Dear EATBETA, the pastor together with the leadership of PraiseGates Church wish to thank you for the privilege and opportunity that was given to our church and the community when we had two days of serious training–during the summer 2019 mission. The workshop and training in Kitetikka community attracted over fifty women and six men. We are getting testimonies from people who had given up on farming, because of very low outputs and results, but are now back! One of them, my wife (Violet), had given up on farming; but because of the knowledge she acquired during the workshops, she is now reinvigorated. Thank you EATBETA for your support. We wish that this kind of training programs could spread to other communities. In addition to that, we have members of our church who have opened new businesses after learning how to do business God’s way!. We thank God for the EATBETA team that provided the training, and we humbly request that you keep coming to help and equip our community. Thank you and may the Lord bless you for this timely Vision!
Pastor Jonathan Lubinga
Lead Pastor, PraiseGates Church, Komamboga, Wakiso District, Uganda.
The most satisfying virtue of EATBETA is that EATBETA welcomes, encourages, and then fosters and facilitates the visions, the new ideas and the innovations suggested by EATBETA participants and partners. In 2017, at EATBETA’s inception, I wanted to introduce, promote, and fabricate push-plows across Uganda. EATBETA immediately embraced the idea and began fabricating push-plows in Uganda. Then EATBETA set up teaching opportunities across Uganda for me to introduce and demonstrate the push-plows. Far more significantly, this year, I wanted to provide hand-dug water wells for Ugandan farmers. EATBETA immediately coordinated and began digging the first two hand-dug water wells, in Arua and in Kashongi, Uganda. And then, when I wanted to use those water well projects as teaching opportunities, to use the water wells as “hand-dug water well schools” to show Ugandans how they could dig their own water wells and to encourage the farmers to provide for themselves water wells on every farm in Uganda, EATBETA set up speaking opportunities at the dedication of those two water wells, where I expounded on how every Ugandan farmer could have his/her own water well on their farm. That vision (Proverbs 29:18) of a hand-dug water well on every farm in Uganda will be transformative! But then, the “TA” in the EATBETA acronym stands for “Transforming Agriculture.” I had a vision for transforming Ugandan agriculture by providing hand-dug water wells and by teaching Ugandans how to dig the water wells for themselves. And by facilitating my vision of hope for Uganda, EATBETA fulfills the promise in its name: “Evangelizing Africa Through Business Empowerment and Transforming Agriculture.”
Judge Sam Griffith
Retired Judge, Texas 12th Court of Appeals
Words cannot describe my experience in Uganda. Although, I trusted in Christ and my brother Julius I wasn’t sure what to expect on my journey. Before our trip I inquired about interviewing and gaining insight from the local people about Eatbeta’s impact in Africa. Our Western European/American viewpoint seems to create solutions without fully understanding the impact and the insight from the local people. We must obtain “buy in” from the people and be patient with our efforts to impact change. We must also trust the Holy Spirit and God to provide change that gives Him all the Glory. We must concentrate on teaching a man to fish verses feeding him a fish
Mr. Robert Erger
Technology Director, McKinney Christian Academy
My Uganda experience was a very interesting one. I was in Katosi for a week where I was lodged in Hotel Cross City. I was also hosted by an amazing family of Pastor Timothy Kakooza, they were really welcoming. My stay there was amazing; I got the chance to gain new agricultural skills from rural farmers. I visited the family farm of Pastor Timothy, where I got the chance to see their pineapple plantation and later I visited a church member’s banana field. I also visited an elementary school called Winners School, where, besides sharing my life experiences with the students, I learned about their educational system; though I was rather dishearten by the appalling poor conditions under which the students studied. I could see that these students were willing to learn and become successful, but the government has not provided them with its due support. Hopefully, during my next visit, I would be able to help and put a smile on those students’ faces.
Ms. Praise Benson, Student
Prairie View A&M University
The 2018 Mission proved to be somewhat more challenging than the previous year, however, I felt that this year’s mission was one of the most rewarding missions I’ve ever experienced. I made it an effort to train farmers who raise livestock, to view and believe that “Farming is Business”. Training them to look at their practices as business decisions has been helpful in establishing an appreciation for efficiency and productivity. By having them see their farm as a business rather than just a farm, I was able to relate the economic benefits of practicing proper and sufficient animal welfare, feeding, breeding, and overall care. It was an improvement on my part from my last visit and I believe that it resonated with the farmers in a way that empowered them to take ownership of their success through proactive measures in better business management. I was blessed to have been contacted through social media by farmers in Tanzania prior to the 2018 Mission. God had opened a door for us that we felt in our hearts would lead towards the spread of his gospel and the improvement of agriculture throughout Africa. Our efforts to expand into Tanzania has, in my opinion, been a blessing from God himself. Our journey in Tanzania did not come without doubts or challenges, but God gave us wisdom and guidance to proceed with faith. We meet farmers Frank and Francis, who had amazing diversified small farms and had a love for Christ. Their farming practices and faith were beyond my expectations and it made me overjoyed that God would confirm this expansion of the EATBETA mission with such favor.
Mr. Rhyne Cureton
Student, North Carolina A&T University
I am very excited to have partnered with EATBETA, which is taking care of us and thinking about our farming-related problems. As a farmer, I was impressed with how the trainers demonstrated to us the hand-plow while indicating its benefits over the traditional hoe. I would suggest that the hand-plow be more customized to suit our farming environment; I feel that a hoe is still a good tool if used alongside the hand-plow. I am also glad to report that from the time EATBETA gathered and trained farmers in my village of Mpumude, Jinja, there has been tremendous cooperation and friendship amongst the farmers who participated in the training sessions. We highly ask you to be coming to visit us more often and bring more trainers to empower us in other areas which were not addressed during the previous training sessions. We also appreciate your visitation to our farms, you raised our hope and love for farming. Thank you very much.
Mr. Herbert Wamala
Rural Farmer-Mpumude, Jinja District, Uganda
When Dr. Sonko approached me with the vision that God had given him regarding EATBETA, it never looked big at the time; it seemed to make no sense until now when I have seen the number of people that have been engaged and impacted by the Summer 2017 program. The dream has indeed come to pass–this is a very wonderful thing!
Mr. Brian Lubowa
EATBETA Country Director, Uganda
Foremost, I wish to extend my gratitude to the Almighty God who has managed to keep us alive and healthy. I solicited feedback (provided below) from a few farmers I sampled out of the forty who participated in the Summer 2017 training session at Kashongi village:
On the hand-plow tool, the trainees requested for more training opportunities and suggested to have more hand-plows available for hands-on training purposes. They also suggested having ongoing group demonstration gardens at the training center. Accordingly, the trainees are greatly eager to learn and attain improved livelihoods from the programs provided by EATBETA.
On the beekeeping part, farmers have been using the local type of beehives which are not durable; they, therefore, requested for an uplift from EATBETA as they strive to improve their beekeeping activities.
The farmers appreciated the piggery/animal farming knowledge and skills that were given to them by the experts; now, there are visible improvements in the way animal farmers are taking care of their animals. The farmers are looking forward to more training on how to properly raise and manage farm animals in a profitable manner.
The farmers also requested for ongoing visits to their farms, by EATBETA coordinators, to check on the farmers’ progress and how they are implementing the lessons learned from the training sessions.
Whenever it is established, some farmers expressed willingness to provide manual labor at EATBETA’s demo-center as a way to improve and develop their farming skills while working at the training demo-center farmsteads.
Lastly but not least, the trainees greatly appreciated the free lunch that was provided during the training session and they called upon God to bring heavenly mercies upon EATBETA’s efforts in the development of their village and Uganda at large.
Mr. Emmanuel Mugaju
EATBETA Coordinator, Uganda
I don’t take lightly the opportunity to have served with EATBETA during Summer 2017. Since I was the trainers’ driver, it gave me the privilege to participate in every single training session, I consider myself as the first beneficiary of the program and I indeed benefited a lot from all the training. I am very grateful!
Mr. Raymond Kisseka
EATBETA Coordinator, Uganda
I don’t take lightly the opportunity to have served with EATBETA during Summer 2017. Since I was the trainers’ driver, it gave me the privilege to participate in every single training session, I consider myself as the first beneficiary of the program and I indeed benefited a lot from all the training. I am very grateful!
Mr. Raymond Kisseka
EATBETA Coordinator, Uganda
Through this mission trip, there is a lot that I have learned—some I need to improve on my part to be a better educator with a diversified approach to my teaching. I think EATBETA is on the right trajectory—I see it only going up; you executed the mission very well.
Mr. Rhyne Cureton
EATBETA Volunteer, Monroe, North Carolina
Traveling and training rural farmers with Raymond, Julius, Rhyne, and Robert, was one of my most enjoyable and, I believe, the most productive of the overseas trips I have had. I enjoyed meeting each of you, and sharing visions of enhanced Uganda and sharing good times.
Judge Sam Griffith
EATBETA Volunteer, Tyler, Texas
