Canaan March 21-March 31

Canaan Farm

March 21 through March 31, 2009

Our first week in Africa has been a refreshing intro to the continent.  After arriving into Uganda we had a 5-hour bus ride up to Canaan Farm.  Partly because of the excitement of coming to Africa, none of our team was really able to sleep on the plane.  However, for some reason we were able to sleep on the bus even over the pothole filled country roads.  We didn’t arrive at the farm until dark but when we got there, we were greeted with song and dance from the women at Canaan.  They were full of joy and welcomed us all as their family.  Just stepping off of the bus it is apparent that Canaan is a place of peace and refuge. 

The land that Canaan Farm is situated on is in the northern part of Uganda and houses families that have been displaced due to the war in the north.  Many of the boys on the farm have escaped from the LRA (Lords Resistant Army) who broke into their villages and kidnapped children.   Many more families have lost family members and everything they own.  They seek refuge at Canaan where they are given the chance to start over.  Canaan grows many different types of fruits and vegetables creating income for these families.

Our team slept in mud huts with grass roofs, a true Ugandan experience.  Everyday we woke up to many roasters and numerous birds.  One night about midnight a herd of cattle went through the camp.  Our food was cooked outside on a charcoal stove, as there is no electricity.  We were taken care of by two extremely hardworking women who cooked all day for us.

Thanks to friends in Colorado, we brought over heaps of clothes, school supplies and different medical and dental supplies.

While on the farm we held classes each afternoon underneath the shade trees where the bamboo jewelry is made.  Each day we were able to get to know the women and the few former child soldiers who all make the jewelry.   The classes that we held were about the difference between Ugandan markets and western markets, quality control, new techniques including how to use some of the new tools that we brought, and how they wanted to run their side of the business.  Canaan Farm has been working to teach the women how to sew, so Nicole (who went on the trip) taught them how to make bags to hold the earrings.  They turned out beautifully. 

Soup for Africa

Soup for Africa at Woodland Park High School was a great success.  The student body proved they have much to offer and today’s youth has vision and purpose.  The Student council decided to partner with us to help raise money to build a school in Uganda for a group of people we are working with.   Student Council worked very hard to put the event on, thank you. 

Kids Can Change the World, a local group of kids with big hearts also participated in the event with a dance inspired by their desire to change the world and be involved in fighting injustice.  They are definitely people who are making a change locally and globally.  Yet another encounter with how the youth are making big impacts. 

The goal of the event was to raise money for a school for a population in Uganda that Yobel works with.  We are working together with Canaan Farm in Uganda with a group of women and former child soldiers to start a business with them.  The model is simple, to empower the people to become self-sufficient without the need for foreign aid.  At Canaan Farm, they grow their own food and can take care of many needs of theirs but they have no money for more, like education.  There are around 100 kids that live on the farm who have grown up around civil war and have seen someone they love killed right in front of them.  Our vision is to partner with them to build a school on the farm for these children.  Education is key in battle of poverty.  It is a building block in life.   We asked the women of the farm who are working with us to make bamboo jewelry what is their community’s biggest need and most of them said a school.   Yobel believes that the youth of Canaan Farm have the opportunity to change their nation and rebuild what war has destroyed.   

Uganda has seen so much evil in the past years; evil has run havoc on this nation and displace thousands of people from their homes.   It is estimated that 30,000 children ages 7 to 17 have been kidnapped and forced to fight for the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army).   These children are forced to fight, to kill and forget who they were to participate in the battle that has destroyed a nation.   Learn more about this issue and what you can do to make a difference in someone’s life.    

The night was wonderful.  We had all of the soup donated by Garden of the Gods’ Gourmet Catering Company.  They were so generous to make so much soup for the cause.  We are looking forward to work together on more projects.  Einstein Bagels and Whole Foods donated the bread for the event, thank you.  The community of Woodland Park also rallied together and donated the tablecloths (Swiss Chalet) and many items for the silent auction. 

Thank you everyone who supported us and our vision.  We would like to especially thank our friends for their support and help pulling the event off.  Yobel would not where we are if it was not for you all.