The Sperlings in Africa

Please be sure to check out our links to Equip, Orphans kNOw More, Bush Fire Children's Home.

Meet the Sperlings:Kenny (2003) and Albert (2004) in the tree, Chris, holding Isaiah (2006), Jane, Andrew in the middle (1999) and our nephew who lives with us, Tugume (2001)

The Sperlings returned to Uganda in January 2007 to continue their work in Uganda under Equip Canada. The Sperlings are missionaries sent under Equip Canada. Equip is an evangelical interdenominational organization that trains and sends missionaries to assist the local church in ministries to the poor. Equip missionaries have a practical skill which they use on the field to assist the local church in the care for the poor in some specific way. The Sperlings are continueing to serve orphans and HIV-affected families.The main area that the Sperlings offer assistance to these people is by training and teaching in Ariculture and Appropriate Technologies. Chris Sperling is trained in Agriculture and Appropriate Technologies as well as Hand Well-drilling and Water Filtration. Chris serves under two NGO's in Uganda; Orphans kNOw More  -OKM(a YWAM project working with families who have taken in children from HIV affected families as well as the HIV affected families of two regions of Uganda -- Kangalunira and Jinja/ Kikuku)and the second NGO is a Children's Home for Orphaned and At-Risk Children in Namatumba District called Bush Fire Children's Home .

Chris runs an "Improved Seed" distribution program with OKM. This seed is given to the Foster Families and HIV affected families in the surrounding communites. The improved seed helps the families to get more from their land in terms of crop yield and nutrition. Currently Maize, Beans, Soya, and Peanuts (Ground nuts) along with vegetable seedlings are given out to selected families. The famileis send a reprasentative to come for an afternoon of training and then there is a follow-up program where all of the families are visited to ensure the proper use of the seed. These visits allow Chris an opprtunity to encourage fellow believers and to share Christ with those who are not saved as well as keep a close tab on how these peasant farmers are doing.

With Bushfire, Chris has run demonstration plots showing how the locals can use animal traction (oxen) to plant and weed their crops. Currently, the locals open their land with the plow but all subsequent activities are performed by hand.This will bring greatly increased efficiency to the farming system as well as relieve the women of some of the back-breaking labour involved in planting and weeding which is done all by hand tools. Recently, Chris has set up a Commercial Farm with Bushfire funding on an 80 acre peice of land that belongs to the ministry. The farm business has been created to help the Children's Home become more self sufficient and less reliant on outside support. We will have our first harvest in July/August 2008.

Chris also offers free consultation to other NGO's that need help decideing what to do with their land or how to grow certain crops or use certain Agriculture Technologies. Because the Sperlings are supported as Missionaries these services are all offered for free except for the fuel that is needed to reach any jobsite.

To continue to hear more about what we do you can be added to our e-mail or snail-mail list by sending an e-mail to: sperling_equip@yahoo.ca