Working abroad, you learn nothing if not to adapt and be flexible. A lot of times, what appears to be walls of discouragement or possible failure end up being the catalyst to move us towards greater things for the kids. It happened when we were kicked out of our old facilities – we were devastated but then we wouldn’t have found the amazing building with the church we have been in for the last two years. And now it has happened again.
The land on which the Naguru slums sits has reportedly been sold. The estimated 30,000 people who live on this property are to be displaced to make way for high rises and luxurious apartments. We are concerned about our children, especially since so many of them are living with foster families who struggle to make ends meet as is who are going to be forced to leave their homes. We are worried that the children will be forced backwards, to sleeping on the streets again, that they will again be displaced.
Our long-term plan has always been to build a home for the kiddos, a place where they will have consistency, where they will be safe, loved, fed, and certain about where they will be next week. We have that in our five-year plan, but it has always been “when we have the finances”.
Well, now we have a deadline. It’s January 2016. We intend to fundraise to purchase land in Fort Portal and build a home for these kids before the Naguru slums are leveled. Because of the urgency of the situation, we have made the decision to amend our daily operations so as to focus primarily on the HOPE Home Project. Our plan is to place our kids in mainstream schools for the remainder of the year to prepare for 2016. We believe this will also aid in the children’s transition next year.
So here’s the deal. We have younger children we need to put in school and older ones that we are going to be finding vocational training for. We need 50 sponsors who are willing to give $25 a month beginning in May and committed until the end of the year. That’s only 8 months. For $25 a month, you can keep one of our kiddos in school. This means : school fees, school requirements, uniforms, and basic medical care. During these next two terms, we are maintaining home-visits and weekly meetings with the children to check on their well-being. So we aren’t throwing in the towel by any means. We are focused on the bigger picture - long term care beginning in 2016.
Will you consider being one of these sponsors? It’s only an 8 month commitment. And really, that’s not too much to ask, right? Contact us for information or click here to sign up for a monthly donation. Because we all could use a little bit of hope.
