UGANDA – “I’m a pastor and I don’t want to be a burden to my fellow Christians,” says Pastor Erupu Silver. “I have purposed to be creative and be an example as a Christian leader. As the apostle Paul said in First Thessalonians 2:9, ‘Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.’ This verse is an inspiration to me as a man of God.”

“I have purposed to be creative and be an example as a Christian leader. As the apostle Paul said in First Thessalonians 2:9, ‘Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.’ This verse is an inspiration to me as a man of God.”

Pastor Silver is a pastor and a farmer in Orwadai, one of ten communities where World Renew and our local partner, the Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG) of North Teso, are carrying out food security work with support from the Foods Resource Bank.

Last year Pastor Silver and his wife Arupo planted tomatoes in a rented garden during the dry, hot season when no other farmer was farming; they worked very hard, even irrigating the gardens themselves. When they sold the tomatoes to their neighbors and at a nearby traditional open market, their labor was handsomely repaid with enough income to meet their family’s daily needs plus some to further invest in fish farming.

Pastor Silver is very excited about the prospects of fish farming. “I recruited five community members to help me excavate a fish pond,” he says. “I expect to stock this pond with 5,000 fingerlings (baby fish) which will cost me, including maintenance, 2 million UGX ($539 USD). After 4-6 months, I expect to earn 15 million UGX ($4,041 USD)!” Pastor Silver’s capital investment includes income from tomato sales plus a loan available to him through his village savings and loan group, another community effort supported by World Renew and PAG North Teso.

World Renew and PAG North Teso have also offered numerous trainings, such as Farming As A Family Business and Conservation Agriculture, that have changed the approach to farming and livelihood by farmers in Orwadai, including Pastor Silver.

“As a family,” he explains, “we have decided to diversify on household livelihood. In November 2017, my wife and I managed to get our share of 635,00 UGX ($171 USD) from our village savings and loan association. We invested that money to begin a retail shop in a nearby trading centre. I am hopeful that by the end of the year, this business will grow to 3 million UGX ($850 USD) in stock. This business has allowed me to build rapport with the community, make new friends, continue saving weekly in the group, and improve our family’s standard of living.”

Blessings,

Edward Okiror

Program Consultant
World Renew Uganda