Viola lives in the slums of Kampala, Uganda with her parents and five siblings. Living conditions in this area are cramped and unsanitary. Viola’s family lives in a small, brick, two-bedroom house. The whole family shares one room and the other one is used to house chickens and a goat that are being raised to sell.
When the lockdown measures hit the world this spring, each of our programs had to pivot from their normal services at schools, churches and community centers, and venture out with more home visits to care for our children. This cost a bit more, but we knew it was what we needed to do.
Viola is one of the children our team in Uganda visited. During one of the home visits, we realized that Viola and her siblings were sleeping almost on bare ground. They were sleeping on thin, dirty, browned pieces of pad that had to be put together for one to sleep on, along with torn-up blankets that can hardly bring warmth in the cold.
Our staff realized Viola was one of the children who, whenever they got the chance to meet up with her, either had a cough or flu, and if not, she was complaining of back and body pains. This could have been a result of the poor sleeping conditions.
Our Uganda team got together and decided to get two mattresses and three blankets for the family.
Our Uganda team reports, “The joy, gratitude, and tears in their eyes when receiving the beds and blankets was worth a memory in our hearts and they now sleep comfortably like they should.”
God used this pandemic to lead our staff to Viola’s home where they discovered this serious need for a real bed. God reached out to Viola with His tangible love not just in spite of this horrible season, but through it.
Tough Times It never ceases to amaze me the accomplishments children can achieve, but more importantly and impressively, their hearts behind it. The pandemic has been difficult for everyone, but one of the largest hurdles the families in our programs have had to face is watching the prices for their
Ymer grew up feeling invisible, his dreams of education dimmed by discrimination and discouragement. But a spark of hope emerged when he joined tutoring classes, where a simple moment of recognition changed everything. With newfound confidence, letters of encouragement, and the support of a sponsor, Ymer discovered his worth and the power of believing in himself.
Have you had to cancel or postpone a trip to serve in another country this year? Have you considered repurposing your investment rather than losing it or delaying the opportunity? 1. Repurpose your plan Is there a way to take the plans you have already made and modify them using
Love has a way of radically transforming lives. At Forward Edge, we place our focus on helping children trapped in poverty reach their full, God-given potential (Ephesians 2:10) by meeting their basic needs (food, safe water, health care) and empowering them with quality education, vocational training, and spiritual discipleship. This
7 yrs. old
Entered the program: March 2023
Elizabeth lives with her mother and big brother, Stephen (also in the program), in a rented one-bedroom house with poor sanitation. The family has electricity but lives in the dark sometimes for several days when they run out of power and do not have money to buy more. They have access to piped water in the village which flows three days a week.
Elizabeth’s family is Christian. Her father is deceased and her mother sells locally-made soft drinks and water on the street; she makes very little and they live on less than $1 a day. It is a struggle to provide for the needs of Elizabeth and her brother, as well as, their education; without assistance from Create Hope, there was little chance they would stay in school.
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