by HFAAC - AUG 2018
Dear Friends
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Dear Friends
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Cathy and I just returned from my third trip to Uganda this year. During the second trip in May several parcels of land were inspected and a site for the Children’s Village was selected. The next step was a background check to confirm the legitimacy of the land. Unfortunately, the land did not pass the background check and we’ve passed on that parcel. This resumed the process of looking at all new parcels by the Ugandan board of Hands for an African Child. During this latest trip we looked at their top choices and a new site has been selected and the background review process has begun.
Some challenges for selecting a property include: staying in our price range of $1,000-1,500 an acre, fairly level acreage that is usable for growing agricultural crops, not too isolated and near impoverished villages where the Hands for an African Child can help. Additionally, two other factors involved is that the price of land appears to be firming up and the dollar/schilling exchange rates are improving in favor of the dollar. At this point the exchange rate has absorbed the increased land prices so there has been no impact. In several ways the new selection is more desirable than the site that was previously selected, so it is a blessing that we did not go forward with that purchase.
Also, on this trip we brought 150 pounds of donated books with us and delivered them to two different primary schools that had no books. We also delivered reading glasses to three different locations, Gulu, Lira and Jinga. The glasses in Jinga were specifically for primary school students.
Hands for an African Child also purchased 400 orange trees to be planted on the 6 acres of land that HFAAC had purchased in February for the Future Is Now orphanage in Gulu.
Probably the most heartwarming thing on this trip was seeing a well being drilled for the Kiyunga Primary school located in a remote sector of Uganda. The children were excited when the water was being pumped out right on their school property.
No more long distance hauling of five-gallon water containers. Now the children can bring water home when they leave school for the day!
Brian Matthews
Founder
Hands for an African Child
Brian Matthews
Founder
Hands for an African Child
