What I have learned the most about myself during this trip is when you find great people to surround yourself with you can do things that are significant and meaningful.

Amy Scarth the founder of the Big Beyond you inspire me. You work tirelessly through tough times when you take a step forward with the local community and get pushed three steps back. You never forget that every now and then you take 4 steps forward and change people’s lives in significant ways in a place so full of hope and opportunity for the local people. Keep following your dream to empower people in Uganda and Ethiopa to help them take the next steps to make their own lives better.

My 50 trees for 50 years and 50 friends was a seed (pun intended) of an idea that by itself is nice but the idea of 50 trees added to the foundation of what we are doing with the vegetable seed bank in changing health and incomes of farmers and giving them now a way to earn rare and sacred indigenous trees along with their vegetables in seed bank is bringing the forest back to the people who need it most even though they don’t quite know what to do with it yet – we will figure that out. And the piggies bank (pun still intended since the next step is pigs / livestock) will get so big you will need a volunteer Army to help you keep up!

Annewies Herberlink you KILLED IT with the seedling bank! Your work with the amazing Joseph and Justus collecting seedlings months ago from the Bwindi Impenetrable so the seedlings were ready to plant for this big 50 trees event. And Amos you pulled the community together to help us build a round about for the first tree – so many people so excited! Thanks Joseph, Amos, Annewies and Howard for sticking to it and getting all 50 trees planted in a single day! It’s going to look amazing in just a few years!

Jennifer from the volunteer house you were like a great Uganda Mom to me and Howards thanks for the help and support.

The Big Beyond was the right thing for me and I believe in it for these conservation programs because they are truly genius ways of having conservation actually be GREAT for the farmer when so many times it isn’t. It’s the elusive WIN WIN everyone is always looking for and never finds. The farmers win by getting access to seeds and seedlings to diversify their crops and sell these new crops for higher dollars creating income, better nutrition for their families, enriched soil from the new plants and stability by having crops ready for harvest. The environment wins because it gets trees returned that create bio diversity, erosion control and a return of the beautiful indigenous trees to the buffer zones around national parks.

I was happy to have so much support form you all in Rubuguri – Amy, Joseph, Amos, Justus and Howards. Amy, Having your project managers grow up here in the village we work makes them so much more valuable than other volunteer trips I’ve done. Thanks Lizzie for passionately describing the situation here in the southern sector and talking so passionately that after your 8 minute passionate plea with a single breath in your one long sentence,.. I was completely excited. Needless to say I was already booking my ticket before you finished speaking. We just need to get you out from behind that desk again soon😎

Thanks to all of the local people for the kind words, the support, the interpretation to Ruchega and back. Thanks for letting me come be part of the southern sector and try and do my best to support your lofty but much needed goals for change.

KEEP DOING THE GREAT WORK! It’s a labor of love and that shows every day.

MUCH MUCH LOVE TO BIG BEYONG IS RUBUGURI UGANDA!!

Thanks, B

Respect, professionalism and perseverance. Life is a gift. Living is a choice.

Thanks, B

Respect, professionalism and perseverance. Life is a gift. Living is a choice.