News Briefs 4.....
A Home to call its own?......Actually two of them!
First permanent classroom building on the "America" campus of Mustard Seed. Built with interlocking stabilized soil blocks molded on the site
Mustard Seed Academy Now Has Two Campuses & its First Permanent Classroom. ......In one of the biggest steps to date Tree of Life Ministries, with the support of RPU, purchased 7.3 acres of land near to Lukaya town center and the homes of students we currently serve. It will be the site of the permanent Mustard Seed Academy Primary School and a variety of related activities. The land is high and well-drained, perfect for the classrooms, a campus life center, student dormitories and other buildings that will occupy the site.
The purchase was made possible, in part, by a generous grant in May 2011 from the William C. Bullitt Foundation of New York City. We are delighted that the Bullitt Foundation has supported RPU's work for the third straight year.
Now we face the challenge of raising about $250,000 to actually construct the campus that will feature many environmentally sustainable features. Interlocking stabilized soil blocks fabricated without the pollution and deforestation caused by firing bricks will be the main structural material. Buildings will be outfitted with water collecting gutters leading to storage tanks where water can be purified and distributed around the campus, and a network of ecotoilets that collect human waste for composting and fertilizer. Plantings of Moringa ("the miracle tree") as a living fence will produce, not only a barrier around the compound, but an ongoing supply of leaves that are loaded with protein and other healthful nutrients. The campus will be powered with solar arrays, making it largely independent of the unreliable hydro-power grid.
A big boost for our campaign for a permanent home came from the Presbyterian Church of Pleasantville that held a fund-raising auction on behalf of Real Partners Uganda and Mustard Seed Academy. Much of the congregation contributed to organizing the event, that included four different types or auctions, and gathering an amazing collection of goods and services that went up for bid. Over $6,000 dollars was raised, far beyond the original goal. The donation is earmarked to outfit classrooms at Mustard Seed, and represents another major step in our progress. We welcome other churches or organizations to work with us in sponsoring their own fund-raisers for the Uganda children. Please Contact Us.... if you or your organization would like to become partners.
The purchase was made possible, in part, by a generous grant in May 2011 from the William C. Bullitt Foundation of New York City. We are delighted that the Bullitt Foundation has supported RPU's work for the third straight year.
Now we face the challenge of raising about $250,000 to actually construct the campus that will feature many environmentally sustainable features. Interlocking stabilized soil blocks fabricated without the pollution and deforestation caused by firing bricks will be the main structural material. Buildings will be outfitted with water collecting gutters leading to storage tanks where water can be purified and distributed around the campus, and a network of ecotoilets that collect human waste for composting and fertilizer. Plantings of Moringa ("the miracle tree") as a living fence will produce, not only a barrier around the compound, but an ongoing supply of leaves that are loaded with protein and other healthful nutrients. The campus will be powered with solar arrays, making it largely independent of the unreliable hydro-power grid.
A big boost for our campaign for a permanent home came from the Presbyterian Church of Pleasantville that held a fund-raising auction on behalf of Real Partners Uganda and Mustard Seed Academy. Much of the congregation contributed to organizing the event, that included four different types or auctions, and gathering an amazing collection of goods and services that went up for bid. Over $6,000 dollars was raised, far beyond the original goal. The donation is earmarked to outfit classrooms at Mustard Seed, and represents another major step in our progress. We welcome other churches or organizations to work with us in sponsoring their own fund-raisers for the Uganda children. Please Contact Us.... if you or your organization would like to become partners.
