Christmas is often referred to as ‘the season for giving’, and who would we rather give to than our family and friends? I would like to use the acronym GIFTS to help you consider who else you might help this Christmas.

Go. Go for a walk or get in your car and look around your neighborhood or community. See who or what organization might need a helping hand. You can also go on the internet and check out organizations that are serving people in your community, country or in the world.

Inquire. Once you have identified some individuals or organizations, inquire about their story and needs. Check to be sure that their goals and objectives are ones you can support.

Focus. Focus on a few of these people or organizations rather than spreading yourself too thin.

Time, talent, or treasure. Decide whether you have the time, talent, or treasure required to support the people and organizations you have identified.

Serve. Serve faithfully as you connect with the individuals or organizations. The best gift you can give is the gift of yourself. And a hidden benefit, nothing feels better than giving!

It was the fall of 2013.  Field of Hope was a very small nonprofit, but we had made the commitment to bring Agnes Obote from Uganda to the US to take part in the WomenReach events at several John Deere facilities in Iowa and Kansas.  Agnes was in charge of a church agriculture program in Uganda that had partnered with Field of Hope on many occasions.  For each of the events, our co-founder Brandy Young would lead a Q&A interview session with Agnes, asking about her upbringing, agriculture methods and practices, and what life was like during and after the 20-year civil war in Uganda.  The presentation was very impactful and emotional.

We were in the John Deere facility in Olathe, KS, for one of the events, and I can distinctly remember one of the John Deere senior executives coming up to me after the meeting and sharing how meaningful the meeting had been to him.  He asked for more information about how he could get involved with Field of Hope.

We talked for a short time and after the meeting finished, Dan invited us to his home, where we met his wife Anne.  We had a great discussion, followed by another meeting later on at a restaurant in Des Moines to discuss their further involvement. Shortly after that last meeting, Dan and Anne both joined the Field of Hope Board of Directors.

I can very well remember how excited Brandy, Cathy, and I were to have Dan and Anne involved in Field of Hope.  Even though I did not know Dan well while I was working at Deere, I knew he was held in high regard by the folks with whom I worked – he was universally liked and appreciated.

Shortly after Dan joined Field of Hope, he accepted the position of Board President, and the rest is history!  Dan’s contribution to Field of Hope is nothing short of amazing.  His steady hand and humble spirit were exactly what the organization needed.  As I have said so many times, he was the adult in the room to guide the Field of Hope board through the period of growth in our ministry and outreach.

One of Dan’s unique gifts is the way he can take sometimes disparate thoughts and ideas and distill those into cogent work plans and action items.  He always treats everyone with respect, and he possesses a unique way of listening to everyone and letting them know their ideas are worthwhile.  He asks the pivotal questions and spurs progress while considering all options and visualizing the bigger picture. Dan is steadfast in his support and is a strong representation of steady faith. He truly represents Micah 6:8 in that he acts justly, loves mercy, and walks humbly, as demonstrated through his actions as Board Chair.

I believe God has been exceptionally instrumental in the history of Field of Hope, giving us exactly the right people to lead and serve at exactly the right time.  Brandy was obviously the visionary and the person so critical to help birth the organization.  Others nurtured it early on, trying to breathe life into it and bring it fully into being.  Dan’s tenure as Board President provided just the kind of leadership needed to begin building the structure to a new level of professionalism.  His willingness to complete the Ministry Venture training paid huge dividends to Field of Hope.  Said another way, Dan was exactly the right person to lead Field of Hope through our formative years, and I can’t thank him enough.  I will always be indebted to him.

Anne has also been a tremendous blessing to Field of Hope.  We love her and are grateful for her generous heart.  Anne’s donations of her Noonday commissions have made an enormous contribution to the resources of Field of Hope, and her work through Noonday has touched many people who otherwise would not have known about our organization.  We would say that God has equally yoked Dan and Anne.

I am always amazed how God can orchestrate and arrange circumstances to bring about His will.  We had no idea that Agnes’s trip to the US would also bring us into contact with Dan and Anne Strempke, who have played such a vital role with Field of Hope.

I could go on and on, but this is just a way to let Anne and Dan know how much we love them, and how grateful we are for their humility, their servant leadership, their contributions of time and resources, and their love and dedication to Field of Hope.  There is no question: our organization could not be where it is today without their efforts.

With admiration and love,

Mike and Cathy and the Field of Hope Family

In June 2019, Nicholas had just completed his bachelor’s degree. While his peers were looking for full-time employment, Nicholas stumbled upon a Field of Hope blog and reached out regarding an internship.

“The Spirit of God instructed me to contact the organization,” Nicholas shares. I didn’t know what to say or write, and I didn’t have a peace of mind for the following two weeks until I sent an email to Mike Hafner, then
Executive Director – a decision I am proud of today.”

The greatest highlight of his internship was facilitating the Agriculture Teacher’s Training at Gayaza High School.

“I was not supposed to be actively involved in the workshop,” said Nicholas, “but the lead US facilitator was unable to travel, so the training was left to me and Mike.”

The workshop was a huge success!

Today, Nicholas is a full-time employee of Field of Hope leading several
programs. He attributes much of his success in his role to the experience he had as an intern.

“Being able to contribute as a facilitator did a lot to boost my self-confidence and learning,” said Nicholas.

“We currently don’t teach agriculture to our secondary students at Otino Waa, but we would like to launch an agriculture class for those students, and we think you should teach that class since you are a John Deere retiree.”  I will never forget those words spoken to me that morning outside my bunkhouse apartment in Lira, Uganda.  With that short sentence and “invitation”, my life and passion would never be the same, and Field of Hope would be forever changed.

Those words were spoken by Carol Higgins, who, with her husband Bob, founded Otino Waa Children’s Village in 2003 and served as the in-country directors for ten years.  Carol and Bob did indeed invite me into the classroom to teach agriculture to their secondary school students.  From that gift they gave me, I had the pure joy of working with bright, cheerful students who were an incredible blessing to me.  I will never forget the singing and dancing we all did to start every class.  Nor will I ever forget the joy and laughter of those kids and the excitement they had for learning.  I won’t soon forget their work ethic when we had to dig an area for a new drip irrigation project.  Girls and Boys, digging at an incredible pace in the hot sun, singing praise songs to God, thanking Him for the bounty in their lives.

Mike with Secondary Agriculture Students at Otino WaaMy biggest challenge as a “teacher” was finding good resource material to teach from.  I spent most evenings and weekends trying to study and learn agriculture topics on the internet to stay one or two steps ahead of the students.  This frustration led to our request of Vivayic, a learning development organization, to help us provide agriculture curriculum to agriculture teachers in Uganda.  This in turn has led to Vivayic providing world-class curriculum and teacher guides for S1-S4 students that is now reaching over 150 agriculture teachers throughout Uganda.

Carol Higgins, the woman who provided this spark of opportunity and led me down this path, passed away last weekend after a battle with breast cancer.  In ways that I am not sure she ever realized, Carol played a huge part in my life and in the work of Field of Hope.  I am forever in her debt.

It is impossible to guess how many lives have been changed as a result of the work and ministry of Bob and Carol Higgins, nor the hours they spent teaching and influencing young lives.  I am guessing they personally led and influenced thousands of kids who otherwise would have been roaming the streets.  The kids I taught told me stories of the atrocities committed against them prior to their time at Otino Waa – things no child should experience.  And yet, Otino Waa provided them not only room and board and an education, but also security and peace, happiness and joy, and, above all, a strong Christian upbringing.  And I had the opportunity to share their joy and experience their love.

To Carol and Bob, from the bottom of my heart, I say thank you.

To see the kind of influence that Bob and Carol had, here is the Otino Waa Creed that kids learned as a part of their education. Carol penned the words in 2003, introduced it to the children, and went out to do some shopping. By the time she and Bob returned, several children had committed it to memory, and some had even made it into a song.

Otino Waa Creed

I am a special child of God chosen and set apart for a unique purpose.

My life has been difficult, but God has been and will be with me.

I have my own guardian angel who watches over me.

It is not my fault my parents are dead. I will miss them until the day I die.

I choose to forgive the people and circumstances surrounding their death

Because I know my own healing and well-being begin with forgiveness.

In the future, whenever I feel sad or angry, I will find someone who loves me and tell them how I feel.

I know I can always talk to God in my heart. No one can take his love for me away.

I am learning to be grateful for my life,

Knowing that God will use me to help others who also have a difficult life.

Life is hard, but God is good!

~Mike Hafner

As the COVID-19 pandemic struck the whole world, Africa as a continent was not left out. Facing the peril of the deadly disease with many sectors of the economy feeling its bite, education, not spared.

The Ugandan government decrees to curb the spread of the disease included closures of schools. This has brought forth untold sufferings mostly to the teachers who have been laid off for close to four months now, as their employers could not sustain paying their salaries in this lockdown.

In the field team’s follow-up calls with our Field of Hope teachers, we learned of the financial hardships facing these teachers, unable to meet some of their basic needs such as food and health care, among others.

Most private school teachers have not been receiving salaries owing to the fact that their schools are not operating. These are teachers with families with children back at home (unplanned due to the lockdown), hence increased numbers of mouths to feed. While some of these teachers have side businesses to supplement their income, these businesses fall under the categories prohibited from operating by the government due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 is not only testing the physical resilience of human beings, but also the various systems that handle it. Mental health, though our Ugandan people like to term it “mental stress”, was never considered critical or better said… lethal. However, we are witnessing an increase in heart-breaking occurrences first-hand as teachers struggle to cope up with the existing situation due to lack of resources. Instances of domestic violence have also risen during this lockdown.

At the end of the tunnel, advents “the Field of Hope” granting every teacher a sigh of relief. As reported by most, these teachers provided for their families food, medical care, and more. Mr. Isooba Jimmy could attest to this where he voiced out, “Thanks FOH for that heart am very grateful to u all blessed…am off to buy some rice.”

This good gesture by the Field of Hope will help deepen the bond between teachers and the organization through the economic support offered, along with the social support by way of motivation and inspiration found during our TeacherTalks on Zoom and within our WhatsApp groups.

As stated by Mr. Kabali Edward, “(This) morning I received relief from Field of Hope through Mr. Okullu Walter. I am really grateful and continue to pray that God richly blesses you. For sure the situation is so bad, but you have provided for me in this time of need.”

Mr. Jonah N. Musiimenta couldn’t hide his delight: “We really appreciate the relief from Field of Hope in this hard economic times, this is a sign of real love and care, we pray that the almighty God blesses the Board of Directors of Field of Hope, Staff and the whole family and make them yield more fruits in the whole of Africa and the world at large.”

Spiritually, it has imparted the lives of teachers as one Mrs. Suzanne Mwesigwa said, “Receive my sincere gratitude to the aid. I have received mine, gave tithe to the almighty God and the rest is for me and my family. Thanks Field of Hope team, may God bless you.” This resonates well with Field of Hope’s foundation which is hinged on Christ’s philosophies of prayers, love, care and service.

Field of Hope understands that all things come from the Lord, as He said, “Your needs and my riches are a perfect fit. I never meant for you to be self-sufficient. Instead I designed you to need me not only for daily bread but also for fulfillment of deep yearnings. I carefully crafted your longings and feelings of incompleteness, to point you to me. Therefore, do not try to bury or deny feelings with lesser gods: people, possessions, power.” We see the current trend of events as crisis but the to the Lord, this is a manifestation of His words that we should draw hope from because He said that, “Come in your neediness and desire to be blessed. As you spend time in My presence, your deepest longings are fulfilled.”

Field of Hope, the Lord’s tool of blessing!

Okullu Walter

Ugandan Country Coordinator

Agriculture is very important in Uganda, often referred to as the “back-bone” of the county’s economy, contributing on average 22% of the national GDP and employing 72% of the active population. Despite that fact, agriculture education has not been a compulsory (required) subject and is an unpopular subject and career path by secondary students and their parents in Uganda. This has been as result of occupational bias (most parents in Uganda would prefer their kids to be medical doctors, lawyers, journalists etc., but rarely agriculture professionals), lack of knowledge on potential career paths in agriculture (until I went to the University, the only agriculture course I knew was veterinary medicine) and lack of sufficient practical time.

Agriculture education has suffered numerous challenges: low recruitment and retention rates of students, lack of interest from the learners, lack of practical time/opportunities, limited funding for practicals in schools, and low passion by teachers. Addressing these challenges requires empowering and re-skilling of teachers to teach the subject more efficiently and practically while creating understanding, fun and excitement among learners in addition to providing as many practical/learning opportunities as possible. This fact gave birth to the Field of Hope ‘Youth Agricultural Education Program’ in Uganda with a mission of “inspiring excitement about the agricultural industry in Ugandan students, as well as to developing a wider and deeper knowledge of the proper and modern technologies within the industry”.

In partnership with Vivayic Inc, Field of Hope developed excellent teacher guides with numerous info on career paths in agriculture that have improved lesson plans and delivery while promoting experiential learning in secondary schools across the country. To maximize the impact of the teacher guides, FOH embarked on re-tooling and empowering of agriculture teachers through professional development workshops conducted in the country since 2018. To further support and supplement the teachers’ efforts in equipping and producing agriculturally inspired students, Field of Hope established the ‘Inspiring Students in Agriculture Grant’ (ISA grant) with the sole purpose of enhancing learning experiences of students through various agricultural related projects, demonstrations, and field trips.

Since its inception in 2017, the ‘Inspiring Students in Agriculture Grant’ has enabled the establishment of four agricultural projects (poultry projects, goat projects, and a piggery) and a field trip in eight secondary schools! The program highly emphasizes and encourages high student involvement in every aspect of the project from planning, execution to marketing there by providing direct hands-on skilling and demonstration of agribusiness principles to the students. The projects established as a result have enabled practical skilling of students in vegetable growing, poultry, piggery and goat production among the beneficiary schools in Uganda. Notable of the skills gained include good agronomic practices, disease identification, treatment and control in poultry, piggery and goats, marketing and record keeping. The projects have also facilitated improved feeding of students at their schools as they are able to produce their own food and sell to the school to make money. The projects have a student-based management structure which provide a platform for students to offer leadership to others in addition to promoting teamwork and a sense of responsibility among learners. The impact of the ISA projects has been clear through our interactions with the student leaders during our visit to these schools. I am a witness to several inspired and impressive students serving as project managers (such as Ruth from Iganga Girls S.S), project coordinators, treasurers and passionate members in their clubs.

The excitement created as a result of these learning opportunities has attracted and interested other learners into joining learning the subjects in these respective skills. Not to mention the teachers are finding it much easier to teach agriculture more practically in their school and the result has been increased recruitment and retention of students in agriculture subject in those schools.

In conclusion, the ‘Inspiring Students in Agriculture Grant’ has made very positive tangible and intangible contributions in the lives of students and teachers in Uganda creating enthusiasm and new hope for agriculture education in Uganda.

~Nicholas Ssebalamu, Program Associate