In March, Rev. Laura and a mission team visited Bulike. In the 4 minute video below, the team reports back on the difference UCSS has made in the village. They conducted leadership training and crusades that led 100’s to accept Jesus Christ as their savior. A new tractor is improving farming productivity; villagers learn to sow; school attendance is at a record high. Watch the video and read more details below.
In March Rev. Laura and Brother Michael, Brother Billy and Sister Belinda and Brother Alex visited Bulike. This was the first group of visitors who stayed in the new mission house, which was recently completed. The mission house has power-generated electricity, running water, and a sewage treatment system; it will be used to host visitors and professionals and to conduct training.
Rev. Laura conducted leadership training and a crusade that led 600 to accept Jesus Christ. Miracles were witnessed every day: many conditions such as back pain, eye defects and arthritis, among others were healed in Jesus’s name and the community gave praise and glory to God. The family of one Mr. Wambi witnessed the saving power of the Lord Jesus when his wife, who had for many years practiced witchcraft, accepted the Lord Jesus as her Savior. As a result of these activities, our 4 churches and 15 Bible studies have registered significant growth.
The school project is growing with each passing day. Since its launch in late 2011 with only a nursery school section running under a mango tree and later in a temporary church structure, the school is slowly but steadily evolving into the pride of the community. Currently, the school boasts a total enrollment of 587 pupils from nursery to grade 5. There are now two semi-permanent classroom blocks with two classes and an office and store each; one temporary wooden structure and a kitchen shelter. The school has a garden and a solar panel, which provides light for the students at night. Our teachers are very devoted and are working towards being recognized as one of the leading primary schools in the region. The new school garden is providing lunch for the students and teachers.
Gabriel hails from a poor family of 14 children, with an alcoholic father who can barely provide for the family. Nevertheless, Gabriel is determined to become a doctor someday and does whatever it takes to attend school daily. Unlike other children who in the rainy season are withheld from school and only work in the gardens, Gabriel wakes up at 5 A.M to fetch water and do garden work to be able to make it to school on time, exhibiting a remarkable level of commitment.
We still have some challenges with the school: the 2nd classroom block still needs plaster, and the floor needs cement to avoid jiggers. There is still shortage of furniture for both the pupils and teachers. There is also need for more textbooks.
A tractor was acquired to support cultivation on the farms, which is a breakthrough and saves time spent doing the work manually or with oxen. With this, we are expecting a bigger production output from the farms.
We initially planned to train 40 people to learn tailoring, but over 100 people, both men and women, have enrolled and are receiving free training to equip them with tailoring skills that can enable them start small income generating activity. This initiative is one of UCSS’s measures to alleviate the chronic poverty in the Bulike community and help community members become self-sufficient.
A semi-permanent poultry house was set up and some birds were acquired from the community to launch the project. Unfortunately, the birds were not immunized and many of them died. In the future, we will immunize the birds at the time of purchase before transferring them to the poultry house. We are excited that we were blessed with a promise by Brother Billy and family to provide us with a poultry hatchery and birds. The poultry farm serves both as an income generating project and also as a learning centre for the community on modern poultry farming.
