Fr Bruno has always been passionate about farming and food self-sufficiency and educating the children, from Madeke Fruit Farm to the TOUCO Family veggie plots and pigs and chickens and cows. He has experimented with and imported a lot of varieties of avocados, and banana trees grow well there also.
Budget and Repair Plans for 2026
Early days buildings are now almost 10 years old and require some maintenance. This year your donations are funding a number of renovation and building maintenance projects at Dorotea (Ibumila), Uwemba and Yerusalem (Mafinga) Family Centers.
Projects are new metal roofs (including the church), roof paint, interior and exterior plaster repairs as needed, some new wooden clad windows and door repairs, and electrification projects at Yerusalem Family Center (Mafinga).
Drought is forecast as a possibility for the East Africa region, so we are watching water supplies closely, and will benefit from the granary food storage building investment of a few years prior.
USA Board Chairperson Ronald Rugimbana is visiting the TOUCO Upendo Centers over the New Years, and we look forward to his updates in January at the next board meeting. TOUCO has 2 Board of Directors that help: the one in Idaho focused on fundraising, budget, medical, and
organizational oversight, and the local board based out of Njombe province handles the numerous vital local and operational decisions. Together, TOUCO has been running smoothly for 10+ years now in this way.
We are caring for ~ 150 children (it varies year to year); what a responsibility and a blessing.