The Katungu Village Campaign 2012-2023

The Katungu Village Project is a story about ones roots and how you never leave home. The missions director; Matt Biryomumeisho, was born and grew up in this village of a few hundred that exists on a rock and scrub brush hillside overlooking the town of Kabale Uganda. He was lucky and was selected at the age of seven by a missionary who set him up with an education in tourism and after his graduation he landed a job at nearby Lake Bunyoni. When Orchid met him in 2011 (pictured) he was hard at work trying to find sponsors to help his village turn the corner of self-sufficiency by financing micro-businesses, sustainable animal husbandry and agricultural programs and providing an education, like he had, for every child in the village.

Matt’s dream started with a $300.00 grant from a Canadian Tourist that befriended him and from that moment on he never looked back. He constructed a rudimentary school for 40 students on his fathers land and now it grows by about 20 children each year.Originally a Pre-school (called ‘baby level’ in Uganda) it now educates children through primary level four. Matt’s ultimate goal is to add classes through primary level seven (the top of Uganda basic education level).  This would allow the students to go on to secondary and vocational school.

Matt has led the team since 2011 and in 12 years they have built a school for 250 students, a piggery, a sustainable farm, an orphan sponsor program, rain water collection system, community sanitary waste disposal and vocational training programs for young people to become tailors, carpenters, brick layers and masons.

Matt loves to share that the community members love what they are doing, and they support the school by performing chores 6 hours each week. helping to clean the compound, carry fire wood, leveling the land, working in the garden and wherever necessary.

After All, it’s not about a handout it’s all about a helping hand.