John, a farmers son born and raised outside Alnwick, a staunch Newcastle football club supporter (as was his Father) always wanted to be an agricultural missionary but having been discouraged by an English missionary society in Kenya at the age of 18 with no qualifications or experience, he attended The Royal Agricultural College where he obtained a Diploma in Agricultural Science in 1972. He volunteered as a teacher with International Voluntary Service to go to Eswatini (then Swaziland) where he worked in a remote rural school as part of the first team to launch the teaching of agriculture in schools there!

Thereafter followed five years in both Venezuela and Mozambique working on farms and assisting local communities with livestock improvement programs. Learning both Spanish and Portuguese, he also became a pilot, training at Newcastle and Oxford Air Training School, obtaining his UK license in 1978.

Returning to Eswatini in 1979 he became the youngest ever General

Agricultural Manager for the late King Sobhuza’s visionary organization

"Tibiyotaka Ngwane", at the age of 31. He established a highly

Productive dairy farm from scratch and the first rice mill in the country.

Following the demise of King Sobhuza mid 1982 John started his own

Agricultural development company and had farm product shops which Financed his work in rural communities throughout the country establishing vegetable, livestock and water projects.

In 1998 John was approached by World Vision International to plan and manage a Vegetable for Export project which he did and ran successfully for 5 years. During this time he made a documentary of food security with the BBC Channel 3 called “The Hunger Season” which premiered at The Tribeca film festival in New York where John was invited to speak.

Thereafter followed a period with The African Development Foundation (New York based) where John was responsible for supporting with ADF funding non-profit organizations working with rural communities. In 2005 at the age of 44 John’s career began with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) serving firstly as National Co-ordinator in Eswatini (2years) then in Ethiopia (3years) then in a further 16 countries in Africa, Asia and central America including prominently Indonesia and Mozambique up to 2020 where he departed early that year when COVID was becoming troublesome.

His second wife lost her life to cancer that year (his first wife died in a car accident). Since then, John had been running his own non-profit, firstly Action Four Africa and now The Safe House Eswatini and Sumba which supports vulnerable children and elderly people in Eswatini and on the Island of Sumba in Indonesia. He has, with assistance from kind donors, been responsible for putting over 50 children through school up to 2025. He has build a pre-school for his community and now tries to supervise the establishment of various community upliftment projects in his own community.

In early June 2024 John was diagnosed with a blocked bile which was

replaced with a metal stent during July 2024. During the procedure

Cancer cells were found, which have now spread from the pancreas to the liver. During subsequent CT scans and other tests, cancer was also

identified in the lower part of the colon. During 2025 Johns medical

condition has deteriorated and with limited financial resources he has

attempted to seek assistance from the Eswatini Government Health

Services, where facilities are extremely limited and totally inadequate to cater for Johns now urgent treatment. He has no private medical aid

cover and no personal financial resources whatsoever. Estimated costs

of treatment for both an operation on the cancerous colon and

treatment for cancer in pancreas, liver and colon is estimated to be

$25.000 (to be supported by relevant documentation from the clinic

based in Pretoria, South Africa).

So now, John at 74 years old, who has devoted most of his life to serving humanity now needs a helping hand!! So many children continue to depend on John for both education and daily bread. Can we urgently extend a helping hand to John please.

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To my dear niece, I don’t want to be a nuisance but just asking if it’s possible for you to launch a Gofundme or other good funding mechanism for me? You may ask why?? Well, back in late 2024 I had jaundice so had to go to South Africa for an operation to fit new bile duct. During the operation they did tests and scans and found cancer growths in colon and Pancreas... an operation to remove part of the colon (about 8cms) was later recommended during 2025. The tumor in the pancreas didn't grow. Now fast forward, cancer in colon now a bit painful (like blockage near bum end) and cancer in Pancreas now spread to liver and some lymph nodes... now all at stage 4. Bit of a bugger but I keep moving and remain upbeat. Options are 1. Do a colonoscopy and maybe operate on the colon here in Eswatini then do chemotherapy which is all free under a scheme set up by the late Queen Mother here (I was lucky to get included) but I worry on two counts... firstly Phindile also had colon cancer and they operated here and botched it and two weeks later she died and secondly the chemotherapy is not consistent as supplies run out.... that’s how we are locally, bit frightening. Second option is to go back to the clinic in Pretoria where I had my previous operation and do the colon resection and then discuss a way forward with oncologist there in combination with a herbal doctor who has had success with cancer sufferers. Costs of above in Pretoria around E400.000. (20.000 quid?) It’s alot of money and although I spend my life now raising money for poor kids and old people here I’m so embarrassed to ask people to help me. However, I have few contacts with Newcastle Supporters world wide and a few other people to try…. So I’m asking if it’s possible to set it up pls. Now I haven’t told His Excellency The Honourable Your Dad about the severity of my cancer yet cause he doesn't need stress. Maybe I should just tell him because I know I’m going to beat this monster!! You will recall our family moto nil desperandum. And God is good. I have so many people here who need me so I will survive !!! If you have any better fundraising suggestions like better than Gofundme I’m all ears. Love to you all from infamous Uncle J. That's my story. ❤️❤️