Build A Farm! Feeding children and training youth

We’re so pleased to announce that our new organic farm development project at Sky Is The Limit starts this month in Uganda, a country with the most organic producers in Africa and whose president supports sustainable agriculture methods that regenerates the environment, increases the country’s wealth and protects the health of its people.

Named after ‘Mama Rose’, who was the founder of Sky Is The Limit School in Fort Portal, Uganda and an incredible woman who dedicated her life to helping children. Rose passed away on 9th December 2021 due to the Coronavirus.

Our partner Mama Rose Organic Farm project at Fort Portal aims to address the basic needs of the 397 children and 10 farm workers at Sky Is The Limit School by:

• increasing food sovereignty to battle malnutrition in 397 children, caused by poverty (or however many children are at the school)
• improving the health of 30 children living with HIV/Aids
• providing basic sanitation and shelter for 10 farm workers in the planned farm house
• providing free training in organic farming to upskill workers (we aim for 60% of workers to be women) and support knowledge sharing with wider communities
• giving the children increased variety and access to highly nutritious daily meals to support their increased health and wellbeing.

The farm will restore and protect the land for future generations by:

• training staff in organic farming methods will help restore the ecosystem for future generations, and promote organic farming in rural Uganda.
• sing approaches that work with nature to produce bigger harvests, reduce deforestation and that keep regenerate the soil and make best use of water healthy

With organic practices and careful and adequate food storage and processing, it is likely that the Mama Rose Organic Farm at Sky Is The Limit School will harvest excess produce to sell at local markets. The income derived from their efforts will be re-invested in the farm and its staff.

Mama Rose Organic Farm Project at SITL will be divided into four stages:

Stage 1 – Begin farmhouse construction, fencing, ground preparation, 10 staff training, purchase laptop

Stage 2 – Complete construction, fencing, ground preparation, crop planting, purchase farm truck

Stage 3 – Fish pond improvements, crop planting

Stage 4 – Purchase livestock and feeding/water troughs

It is envisaged that the project will be operational by February 2024.

The project aligns with Uganda’s National Agricultural Policy and the United Nations‘ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Uganda’s National Agriculture policy is in line with the SDGs which commit Member States of the United Nations to globally:

• end poverty in all its forms (SDG 1)
• end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition as well as promote sustainable agriculture (SDG 2)
• protect, restore, promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss (SDG 15).
• Organic Agriculture has the capacity to achieve all of the three United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

On February 13th, the 10 farm workers (5 women and 5 men who live local to the 8-acre farm - began their training with the Micah Farm Institute, a dedicated training centre for organic farming practices in Fort Portal, accompanied by Christine, the farm manager, and Brian, the project supervisor.

It will take some time for the farm to be fully operational and meet the nutritional needs of the children. In the meantime, our School Meals programme continues. Since 2014, we have funded over half a million school meals to children at Sky Is The Limit School, which improves their ability to concentrate and provides them with the vital nutrition they need for healthy development. For some of them, it is their only meal of the day.

There’s no other way to say it, the cost of living crisis is hitting hard on a global scale.

In Africa, hundreds of millions of people are facing the greatest cost of living crisis experienced in recent years due to rising food and energy prices; rapid inflation and increasing debt. The poorest are being hit the hardest, with all this additional stress falling on to African people who already contend with food and water shortages.

In Fort Portal, Uganda - where we work with Sky Is The Limit School to provide a quality primary education to disadvantaged children - families are struggling more than ever to make ends meet. 35% of children are already living in poverty… their lives and livelihoods are becoming seriously compromised.

Prices for essential commodities such as food, cooking oil, and soap have increased sharply. The cost of 1kg of maize flour has increased by as much as 50% - the highest it has been since Uganda experienced its last food crisis in 2017. Families are reporting that they are more often spending an entire day without eating as they run out of food.

This is why our organic farm project has never been so important as it is now for the health and wellbeing of the children who attend Sky Is The Limit School. By donating today you can help turn 8-acres of land into a productive, organic farm to feed 397 children a nutritious meal every day.

Just £5 can supply 5 seed packets so that the children can eat a range of healthy vegetables.

Or, donate £20 and you can help make it possible for 397 children to eat fresh fish every week.

These school meals make such a difference to these children. It gives children, whose families are barely able to feed them 1 meal a day - have the energy to focus and do well in school, put on healthy weight, and reduce their symptoms of anaemia and starvation.

Not only will our organic farm provide a fruitful supply of food to feed 397 disadvantaged children who experience hunger every single day, but it will produce that food by using environmentally friendly techniques which will help to restore the land. 

This project is a big undertaking: with £10,000 raised already we need to secure a further £40,000 to cultivate the land, buy seeds and livestock, and build a farmhouse to store all the harvested food and equipment.

Growing an organic farm is essential to our mission of helping Sky Is The Limit become a sustainable and environmentally friendly school that can help disadvantaged children for years to come.

Please donate today to build a prosperous and sustainable future, restore damaged land, and build a greener future for disadvantaged children.

With the cost of food and materials rising in Uganda, our organic farm project has never been so important as it is now for the future of Sky Is The Limit School. Uganda has high levels of poverty and food insecurity, which is exacerbated by the increasing effects of climate change, deforestation and unsustainable farming.

To help feed the malnourished children who attend its school, Sky Is The Limit has asked for help to train its farmers and grow an organic farm. It is a sustainable way of farming that is designed to:

• respect nature
• vastly increase the harvests of crops
• enhance the health of soils, water and air
• reduce water wastage
• reduce pollution
• give livestock a higher quality of living

As part of their commitment to helping disadvantaged children, Sky Is The Limit School provides school meals to help nourish them. Most of the children come from families who can barely afford to feed them one meal a day, so the wholesome meals we provide at Sky is The Limit makes the world of difference to these children. They have the energy to focus and do well in school, put on healthy weight, and reduce their symptoms of anaemia and starvation.

Not only will the organic farm provide a fruitful supply of food to feed 397 disadvantaged children who experience hunger every single day, but it will produce that food by using environmentally friendly techniques which will help to restore the land. 

Thanks to all our supporters and incredible match fund initiative which we participated in in April, we have raised £11,600 of our £44,852 target!

This means, we can start to prepare the farm workers to begin their training in a course that will teach them organic farming practises.

But we still need your help to make Sky Is The Limit School sustainable as we have a long way to go until we’re able to raise enough money to begin purchasing crops, trees, livestock and the equipment needed to convert 8-acres of land into an organic farm.

Growing an organic farm is essential to our mission of helping Sky Is The Limit become a sustainable and environmentally friendly school that can help disadvantaged children for years to come.

Please make a donation today to build a prosperous and sustainable future, restore damaged land, and build a greener future for children.

While the rest of the world seems to be returning to some level of normality from the COVID lockdowns, the same cannot be said for our partner Sky Is The Limit, in Uganda. The costs of food and supplies are ever rising and while we are fundraising to support the staff and 400 children who attend Sky Is The Limit School, the current circumstance of the world makes the development of their 8-acre farm even more vital.

Climate change has also been the agenda of 2021 with COP26 being hosted in Glasgow in November, highlighting the need for people to work together to protect our planet and people while also ensuring a greener, more resilient and sustainable future for all.

Since 2014, Ecologia Youth Trust has worked closely with our partner Sky Is The Limit, Uganda to help young people to realise their potential, tackle poverty and create stronger, sustainable communities. We develop projects that are not only community-led, but also work towards at least one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals highlighted by the United Nations.

This is why our farm development project is so important to the future of Sky Is The Limit. Not only will it provide a fruitful supply of organic food to feed 400 disadvantaged children who experience hunger every single day, but it will produce that food by using environmentally friendly techniques – such as permaculture - which do not deplete local resources, degrade the land or destroy ecosystems.  Not to mention, the farm will also serve as a training centre to share these valuable agricultural techniques to local young people who can use these skills to not only grow food for themselves and their families, but increase their opportunities for employment.

This 8-acre farm is full of potential and can truly transform young lives.

We’re still fundraising to secure at least 1/4 of the project total, so that we can begin making tangible changes to the farm. With only $1,071 raised so far, we’ve a long way to go until we can make some lasting differences to help Sky Is The Limit take long-lasting steps towards maintaining a sustainable food source.

Will you donate today and help us raise £5,000 so that we can begin renovating the farm and changing lives?

A little goes a long way, so I implore you – please donate today if you are able to do so, and make a real difference to the lives of Uganda’s most disadvantaged children and young people.

The current pandemic has taken its toll on Sky Is The Limit. Uganda has experienced chaos since March 2020 and Sky Is The Limit is really struggling to survive in this pandemic. The costs of food and supplies are ever increasing in Uganda, making the development of their 8-acre farm even more vital.

Right now, there are rising COVID cases and deaths, with the country now slowing coming out of its third wave/lockdown. Their farm truck - their only method of transport right now - is constantly breaking down every day, and the staff and children at Sky Is The Limit are finding day-to-day life increasingly difficult. However, they are remaining positive nonetheless. We are supporting Sky Is The Limit in every way possible to ensure they can continue looking after Fort Portal’s most disadvantaged children, and provide them with a quality education.

We're working hard to have at least 1/4 of the project total secured so that we can start making tangible changes to the farm. With only $1,071 raised so far, we’ve a long way to go until we can make some lasting differences to help Sky Is The Limit take long-lasting steps towards maintaining a sustainable food source.

A little goes a long way, so I implore you – please donate today if you are able to do so, and make a real difference to the lives of Uganda’s most disadvantaged children and young people.