Across Uganda, LGBTQ+ individuals face growing insecurity--ranging from arrests, violent attacks, forced evictions, and media outings. This has worsened under the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which legalizes discrimination and fuels public hostility. Many queer people are now homeless, hiding, or struggling with trauma and mental health crises.
NOVEMBER 2025
As of November, the community has sold the old house and used the first part of the proceeds to purchase a small piece of land for their animal husbandry operation (chickens, pigs, and goats). They decided not to purchase a larger piece of land and build a house because they realized they did not yet have the donor network needed to fund construction of a new building.
They are hoping to stay in their current building, which can house 20-25 people, for the foreseeable future. They're currently negotiating options with the landlord. He had agreed to rent to them at a 25% discount to fill a 2-month gap between tenants, and has another tenant who's supposed to arrive in January. He's given Grace and his team until Nov. 7th to make a deposit of 3 months' full rent ($1,800 total), or he will need to turn the property over to the other tenant at the end of the year and Grace's community will need to find another option. As of tonight (Nov. 6th), we've raised $900 of the $1,800 needed to make the deposit.
This first week of November, there have also been arrests affecting the community, as well as the horrific murder of a non-residential LGBT community member. (I have the video, but am not posting it for safety and privacy reasons.) The community is terrified. These attacks and shake-downs are getting more frequent as the national elections grow closer.
The community's current plan is to build a store of food and medication and basically stay in the compound as much as possible until after the elections in early February. They also have secured the pro bono services of a lawyer to help obtain the release of LGBT community members who are arrested. They want to reserve the use of a few motorcyles and a van so that they can use them as a "rapid response team" to go to police station and courts and get people arrested under the Anti-Homosexuality Act released as soon as possible.
Survival and safety are the priority for these next three months.
To that end, here is the priority list of community needs that Grace and I have discussed as of the beginning of November:
MOST URGENT
Rent: $600/month x 3 months = $1,800 ($900 raised, $900 to go - DEADLINE: NOV. 7TH)
NEXT URGENT
Food Supply: $500/month x 2 months = $1,000
Blood Glucose & Blood Pressure Machines (for ED's health): $100/machine x 2 machines = $200
Replacement Laptop*: $775
*Grace's laptop was confiscated by the police during the September raid, and they have told him they will not return it. In order to receive and distribute HIV medication out of their clinic, they need to submit regular reports to the organization that provides the medication. They need a laptop in order to submit the forms. Until they get a replacement laptop, they can't resume distributing HIV medication.
REMAINING URGENT NEEDS
Medications for 15 Community Members: Est. $1,329/mon. x 2 mon. = $2,658
Transportation/Meals for Pro Bono Lawyer: $100/week x 12 weeks = $1,200
Motorcycle Reservations (for 3 motorcycles): $100/wk x 12 weeks = $1,200
Van Reservation: $150-$200/wk x 12 weeks = $1,800-$2,400
Construction Materials for Chicken Coop/Piggery: $600
TOTAL: $11,233-$11,833
OCTOBER 2025
In September 2025, Lived Realities Uganda finished paying off a house in the Jinja region, the first one they've ever owned, to serve as a safe house for the LGBT community, providing emergency shelter, distribution of HIV medication, and counseling services. A donor named it House of Grace, after their founder.
Less than a month after finalizing the purchase, House of Grace was raided by the police for sheltering the LGBT community. They had to leave their belongings behind, including laptops and their dog's newly-born puppies. They are not being allowed to return to the village.
Thanks to your support, they have been evacuated to a larger city, where all 15 shelter residents are living in emergency lodgings. They are being forced to sell the house they just purchased and find a new place to live and serve the 300 community members who rely on their clinic for free HIV medication and other services.
Lived Realities Uganda has engaged a firm to sell the house, and are currently negotiating with a buyer. Assuming the sale goes through, they plan to use the money to purchase a piece of land in their new region, and begin construction on a house that meets their needs. They have been working with a supporter to help them procure pigs, goats, and other livestock to help them earn money, and the land will give them more space for this operation as well as additional privacy.
Grace, the executive director, has already located a temporary monthly rental for the community, which they expect to be able to move into on Wednesday, October 22nd. Rent will be $450/month for two months while they build the new house.
Their immediate needs for the next few days (Monday, Oct. 20th - Wednesday, Oct. 22nd) are:
$200: 1 week's food for 15 people (food ran out on Sunday, Oct 19th)
$300: 2 nights' stay in their current short-term rental (until Wednesday, Oct. 22nd)
$900: Required deposit of 2 months' rent to move into their long-term rental on Wednesday, Oct. 22nd
$500: Emergency anti-retroviral and other medication for community members to replace the medication they had to leave behind
$300: Cost to remove and transport any remaining belongings from the old house (minus seized items like electronics) so the house can be sold
$1,000: Payment to the lawyers handling the house sale and land purchase
TOTAL: $3,200
That's the first hurdle. (And if it's cleared by an extra $200, they'll use that money to provide vet care to their dog Regel and her remaining week-old puppies. Regel had a difficult birth and has not recovered, and two of the puppies have died, possibly from poisoning.)
For the next two months, they will need to cover the following expenses:
$1,600: Food for 15 people for two months (mainly posho [corn meal], beans, and rice) ($200/week)
$1,658: Healthcare for the residential community, including the ED (who recently was hospitalized for a heart attack at age 27 due to stress aggravating underlying medical conditions) ($829/month)
$638: Purchase of medical supplies for distribution to the larger community ($319/month)
$256: Internet ($128/month)
That's the second hurdle.
Their estimated construction budget is $30,000 for a building that can house 15 people and serve as a small clinic. They would also like to add a multi-camera security system, for which they have been given an estimate of $2,300 for equipment and installation. They expect to have about $1,000-$2,000 left over from the house sale after the land purchase, and the rest of the construction budget will need to be raised. They want to first put up a rudimentary shelter and then begin construction on a proper house near the end of November, adding on as fundraising allows.
That's the third hurdle.
Once they resume operations in the new location, their estimated monthly expenses are about $3,000, which covers food, healthcare, medical supplies for distribution, Internet, transportation, and legal expenses.
That's the fourth and final hurdle.
Donations of any size to meet their immediate needs ($1,170) are greatly appreciated.
Next, House of Grace is looking for about 30 supporters of the LGBT community who can pledge $100/month for the next year to help with the community's ongoing work, as well as major donors who can make a one-time contribution of $1,000 or more to fund the construction of the house. Major donations come with naming rights for portions of the house, to be determined in conversation with Lived Realities Uganda.
Grace will hold a Zoom gathering on Sunday, October 26th at 1:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM GMT / 8:00 PM EAT to share information about Lived Realities Uganda with potential supporters and answer any questions you may have. Please message the campaign owner (Br. Christian (Cole) Matson) for the Zoom link.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
-Br. Christian & Grace
