road Shankill, Dublin 18, Ireland Telephone: +353 1 282 7777 Email: info@fieldsoflife.org
FIELDS OF LIFE WENT PINK FOR THE GIRO D'ITALIA
Fields of Life joined in with the Giro D'Italia where 90 cyclists from Shelbourne Orchard Cycling Club covered 100km of the official Armagh Stage 3 route of the Giro D'Italia. We thank all those cyclists who participated in raising ÂŁ1150 which will go towards our water drilling programme in Uganda.
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Charity Number UK: XR 18278 ROI: CHY 13573
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