NEWS FROM UGANDA

Malcolm and Hélène Alexander, whose work the parish supports by prayer and monetary gifts, have sent news of the progress of the Wambabya Development Scheme, a joint Christian Aid—Church and Government of Uganda project:—

"The second half of April and the beginning of May were spent tea planting ... each of the 23 farmers planted their 2 acres - about 5,000 plants for each person, so we were busy with tractor and trailer moving the tea seedlings from the nursery to the farms ... at the beginning of June the second group of trainees started clearing their first land for planting this September. We have some hardworking young men in this group and, with a good headman, they completed clearing 1½ acres for each of them in 2 months. There are 15 farmers in this group, so that will mean 38 trainees settled this year. At the moment the new group are building their houses, and preparing some land for food crops ... most of the trainees in the first group are working well and are, I think, beginning to feel this Scheme really has something to offer them. Unfortunately a few have fallen behind - one of the reasons being that they still try to look after land at their home, so we get some absenteeism.

Wild animals have been quite a trouble recently. Baboons, in large packs, have been eating the farmers' food crops - the garden has only to be left for a few minutes and the baboons will move in and soon create enormous chaos. We have a Government baboon hunter, but the animals are intelligent and cunning, not easily killed. Bush-buck rather like to nibble the new shoots of the tea plants ... the bigger animals, buffalo and elephant, seem to have receded into the big forest which lies on one of our boundaries, so no trouble from them so far!

Your Christian Aid Week was a great success - congratulations! Thank you very much for earmarking the money for our scheme. Devaluation has meant that it will cost Christian Aid more to send us the same amount as planned. Also we have asked for an increase in our budget for 1) a diesel engine to drive the pump for irrigating during the dry season, and 2) the salaries for two diocesan extension workers. These are two young men who, after training by the Christian Rural Service Scheme in S. Uganda, are now visiting the villages round Wambabya trying to encourage the local people to improve their agriculture and housing and to start literacy classes for adults and Sunday Schools".

PARISH NOTES

Congratulations

To Colin Ford on gaining a place at Stirling University, having obtained one A and two Bs in his "A" Level examinations.

Sunday School

Reopens on Sunday, 8th September, at 11 a.m. Arrangements are as before - Infants to the school, Juniors in church, except on the, first Sunday in the month, when there is our Family Communion at 9.30 a.m., at which children of all ages are welcome. On other Sundays the Juniors join in the normal worship of Morning Prayer up to the Third Collect before withdrawal for a short period of instruction. Penny Hollands leaves for Training College this month and we hope her teaching with us will have helped her a little to prepare for a successful career as a teacher.

J.H.G-W.G.