After weeks of sorting shoes, clothes and school supplies I have been able to deliver several boxes of items on two different trips.
The first trip was last week as a friend of mine and I went to Gulu. It was a wonderful trip and we were able to bring:
- 4 boxes of black school shoes
- 2 boxes of casual shoes
- 1 big box of backpacks
- 1 box of school supplies (including supplies for the teacher and children's books)
- 6 boxes/bags of clothing.
The ministry in Gulu is amazing and is doing great work. Pastor Experito is our contact in Gulu and has been there for over 15 years. He started a church in Gulu town and has recently partnered with other people to start a church and school in Kochgoma, a village an hour from Gulu. Gulu is going through a lot of changes right now as people are leaving the IDP (internally displaced people) camps where they have been living for over 15 years and returning to their villages. As the people return to the villages they are rebuilding their homes, working on their land to grow food and rebuilding schools for the children. These supplies will be a huge help as many of the people have very little and have to rebuild communities.
Pastor Experito will be using the school backpacks and school shoes as incentive and rewards for the people who pay for their children's school fees. Since the community is so financially poor, many are unable to pay for school fees but we encourage them to pay what they can and to continue giving throughout the entire school term.
Below are a few pictures of the school in Gulu:
Then this past weekend I was able to join a few friends on a trip to Bududa, a village near Mount Elgon, about an hour from Mbale. Last year a village a few kilometers from Bududa was completely destroyed and buried in a landslide. Through partnerships with other organizations, a party was thrown for the children at a local school. This particular school and church we visited is very near where the landslides occurred and have many people in their community that were affected by the incident. The party was to show love and bring a bit of encouragement to the community. Many children we met went to school the day of the landslide and were unable to return home as their families and homes were buried. Children became orphans instantly. The church we visited is doing great things in the village and running both a primary and secondary school. From the container we brought:
1 big box of pencils, folders and other misc school supplies
2 boxes of children’s clothing
1 bag of children’s books
1 big bag of misc toys, water bottles, cute bags, etc
Another organization also donated notebooks and pens so each child had the basic needs met for school.
I’ve included a few pictures of the village below:
Thank you again to everybody who helped with this effort; it is a true blessing to the people of Uganda.
I’ll continue to post updates.
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