A letter from Liz

Breaking ground in more than one way

Our first building has a poured concrete floor, a roof and a water tank, thanks to the generosity of our donors and contributions from founding members of Ngombor in Uganda. Ajolo, our volunteer on-site farm assistant, no longer needs to live in a blue tarpaulin shelter, and has access to running water.

Without Ajolo’s volunteering to be on-site, we wouldn’t be able to invest in the food forest and build the farm. Thanks to our donors’ support he is out of the rain in time for the wet season. Last time we sent out our newsletter, we’d just launched our first official fundraiser on GoFundMe, Support Ngombor's Sustainable Future. Thank you to everyone who has supported us, be it spreading the word or making a contribution.

Ngombor community members have been raising funds locally by quarrying stone on the farm to sell for construction. With this money Ngombor is building an outhouse. The building will have four rooms, a store (for sawdust etc), a bathroom, a latrine (pit toilet) and room for a composting toilet once it's possible. A composting toilet is a long term goal as it has a more expensive initial setup, but is less arduous to maintain and material can become fertilizer faster.

As our members build important sanitation, we’re looking to our international volunteers to get the money to install external windows and doors. Doors will mean we can store more items safely and securely on the farm, provide Ajolo with more privacy, as well as protection from the weather that isn’t using tarpaulin. When we can install windows, weather proofing will be available that doesn’t block out light as well as wind and rain. I know I’m fond of doors and windows myself! :-)

Ngombor was only founded this year, but the positive, grassroots changes are already apparent, from supporting marginalized people to develop IT skills, to land restoration and to planting the start of a vibrant food forest.

I feel lucky to be part of such purposeful work. Back in 2000, my mum donated to help Tenzin Palmo found the first Tibetan Buddhist Nunnery that was dedicated to knowledge and learning, the way monasteries do, rather than a nunnery being a way to domestically support monks. My mum donated about $400, it covered the full costs of one nun for a year. The nunnery became part of a whole movement, and it feels precious to me that my mum’s spark was there at the very beginning.

Twenty five years on and we’re founding something I think she would be proud of, something that promises to enable a lot of positive change and inspire other like-minded movements. I can’t give folks the ability to sponsor a nun for a year, but you can sponsor a tree or a chicken, a goat or even a cow.

I feel like we’re at the start of something very special, that excited thrill that reminds me of my mum’s sparkling smile 25 years ago. How good it feels to be part of something good.

I am lucky, humbled and joyful to be part of this. Thank you for reading our newsletter and giving us the gift of your attention, we don’t take it for granted. If you have feedback, requests, things that spark your interest, please reply to this email, we’d love to hear from you.

Yours in gratitude,

Liz Argall
Co-founder,
Ngombor Community Development Alliance

If you can help by spreading the word, that would be lovely. If you think a community newsletter, school newsletter or other space would like an article from us, or for us to give a talk, please contact [email protected]

Progress so far

Optimism and much progress in the face of climate change

In the closing days of August, the long dry spell was relieved for a few days. Swales filled with a dizzying amount of water, but the land had been dry for so long that all this water was absorbed by the land in about a day!

Since then, there were several downpours, and with each rain the land drank in water that would otherwise have just flown off the surface. But the rains have not continued, and the ground is dry again.

Even with these challenges, the activities on the farm have caught the attention of people in the area, some of whom started out skeptical. People are already astounded by how well plants are doing in what is considered to be stony unviable soil.

“They are paying keen interest in watching all the activities taking place with the eyes of learning and waiting to see the outcome,” says Vince. “They are watching with open curiosity around how the farm is going, and if successful may change how agriculture is done in Nebbi district.”

Unfortunately, this wet season has been unusual and not very wet. This has impacted farmers throughout the region. Crops like cassava, millet and rice are still doing well, but crops such as beans and green vegetables are most affected. This means is that cash crops are ok, but everyday nutritionally dense food, the food that is traded locally, suffers.

This is Ngombor’s first year. We’re still building soil structure and testing what the land will carry. It must always be a series of experiments early on. Vince will go into more details about how the farm’s going in his report.

We’ve also reached a farm photo diary milestone. In March, we created an online photo album to capture activities, including attending life changing permaculture training, breaking ground on the farm, planting the food forest, raising seedling in our nursery, receiving teak and napier donations from local government, and much more. It got pretty huge! And was a lot to scroll down through. So we created a second photo album

• Ngombor Permaculture Album 1, March 2025 to early August

• Ngombor Permaculture Album 2, August onwards

A letter from Vince, founder of Ngombor

Updates from the Ngombor on the ground team

Food forest

Despite the challenge of inadequate rain we have been able to plant 150 fruit trees at the farm; these include various types of fruits like bananas, nefle/medlar, gishta, soursop, mangoes, oranges, papaya/pawpaw, macadamia, avocado, jackfruits and lemon. Most of these fruit trees have been planted in the proposed food forest while some around the building and other along the proposed runways. In addition to the fruits, we have planted beans and ground nuts. Meanwhile in the kitchen garden we have planted carrots, hibiscus, sunhemp, tomatoes, spider plant (cleome gynandra delicious), sukuma wiki (collard greens), dodo/amaranth, water melon, nakati, okra, onions and eggplants. 

Community garden

The crops that were planted in the community garden include cabbages, eggplants, green paper, okra, tomatoes, onions. These crops were highly affected by the inadequate rain which in turn affected the output. The following is the income projection from the crops against actual income that was realized though in Ugandan Shillings.

The money received from the sales of the produce has been injected into the savings and loan scheme to be borrowed by members at low interest. While the garden is currently being cleared to pave way for ground nut and maize that will be harvested in December.

In preparation to goat and cattle rearing, we have planted 3 sacks of napier grass cutting, they have started germinating but due inadequate rain fall it has been a little slow. Napier grass is not only valuable for their nutritious animal feeds but also good for the environment as well as soil health; it can also be used as firebreak to protect against wild fire.

In Zone 4 for we have prepared holes for planting teak, eucalyptus and white teak. The planting will be done as soon as we receive the next rain, mean while the seedlings are being taken care of in our nursery garden. From the same nursery we have been able to raise jackfruit seedlings that we have distributed to members/community to start their own food forests.

Next season we hope to raise a variety of fruit seedling so that all members are able to have their individual food forests in their homes. Other seedlings that we are raising in the nursery are kei apples. This will be used as spiny live fence at the farm, kei apples are also known for being nutritious and rich in Vitamin C and thrives in a harsh dry and saline condition. More importantly it has enormous contributions to biodiversity, helps in controlling soil erosion while providing food for the community which makes it a great agroforestry resource, it is therefore great to have at the farm.

You can see more of our progress, as well as videos in our farm photo diary.

In a bid to merge agriculture and technology development, while mindful of how effective use of technology is essential for not only the community enhancement but also the environment, we hold weekly meetups to train the local disadvantaged youth in IT.

Some of these youth come from as far as 10km and, when we can, we cater for their transport refund. As for now we provide training in Microsoft Office packages, but in future we hope to upgrade to data science, web development etc.

These Saturday meetups have been so helpful and the members are happy about it. Being the first of its kind in Nebbi however, the attendance is not consistent, every time new faces appear while some of the regular once miss meetups, but we are optimistic that soon the attendance will stabilize and as well as increase.

You can read more about our IT projects in our Bridging the Digital Divide photo album.

For the garden, tips from Kate

How tomatoes can thrive in dry environments

We invited our volunteer permaculture consultant, Kate Webb, to give us a bit of insight into how tomatoes can be more delicious with a little dehydration, what companion plants help them thrive and what plants are terrible neighbors.

Fresh, ripe tomatoes are a garden classic for good reason, and I wanted to share some hints for tomato success.

Tomatoes are highly susceptible to blossom end rot, which is primarily caused by inadequate calcium uptake.  The amount of calcium available to the plant can be impacted by too much water, not enough water, or imbalances of nitrogen, potassium, and magnesium. Tomatoes should be watered deeply and infrequently, about 1-2" per week. Good mulching will keep the soil moist and encourage the roots to grow deeper. It's important for the soil to be maintained at a slightly acidic pH, between 6.0 and 6.8.

Companion planting can help keep tomato plants healthy by attracting beneficial insects and repelling pests. Basil and chives will improve the vigor and flavor of the tomatoes. Oregano, parsley, and thyme will attract parasitic wasps, and borage repels tomato hornworm. Calendula, marigolds, and nasturtium are also good companion choices. Beans help fix nitrogen in the soil. Carrots and radishes, especially deep-rooted daikon, help with breaking up and oxygenating the soil. Garlic and onion will repel aphids by covering the smell of the ripening fruit. 

Plants to avoid include brassicas such as cabbage or broccoli, which are heavy feeders and will compete with the tomatoes. Fennel is an allelopathic plant which releases compounds from its roots which stunt growth and inhibit fruit production; it also attracts aphids. Also avoid potatoes, which attract tomato hornworms. 

Finally, tomatoes respond well to a technique called dry farming. This involves planting the tomatoes deep, including some of the stem, in order to engage a more robust root system.  The tomato plants are irrigated until well established, then irrigation is discontinued, forcing the tomato to grow deep roots to find the moisture down as far as 2 meters. This encourages soil health and beneficial mycorrhizal fungus. Dry farmed tomatoes are smaller, with thicker skins, and more pronounced sweetness and flavor.

Recipe from Vince, article by Manny

How to make cooked bean leaves

Leafy green vegetables, especially the “cooking greens” like collard, mustard, turnip greens and kale, are staples of African-American “soul food,” and I’ve eaten them many times. In those recipes, the tough leaves are sautéd for several minutes in lard or cooking oil, then boiled for an hour to make them tender, sprinkled with vinegar and served with hot pepper sauce.

Vince introduced us to a simple, traditional Ugandan alternative: bean leaves. This recipe is also simple but very different from the style of greens I have been used to. And, while we have a variety of beans growing in our garden. It had never occurred to me to cook and eat the leaves before.

First, collect fresh and soft bean leaves. The bean leaves can be picked from the time there are five leaves and above until they are too old. and the leaves become too hard to be cooked. Boil the leaves as you would with any sturdy green leaves until they are tender enough to eat.

When the leaves are soft enough to be eaten, in a separate bowl mix the peanut paste with hot water so that it will incorporate evenly with the boiling bean leaves. Peanut paste is a thick paste of ground peanuts, sometimes mixed with sim sim (sesame seeds), unsweetened peanut butter would work as well. Pour the mixture into the boiling bean leaves. Boil for 5 - 10 minutes, strain and serve. It can be delicious hot or cold.

Beans leaf recipe

1. Collect fresh and soft bean leaves. Once they have five leaves or more, they are too old and will be too hard.

2. ⁠Boil until they are tender

3. ⁠Mix peanut paste with hot water to create a slurry

4. Add the peanut slurry to the boiling bean leaves and stir

5. Boil for 5-10 minutes and serve

How donations help

Ngombor permaculture goals

The Ngombor Committee has revised fundraising goals as we matured our project. Most importantly, we wanted to invest more in construction rather than livestock to start with. This way volunteers could stay at the farm with basic amenities, such as a poured concrete floor rather than sleeping on rubble foundations. This is especially handy given local fundraising or even developing a kitchen garden has been hampered by climate change.

We hope to create an IT projects specific fundraiser towards the end of this year/early next year, but, understandably, external windows and doors for our first building take priority.

$2,000 – achieved!

We’ve built a ceiling and roof for our first building, we’ve dug swales to capture water.

$3,000 – achieved!

We’ve installed a water tank – running water at the farm! We’ve started planting our food forest, and dug more swales.

4,500 – in progress

We’ve poured concrete floor in our first building. Now we’re raising funds to install external windows and doors. 

$6,000

We will be able to get basic solar (some lights and phone charger), build a chicken coop and get our first chickens! 

Once we get chickens, Ngombor will be able to do more fundraising by selling eggs and chickens.

$7,500

We’ll build an energy efficient kitchen and a composting toilet. 

$8,500

We’ll build a goat house and fencing. We’ll get our first goats and have better facilities for hosting trainings!

$10,000

We’ll fence pasture, build a cow shelter and get a cow. We’ll have better composting facilities and ways of enriching the soil 

$11,500

We’ll have every thing we need to keep bees! 

$13,000

We’ll be able to invest in aquaculture and build a fishpond. 

Grants

We are also working on a grant to build a well at Ngombor, which will also increase access to clean water in the region. Some of the above goals may change if we need to independently pay for a hydrologist.

Thank you from everyone at Ngombor

Ngombor means “having come a long way” in Alur. In nine short months, we have already come a very long way, thanks to your attention and support.

The needs remain great, especially in times of climate change; seasonal rains cannot be counted on as they always have making life more challenging even as we work to improve it. But we can see that in two ways, focusing on the need or on the opportunity.

Ngombor means "hope" in Alur. Your involvement with the members of the Ngombor community helps keep that hope alive.

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