Support Rays of Hope Children Center's Growth

Hello, everyone! Thank you for visiting our fundraising page. For further information, visit Rays of Hope Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook.

This fundraiser is on behalf of Rays of Hope Children's Center in Bugiri District, Uganda.

Rays of Hope operates as an orphanage for 38 children in Bugiri District, providing 100% of their daily food needs, medical care, education, clothing, play materials, and LOVE.

Right now, the children and caretakers at Rays of Hope are suffering from a lack of basic materials that is making their daily lives less comfortable, more dangerous, and more difficult. One of the main issues is that the children and caretakers are sleeping on the floor of the orphanage on homemade banana leaf mats, unprotected from the bite of mosquitos and other insects.

As such, we are attempting to raise $4,000 to purchase:

Any excess funds will be used to purchase weekly food supplies and to pay for the children's educational costs for the school year's second term.

Continue reading below for a message from Arafat - an incredible young man, and the creator of Rays of Hope.

RAYS OF HOPE CHILDREN CENTER’S STORY

Praise the Lord every one.

My name is Njuba Arafat from Uganda, Rays of Hope Children's Center. I am going to tell you a story about myself and the creation of Rays of Hope Children's Center as well.

I was born in 2003 in Bugiri district, Bugiri main hospital, and I am going to turn 21 years old this year. Thanks to the Lord. Here it goes.

I grew up with my mother Nakakande Aisha, in Bugiri district. We lived a poor life in which we even skipped some meals due to lack of money. Sometimes we had breakfast, then we had to skip lunch in order to have dinner.

However, as time went on my mother got a job at Miracle Center orphanage. This orphanage operated in the past years but it collapsed, unfortunately. However, this was a farm-based orphanage that used to get its food out of the garden and the farm. So, we were given a place to stay at the orphanage with my mother and she was employed as a cook and she used to help in the farming too.

Because I moved with her to the garden and she had to cook, I developed much interest in the farming and farming became part of me. Miracle center took me as their child; however, it didn’t offer us education and they only told us stories during the night. This hurt my mother a lot and she worked hard to see that I went to school and thanks God willing I did. I studied my primary education at Bugiri primary school and my secondary at Bugiri high school though I failed to finish high school due to lack of money. As time went by, Miracle Center collapsed and we had to find another place to live. But since my mom was hardworking, she got another job at someone’s farm, a man called Mr. Paul. He was a rich man and due to our hard work at his place he offered us a piece of land to practice our farming from. We worked so hard with my mom as we sold some crops and kept for food. I managed to get enough savings for a good time and there I decided to start up my own orphanage because I had an earlier experience that an orphanage can be farm-based. So, I rented some two rooms and each was 50,000 Ugandan shillings. I started up with 8 children in 2020 and expanded slowly. In 2021, I was briefed by my foster brother Benjamin Mukose about expressing my foundation to the internet and that this would enable me get more funds and fulfillment of my dream, too. So, I took his idea and opened up an Instagram account. This is where I posted more videos and pictures of the children and the orphanage. So, people started following my account and others asked questions which I replied with answers about how Rays of Hope Children Center functions. Some promised to help and others helped with what they could. Now I rent 4 rooms, and I have 38 children in total. I also work with my foster brother Benjamin Mukose, my foster sister Shurea, my mother Aisha and my fellow villagers Nabirye and Nicholas, who help me at the garden and work at the orphanage. We have been surviving on the garden and some donations from friends on the internet and also villagers’ donations. But now I am really in great distress because the sunshine destroyed crops, and food is limited now. Remember we have to pay rent and also the villagers can’t get us enough support because they have their own families to support. All in all, suffering is everywhere in Uganda and I can’t stop my work to improve the orphanage to accommodate more children because I know what it means to live on the streets. I have a dream of purchasing land and building of a bigger orphanage, having proper structure of enough food, clothes, bedsheets, mattresses and others for the children.

I am running now an education project to help my children go to school and have a great future. I believe education is the key to success. So, I call upon your support please to see that we work together to save lives of many children who are suffering in Uganda and change their lives, too.

I believe with God everything is possible, therefore be our light and give us a hand of support in this project, as well as in our monthly sustenance.

May the Lord bless you all.

Written by: Njuba Arafat

Founder Rays of Hope Children's Center