Lale Lale Pentecostal Assemblies of God Twinned with St George’s Church Leeds
The church Lale Pentecostal Assemblies of God church is in the parish of Lale in Uganda’s Soroti district. The parish is in the sub-county of Kamuda. The assembly has nine local branch churches, which have a total membership of about 1,500 people. It is led by Pastor Mark Eceru, who is 54 and has 12 members in his family. Lale is a rural parish with three primary schools but no secondary school. The parish has a population of 8,700, divided almost equally between men and women. The parish has just one medical facility, and one in ten households does not have access to a latrine. Ninety-nine per cent of the community depend on farming for their livelihood.
The church has had a focus on evangelism and has been running fellowship groups for youths and women. It has also been running agricultural activities with these groups. Since the church started Tearfund’s Church and Community Mobilisation programme, its leaders have been focusing much more on holistic ministry – ministering to both the spiritual and physical needs of the congregation and the wider community. They have recently been studying the Bible to learn what God says about mobilising people and building relationships. Already, the church is meeting with the wider community to see how they can work together to build a better future.
Photo: Pastor Mark Eceru (holding a bible) and two of his committee members.
Background information Geographical location: Lale is a rural parish in Kamuda sub-county in the district of Soroti, in eastern Uganda. The GPS co-ordinates for Lale assembly are: 1.685330 (lat), 33.514231 (long). Kamuda sub-county is in the northern half of the district, due west of the municipality of Soroti. Soroti district is situated in the north of the eastern region of Uganda. It has 17 subcounties and one municipality. Soroti, the district headquarters, is about 72 miles by road north-west of Mbale, the nearest large city. Soroti district borders the districts of Kaberamaido in the west, Kumi in the east, Katakwi in the north and Kamuli and Pallisa in the south. Population: Government figures put Soroti district’s population at almost 555,000. Kamuda’s population is 34,400 people.
Soroti District is highlighted red, in the centre of the map
Water: Poverty: Soroti has one of the highest levels of poverty in Uganda. In February 2009, it was estimated that 53% of the population in the district (estimated then at 124,300 people) lived on less than a dollar a day.
Overall, 72 per cent of the population of Soroti district have access to safe water. Fifty-three per cent of the urban population have safe water, compared with 74 per cent in rural areas. Access rates also vary widely across the sub-counties. In Kamuda, about 77 per cent of the population have access to safe water.
Climate: Soroti sits in Uganda’s dryland belt. The effects of climate change are being felt severely. Environmental degradation is also a major issue: woodlands, bushlands and forest stock are all shrinking due to excessive cutting down of trees for fuel. Livelihoods: The vast majority of people living in Soroti depend on agriculture for their living. The main food crops cultivated are millet, cassava, peas, potatoes, beans, sesame and sunflower. Vegetables such as tomatoes and onions are also grown. Cotton is grown as a cash crop. Uganda: vital statistics
Two-thirds of people in Soroti with access to safe water use boreholes, while a quarter use shallow wells. About seven per cent use protected springs. Ethnicity and language: The two predominant ethnic groups in Soroti are the Iteso and the Kumam. The main languages spoken in the district are Ateso, Kumam and Swahili. Education: Soroti district has a total of 252 schools, which includes 71 nursery schools, 123 primary schools, 49 secondary schools.
Average age of the population: 15 years Average life expectancy: 54 years Infant mortality rate: 64 per 1,000 live births People living with HIV/AIDS: 1.2 million or 6.5 per cent of adults (2009 estimate)
Sources: CIA World Factbook; Global Environment Facility; PAG Uganda; School Guide Uganda; The Guardian; Ugandan Government: Ministry of Water and Environment; UNDP.