We are building a village based on christian and cooperative ideas in the North of Uganda. God opened a permanent door near to Gulu. We are a Christian community that does something against migration from the land. My main part will be to establish a permanent base for evangelisation, discipleship and church multiplication. We believe that within a few years the village will multiply – and with it a sound Christianity in the region. Pray with me that Gods sovereign move will be unbroken and soon we will already see a permanent settlement there. GOD HAS A PLAN!
The vision of christian villages
From the Founder: “During the year 1987, I received a vision of A NEW AFRICA. The vision was
so exciting and vivid that whenever I had the opportunity to speak in Christian
fellowship meetings or preaching in churches, I talked about it. In the vision of
the new Africa, I saw groups of Christians relocating out of cities and urban
areas into the vast African countryside and starting new communities or village
settlements there. These were well planned villages with large compounds having
all the amenities that people find desirable in the cities. The houses had
electricity and running water, and they were well constructed and maintained
like modern city homes.
The Christians who established these communities had large individual
household plots on which they built their family house, grew food and
vegetables for family sustenance and even had cottage industries that produced
a whole range of products for their own family use and for sale. Along the
perimeter of those villages were ranches and agricultural farms producing both
food and cash crops. Many of the household cottage industries were packaging
products from these agricultural farms.
At the centre of each village was a large space where the community constructed
their Church hall and built various commercial and social amenities like a
commercial centre, schools, hospitals etc.. These new communities looked like
self-contained economic units. They both exported to the urban areas and also
traded with the other communities around the country. There was neither
hunger nor poverty in these villages. People looked engaged and happy.
These villages were also centres for preaching the gospel in the countryside and
people were turning to Christ. The new believers were discipled not only in the
Christian doctrines and values, but also taught practical life skills. They learnt
the skills used in the cottage industries and then got employment on the farms.
They were helped to improve their rural homes.
During July 2017, when parts of Uganda suffered from drought, I telephoned
a Christian leader who had established an agricultural farm in a low rainfal area
in the countryside to find out how he was coping with the drought. He
informed me he had stored enough water. He also told me that he had been
inspired to establish his farm by what I had shared during the years 1987-1988
about Christian communities in the countryside. As we conversed, the Holy
Spirit dropped a word in my heart, that the time had come for that vision,
which I had seen in 1987, to be fulfilled. I immediately began to share the
vision again after 30 years of hibernation.
What we have done so far:
• December 2017, we identified a 61-acre piece of land near Mubende
town that looked suitable for a pilot project. We began mobilising money
for its purchase. With members’ contributions and help from our bankers
and a church SACCO, we were able to acquire the land in August 2018.
• Because of our vision’s similarity to the kibbutzim in Israel, during October
2018, I led a 10-day study tour to Israel where, in addition to visiting the
historical sites, we visited several kibbutzim and moshavim to study their
community and business model.
• In January 2019, through an interesting set of circumstances we connected
with the Jewish Agency, who got interested in providing expertise and
technology in the setting up of the businesses in the communities. We will
not copy and paste, but adopt and adapt some of the models we
discovered in Israel.
• During September 2019 we acquired a 93-acre piece of land near Gulu
for our second pilot community project.
• In October 2019, I led our second 10-day study tour to Israel where, in
addition to visiting the historical sites, we visited several kibbutzim to study
their community and business model. We stayed at a kibbutz for several
days and also spent a whole day in a detailed visit and interaction with
members of one of the oldest and most successful kibbutz.
• January to June 2020, ground work began at both our Mubende and
Gulu moshav village community projects:
- At the Sharon Valley Christian Kibbutz Village in Mubende, we
rehabilitated the 100,000 litre underground water tank that stores rain
water from our existing residential house. - At Sharon Valley, we also excarvated and established a 1.5 million
litre water dam in the valley portion of our land. This commenced our
irrigation project for all-year-round commercial farming in our village.
We laid pipes extending from the valley dam to the hill and installed
the pumping engines. - We also rehabilitated the two existing residential houses at Sharon
Valley, plastering the walls and fitting doors, installing solar lighting
and setting up a water-based sanitation system. - At the Gulu Kingdom Moshav Village we commenced construction
of the warehouses and produce processing facilities that we will use to
start trading and adding value to produce from our farm and the
surrounding agricultural communities. - In Gulu we have also started putting up family homes on the plots
allocated to the individual families. - Agricultural activities have also commenced at both locations.
- On the weekend of Pentecost 2020, we officially launched Sharon
Valley Christian Kibbutz Village in Mubende by establishing a
residential community there commencing with ten members.