Building Community in Jinja, Uganda
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Our connection to Uganda first started through sponsoring a child through World Vision for the past 12 years but little did we know how this connection would lead us to a new calling to raise funds to build a Community Centre/Church in Jinja, Uganda.
Our eldest daughter Sadie and her good friend Taylor are passionate about helping others and feel compelled to go to Uganda to carry out this mission. They hope that they can share their love and compassion with the people of Uganda.
While looking into the pursuit of this goal and wanting to work in an orphanage while in Uganda they met someone in our Church who has been actively doing work in Uganda for the past 8 years! A partnership with a local Ugandan in Jinja has been instrumental in building an orphanage that now houses over 40 children, giving them a hope that they never thought possible.
Over the past 8 years over 500,000 meals have been donated to those in need in the area surrounding Jinja. This has brought hope to so many who thought there was none. Through demonstrating God's love with the generosity of those behind this initiative has brought the community closer together and generated a trust from the leadership at the orphanage.
The children who have grown up in the orphanage have also caught the vision and passion of the leadership group and have started their own service ministry called "God's Little Angels." They will take food and water to the elderly and sick within the community who are not mobile or cannot care for themselves. Through this initiative they have been able to bless others as they have been blessed and also share the Love they have for God and the people of Jinja.
Another critical piece in continuing to help build into the community of Jinja was to put in a well to provide them with fresh water. There was not a source of fresh, clean water for many of the local people and was a luxury only afforded by those who could buy it. Through a separate fundraising initiative enough money was raised to put in a well in, a well that since it was drilled on Nov. 9, 2011 has produced 5000 L/h!!!
As they started noticing the positive effects of a source of fresh water for the people they knew it was imperative to add more wells for the community. Other donors who heard the story of the work happening in Jinja also stepped up with donations specifically for installing more water wells.
Through addition of the community water wells there is now less sickness from water-borne diseases and people are coming from areas surrounding Jinja, often walking many miles to get there, with the hope that clean water will give them a better life for them and their children. Often the lineups for water are very long but as people wait to fill their jugs there is an incredible sense of community building as people visit at the water well. The water wells have become the life-line of the community and also the meeting place.
The water wells and the orphanage have brought an incredible amount of hope to the people of Jinja, but this is just touching on a very small amount of the real need for this community. People are coming to the water well, people are being blessed with love they never thought possible but they still need a meeting place they can call their own....a meeting place where they can build relationships not only with each other but with God.
OUR VISION AND GOAL IS TO NOW RAISE FUNDS to BUILD A COMMUNITY CENTRE/CHURCH FOR THE PEOPLE OF JINJA, UGANDA. We want to partner with the local leaders of the community and the local Church to build this together....something they can be proud they were a part of building!
While we feel this is our families' calling to spearhead the fundraising efforts for this project we know this is not something we can do alone. We need the help of like minded people who want to bless those who are less fortunate than we are. The people of Uganda will be eternally grateful for your support!
Our eldest daughter Sadie and her good friend Taylor are passionate about helping others and feel compelled to go to Uganda to carry out this mission. They hope that they can share their love and compassion with the people of Uganda.
While looking into the pursuit of this goal and wanting to work in an orphanage while in Uganda they met someone in our Church who has been actively doing work in Uganda for the past 8 years! A partnership with a local Ugandan in Jinja has been instrumental in building an orphanage that now houses over 40 children, giving them a hope that they never thought possible.
Over the past 8 years over 500,000 meals have been donated to those in need in the area surrounding Jinja. This has brought hope to so many who thought there was none. Through demonstrating God's love with the generosity of those behind this initiative has brought the community closer together and generated a trust from the leadership at the orphanage.
The children who have grown up in the orphanage have also caught the vision and passion of the leadership group and have started their own service ministry called "God's Little Angels." They will take food and water to the elderly and sick within the community who are not mobile or cannot care for themselves. Through this initiative they have been able to bless others as they have been blessed and also share the Love they have for God and the people of Jinja.
Another critical piece in continuing to help build into the community of Jinja was to put in a well to provide them with fresh water. There was not a source of fresh, clean water for many of the local people and was a luxury only afforded by those who could buy it. Through a separate fundraising initiative enough money was raised to put in a well in, a well that since it was drilled on Nov. 9, 2011 has produced 5000 L/h!!!
As they started noticing the positive effects of a source of fresh water for the people they knew it was imperative to add more wells for the community. Other donors who heard the story of the work happening in Jinja also stepped up with donations specifically for installing more water wells.
Through addition of the community water wells there is now less sickness from water-borne diseases and people are coming from areas surrounding Jinja, often walking many miles to get there, with the hope that clean water will give them a better life for them and their children. Often the lineups for water are very long but as people wait to fill their jugs there is an incredible sense of community building as people visit at the water well. The water wells have become the life-line of the community and also the meeting place.
The water wells and the orphanage have brought an incredible amount of hope to the people of Jinja, but this is just touching on a very small amount of the real need for this community. People are coming to the water well, people are being blessed with love they never thought possible but they still need a meeting place they can call their own....a meeting place where they can build relationships not only with each other but with God.
OUR VISION AND GOAL IS TO NOW RAISE FUNDS to BUILD A COMMUNITY CENTRE/CHURCH FOR THE PEOPLE OF JINJA, UGANDA. We want to partner with the local leaders of the community and the local Church to build this together....something they can be proud they were a part of building!
While we feel this is our families' calling to spearhead the fundraising efforts for this project we know this is not something we can do alone. We need the help of like minded people who want to bless those who are less fortunate than we are. The people of Uganda will be eternally grateful for your support!
Organizer
Ian Robert Baird
Organizer
Abbotsford Southwest, BC
