I Am So Pleased to Share This News With You!
We have now 'Re-Activated' this Phase 3 Appeal.
Early last year I was in a severe rollover auto accident. Since then and during my recovery I've been doing my best to remain active behind the scenes. But now that I have fully recovered (🙏🙌‼️), we are 'Re-Igniting' this visionary humanitarian project. And, as I said on the photo above, "We need your help."
Because of your initial support, our “Steven Raises A Village” campaign Phases 1 & 2 have produced encouraging results!
Even though rural eastern Uganda is definitely undeveloped, and surviving is always a challenge, now more than ever, my brother Steven Mulyowa and I remain fully committed to creating new sustainable options for this area’s needy families and orphans.
Living in rural Uganda, my brother Steven Mulyowa is one of those ‘gentle giants’ who gives & gives so others can eat, sustain themselves, and become a benefit to their surrounding villages & communities.
Through his NGO ‘Children’s Voice Network’ (CVN), Steven has taught sustainable home gardening and farming, and small animal husbandry skills to not just individual families, but also to orphanages, schools, church congregations, and even to prison populations.
Directly due to Steven’s training and encouragement, fresh produce for eating, trade and sales now comes from well-kept farm plots, each proudly bearing the sign, “This Farm is Supported by Children’s Voice Network.”
As I periodically visit there, what a joy it is to speak with these wonderful people, each one deservedly proud of their efforts, and so grateful to their guide & mentor, my amazing brother, Steven. If you can’t already tell, I am in awe of this incredible human being. Why? His work continues to save real lives by creating sustainable resources for families and communities.
Some quick background:
You see, Steven himself was an orphan. At age 12, he suddenly became the ‘head of the house’ having to raise himself and eight younger siblings after both parents died from a disease outbreak. From compassionate villagers, he and the next-oldest kids learned home vegetable gardening and how to raise small animals in order to feed themselves, and to also trade and sell the excess for clothing and supplies.
It was a difficult struggle, but amazingly, all nine children survived to adulthood. And not surprisingly, Steven and his wife Pauline now have nine children - four of their own and five adopted orphans they’ve welcomed into their home.
It is this inspiring focus, strength and whole-hearted commitment that continues to drive Steven and those of us who eagerly continue to support his Children’s Voice Network (CVN) mission.
The Vision Expands
In 2022, during one of my visits to Uganda, while meeting with Steven and the CVN board, we began considering how we could widen the scope of CVN’s already successful outreach. Our discussions focused on two realities:
1. Children’s Voice Network needed to develop its own sustainable means of generating ongoing income to augment donor contributions. And…
2. CVN’s active community outreach over recent years had concentrated mainly on gardening to sustain its beneficiaries. Realizing that animal protein and milk were not in abundant supply for so many of our families, we asked ourselves, "What could we do to increase the region’s raising of food-source animals?"
What could we do to satisfy both of these needs all with a single well-thought out plan?
The answer arrived a few days later when Steven and his wife Pauline shared that their youngest son was quite allergic to cow’s milk, and suffering from both digestive and skin reactions. I simply asked, “Where can you get some goat’s milk? I had the same allergy as a kid, and switching to goat’s milk completely solved the problem.”
Almost instantly, Steven said, “That’s it - That’s the answer we’ve been looking for! Let’s raise a few goats ourselves along with some turkeys. If we can do it here at home on a small scale, then we could expand it to become an important and sustainable CVN Community Development Project for our rural beneficiaries!” Within fifteen minutes we had the basic framework on how to proceed.
And now we are reaching the climax of this 3-part journey we started with ‘Phase 1’ just over 3 years ago. Our plan continues to be simple & straight forward, and here it is:
“In the beginning…” (so to speak), we wanted to know…
• Is it possible for a single family in rural eastern Uganda to successfully raise goats and turkeys?
• How much land area would be necessary for healthy grazing and exercise?
• Are the general conditions and the local weather appropriate for this project?
• If the small-scale ‘Phase 1’ attempt was successful, how could we expand this concept to raise a larger ‘Phase 2’ herd of 100 goats still within a smaller area?
If successful [..and it has been! Keep reading…], this larger Phase 2 would prove the viability of our raising an even larger Phase 3 herd of 300 to 400 meat- & milk-producing goats, along with sizable flocks of both turkeys and chickens.
And this is where you and I come in: With each of us pitching in whatever we can to support this visionary project, living conditions and potentially the economic security of this entire area could be raised significantly.
Our Ultimate Phase 3 Goal: Establish a working 5-acre free-range goat & turkey Demonstration Farm, and then the CVN Farm Education Center, a Visitors Center, and a CVN Hostel & Dormitory for visiting interns and trainees.
All of this would to be located in Namutumba, near the very village where Steven was raised, and where he originally developed his skills, his determination, his tireless work ethic, and his inspiring humanitarian commitment to care for orphans, and the impoverished families that usually create them.
Well, how did we do? Here’s a quick review of our exciting progress.
Phase 1:
WIth our initial contributions, Steven bought 8 goats and 44 turkeys. The goats spent their days happily grazing in open fields while tied to central posts, and at night they were brought into the walled family compound for protection. Meanwhile, the turkeys flourished in Steven's former dirt-floored 2-room house that was fitted with feeders and watering stations.
So, did this work? YES! And with a more abundant offspring of goat kids, turkey eggs and chicks than we ever imagined. In a few short months, the goat herd swelled from 8 to 24, and with more on the way! Steven’s children all pitched in, learned new skills, and enjoyed playing with their fuzzy & feathery new friends.
What did we learn in Phase 1?
• The local environment and natural grasses are perfect for goats and turkeys.
• By selling a few of the young goat kids to other families eager to start their own small herds, and also by selling some of the expanded flock of turkeys, chicks and eggs, Steven’s family expenses were covered more easily. Even the ongoing school fees and required school uniforms could be paid for. This was exactly what we hoped for… To show the very real and ongoing economic benefits of raising goats and turkeys.
• With Steven’s large family as the successful ‘test case,’ we knew that since they could do this, then, with a few refinements, other families could also benefit.
Naturally, Steven started thinking about the next steps… What was needed?
Again, Steven’s answer came quickly: A smaller and more efficient fenced-in area was required to quickly raise a larger number of ‘parent stock’ females, ‘Nannie’ goats. This would also keep the inquisitive baby goat kids from wandering off and feasting in the neighbor’s garden. (Yes, this happened twice. As you can imagine, this did not make the neighbor happy.) Moving on to Phase 2 would now be necessary. And with your help, that’s exactly what we did!
Phase 2:
With generous contributions from our Phase 2 fundraising campaign in early 2024, work began. To prove the viability of feeding & breeding goats in a smaller, more efficient area, Steven designed and built from locally available materials an incredibly efficient 2-level structure designed to accommodate 75 –100 goats, with chickens raised under the lower level.
As you read this, with Steven’s successful techniques, the growing herd has more than doubled, now nearing 60 healthy adult goats, with multiple pregnancies and a growing number of energetic and always hungry baby goats.
To feed this large and expanding herd, every day Steven and our wonderful hired assistant shepherd, must walk or ride bicycles several kilometers to grasslands and marshes to gather large bags of those particular grasses preferred by the growing herd.
As you will see in the following video, by using a side yard next to their home for this 2-level containment & feeding structure, Steven even included a shaded area for benches where local folks can come and learn what is being accomplished.
So, let’s go to Uganda and have Steven show us around:
Volume UP? Click on the "Watch video on YouTube"
This Phase 2 experiment, with its small, well-planned footprint, has been extremely successful with the adult population of kid-bearing nannies now numbering almost 60, and rapidly nearing capacity. And with some of the hard-earned profits, Steven was able to purchase a dairy cow who is apparently perfectly contented being raised amongst the goats.
What did we learn in Phase 2?
• Individual families can successfully raise goats and turkeys in sufficient numbers to feed themselves, and to earn a sustaining income.
• We have proven the viability of all our original visions and goals. And in doing so, we have shown ourselves to be good stewards of our donor’s kind contributions.
• Now, by combining this successful Phase 2 approach of small-area containment and feeding structures, with our proven Phase 1 grazing approach, Phase 3 can now move forward with every assurance of success.
• As Steven reminded us in the video, every donation of any amount accomplishes much more in rural Uganda than you would ever expect. Lives have been improved, and futures have been reborn. As a result, in our global Children’s Voice Network family, we all benefit. It is true that helping to create meaningful change anywhere, actually helps all of us everywhere.
Because Steven’s ‘Children’s Voice Network Team’ now includes all of us from around the globe, our joint goal is to raise sufficient funds to move forward with Phase 3, and complete this incredible project. With our combined contributions, the social and economic benefits to these good people in rural eastern Uganda will be transformative.
So, here is what the future looks like.
Here is exactly what our combined donations will be used for...
Phase 3:
With the tremendous success of Steven’s efforts in wisely using the funds raised from Phases 1 & 2, he has proven the value and viability of raising goats for meat and milk, and turkeys for meat and eggs in rural East Africa.
What is needed now? Funds to purchase at least 5 acres of fertile acreage in Namutumba, Uganda. Steven and his CVN board wish to complete this project in Namutumba to thank and to give back to the area and families that originally taught Steven, and helped him and his 8 brothers and sisters to survive against all odds.
Our ‘Phase 3–Stage I’ goal is to raise $20,000 (US). And with this, here is what Steven is prepared to accomplish:
Goats:
• Purchase 5+ acres of open-range grazing land in eastern Uganda, specifically within the Namutumba area where Steven grew up.
• Construct large 2-level containment structures for nighttime security, feeding & watering.
• Provide penned areas for new mother/parent goats and their kids.
• Steven’s current Phase 2 goat herd and flock will be moved from Steven’s home to the new CVN Demonstration Farm in Namutumba, a distance of approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles).
Turkeys & Chickens:
• Allow for open grazing of turkeys and chickens feeding on natural ground plants & insects.
• Create movable containment areas for rotational feeding of the chickens while providing protection from predators.
• Build hen houses for brooding, chick containment, and feeding & watering.
[Separate facilities are required for the turkeys and for the chickens]
Building Structures
For Maintenance, Community Engagement, and Administration.
Stage I:
Establish A Working Goat, Turkey & Chicken Demonstration Farm with Necessary Storage Sheds & Barn(s)
• A secure enclosed storage shed for groundskeeping & maintenance tools, equipment and machinery. This will include required fencing supplies: chain link rolls & posts, digging & post-driving machinery.
• A Barn for storing specialized feed & veterinarian supplies, with an incorporated veterinary treatment facility.
Here is exactly how your ‘Phase 3–Stage I’ contributions will be used:
Funding ‘Phase 3–Stage I’ now will allow us to establish CVN’s fully-operating 5-acre Goat, Turkey & Chicken Demonstration Farm described above, including the necessary barns, sheds, tools and equipment.
Once the new CVN Demonstration Farm is fully operational, a final 'Phase 3–Stage II' funding campaign will construct the ‘public’ structures, successfully completing this visionary Children’s Voice Network project. Here is what will be added:
Stage II:
Construct Public Reception, Demonstration, Training & Support Facilities
• Reception Area, and Demonstration & Education Center for training local families and village populations, visiting interns, agricultural tourists, government program developers, officials and dignitaries.
• CVN Hostel & Dormitory lodging facility for visiting interns and trainees.
• Office space for CVN administration, communications and program development.
There you have it.
The rest is up to all of us!
But just one more thing…
At the very center of this is Steven Mulyowa, my brother.., our brother, who has one quick message to share:
Won’t you please join me now: Contribute what you can through this secure *spotfund page. And also, please forward the link to your friends, family and associates. They will thank you, just as I will now:
In every way, this is a family effort,
Our family, all of us together.
So, wIth all my heart, Thank you so much!!!
