Kaihura
There are only a few paved roads in Uganda. One of them leads from Kampala to the western town of Fort Portal, within view of the majestic Rwenzori Mountains. It’s a four hour trip past papyrus swamps, lush hills and roadside trees where monkeys go about their playful business. One passes village after village. People walk the sides of the road. Children play near charcoal fires. Goats, bicycles, Kalita buses, they all share the road. Just past the county seat of Kyenjojo, 40 minutes short of Fort Portal, yet another village . . . Kaihura. St. Mary’s school is on the right, then the strips of brick store fronts on both sides. It takes less than a minute to traverse all of it. But away from the main road, that’s where the people live, in small homes made of brick or mud, with sheets of metal roofing. A short walk up the hills to the left, that’s where Faith Kunihira lives. She was raised here, went away, came back and started Bringing Hope to the Family, which now serves over 1500 orphans and vulnerable children in and near Kaihura. Dorcas Vocational School houses 90 teenagers learning skills from tailoring to carpentry. Home Again Orphanage is the home to more than 60 children who no longer have parents. The new clinic is being constructed within a few minutes walk while care is being provided out of one of the store fronts on the main road. This is the village where Jane was born, and where the story of Embrace Uganda began. This is where our friends, our children, live. This is where we have gone to serve for the last few years.
Agape Children's Village Near Bukerere
Only 30 minutes away from the indescribable mayhem of downtown Kampala, there is a hillside like no other. It is refuge to 85 orphaned children each with a story of there own, some too hard to tell. They live in family groups with house mothers in bright yellow duplex structures, covered with green roofs. There is a church and a school which they share with village children. When morning breaks and the fog settles, the children get busy cleaning their homes, mopping the floors, sweeping the walk ways. Blue school uniforms emerge. Wood fires burn as water for baths is heated and a loving breakfast is prepared. Everyone seems to know their chore and it all gets done. During the day, the voices of teachers and the singing of children can be heard from the classrooms. Lunchtime brings everyone together. A short walk home in the afternoon, and already, Josephine is preparing chapati and matooke for dinner. A time of worship. A game. A video sound track. Homework. Dishes are done. The day winds down. Too many stars to count. The children are safe. Embrace Uganda is looking for ways to help sustain this village which will lose its funding in less than three years.
Koreng
Consider how far removed the Western world is from the lives and the daily concerns of the African people in Uganda. Even further away is the village of Koreng. Three hours northeast of Kampala, within Uganda, this area has received the least amount of attention. After floods, droughts and tribal unrest in the middle of unfavorable soil and water conditions, people continue to live here. Their children have less education than what their parents may have received a generation ago. At Kadacar Primary School, 400 children attend without any permanent structures to call their home. They meet under mango trees. There aren’t any desks or black boards. There aren’t any latrines. Most children walk two or three miles each way. There are few signs of hope. Our friend, Michael Okwakol, was raised here by his grandfather. Because of circumstance after circumstance, the world now has a chance to read about his village. Our volunteers have visited. A well has been constructed through generous donations Embrace Uganda had received. Thank You! There is still much to do. We have an opportunity to make a difference. Will you join us?
