Imagine a child with no parents.  A child who has no home and no mother or father, no one to provide love, protection provide food or shelter.  Imagine living on the streets in a place where children fight over food from the garbage. This is the reality for many children in the country of Uganda, Eastern Africa.  A country that has struggled with corrupt government, civil unrest, and has been ravaged by the AIDS epidemic.

 

The village of Busia in Eastern Uganda is a crowded impoverished village, where thousands of children have lost one or both parents to Aids.  Although some of these children are lucky enough to live with a relative, many of them still live on the streets, finding food and shelter wherever they can. 

 

In 1999, a local Christian pastor, Moses Barasa, decided to reach out and help these children.  His goal initially was simply to feed the children a bowl of porridge once a day.  Then he enlisted the help of volunteers from his church, and they began a small school, Busia Calvary Orphan Center and School.  As the children discovered a place where they could come for help, the center began to grow and now over 500 children come to the center daily.

There are thousands of other children in Uganda who have lost one or both of their parents to AIDS. Many of these children cannot afford school fees, books or supplies necessary to attend school. We have established a sponsorship program for children in Uganda, Africa…

Our Goals

• To provide each child with one well-balanced meal daily (protein enriched)
• To provide routine medical care, including annual check-ups, vitamins & vaccinations
• To provide each child with a school uniform and a pair of shoes & socks
• To purchase textbooks and a desk for each child
• To provide an excellent Christian education for the children, so they may one day lead the county of Uganda!
  
  

How you can help

You can improve the life of a child & give him or her a hope for a brighter future by being a sponsor, for only $25 a month.

As a sponsor, you will receive

• a picture of the child, along with a brief biography
• progress reports 2 times yearly, detailing the child’s academic performance & current health status
• 1-2 personal letters yearly from your sponsored child

Please know that with your $25 monthly, you are making a tremendous impact in the life of your child.  To us, $25 may not seem like a lot, but in Uganda, it can change a life.  Your support helps provide:

·         One meal daily of porridge (cooked mixture of flour and water) and beans

·         Christian education

·         School uniform and school supplies

·         Medical care

·         Shoes and other items of clothing

Our program is Christ-centered.  Each child has an opportunity to hear the gospel; they are encouraged to attend Sunday School and church; Bible classes are taught at school; teachers also do home visits to encourage and share with families.

Our vision is that the children will grow up as passionate Christians, who will reach out to the lost in their own country, and win Uganda for Christ!

 

SPONSORSHIP DETAILS

Your child does not personally receive the money that you send.  Instead, it is placed with other sponsorship money, and used to provide for your child and others at Busia Calvary Orphan Center.  He or she hears about the love of Christ, but is also shown the love of Christ in practical ways.  We ensure that your child is being fed daily; receives routine medical care; attends school; and has clothing, shelter, and school supplies.  You may wish to send an extra offering at times, and if so, this money can be used to purchase (in-country) a gift for your child, such as clothing, toy, blanket, etc.  When you send in this donation, you must specify that it is a special love offering, and designate if you have any specific wishes as to what gift you would like for your child to receive.  We will honor your request insofar as it is possible.

 

Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.” Luke 9:48 NKJV

 

COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR CHILD

We encourage our sponsors to communicate as often as possible with their child.  You may write to your child directly, sending a letter (in a regular sized envelope) or a card, to the following address:

Pastor Moses Barasa

Busia Calvary Baptist Church

Attn: (your child’s name)

P.O. Box 63

Busia, Uganda, Africa

 

Postage depend on weight and can average from $2 to $5.  In our experience, it takes about 4-8 weeks to arrive, but delivery is not guaranteed.  Another option is to send the letter to our Helping Hands office and the letter will be taken to your child by the next scheduled mission team.  We will keep you updated as to when the trips are scheduled so you may send letters in time to have the team take the letter.  Letters and cards to be carried by Helping Hands teams should be mailed to:

Helping Hands

1715 Cleveland Highway

Gainesville, GA 30501

Please write your child’s name on the outside of the letter (not the envelope). 

 

CORRESPONDENCE FROM YOUR CHILD

 

You will receive correspondence from your child at least two times per year.  This will be in the form of a letter and/or art.  Some of the children can speak and write English, and if this is the case, you will receive a letter hand-written by your child.  If the child is younger, a volunteer will help the child write the letter after interviewing the child.  Smaller children will send art or a drawing.

Please remember that the child’s world is very limited.  They will not have exciting stories to tell about activities or places they have visited.  Most of them have never left the village of Busia.  They have no television, radio, video games, DVD players, or computers.  Their lifestyle is very simple.  They get up when it is light, and go to bed when it is dark.  Their letters will be about school, their family, or their dreams.  Many of them dream of going to America, but have no real concept of what America is like. 

 

UPDATES ABOUT YOUR CHILD

 

Helping Hands visits Busia Calvary Orphan Center on a regular basis, and during these visits, we interview the children and do medical check-ups.  You will receive an update on your child 1-2 times yearly.  This will let you know how your child is doing academically; health-wise; their current likes and dislikes; and what their dream for the future is.  Again, the children’s world-view is very narrow.  When we have a medical team there, the children want to be doctors! 

Please also keep in mind that the children depend on you to be able to continue in school.  This is especially true as your child gets older.  In secondary school (the equivalent of high school), they must pay school fees, buy uniforms and shoes, textbooks and all school supplies.  This is impossible for the children who have no parents.  Therefore, please pray about continuing your sponsorship and helping your child complete high school.

 

The cost of sponsorship is $25 monthly.  You may make your contribution monthly, quarterly, bi-annually, or annually.  You may also choose automatic giving, and your donation will be automatically deducted from your bank account.  Payments can be made by check or money order.

Please click here to begin your sponsorship.

You will receive an acknowledgment of your donations with a tax receipt.

Your payment should include the name of your child.  Make sure your payment has your complete name and current address so we can acknowledge your payment and continue sending updates on your child.  Send payments to

Helping Hands Foreign Missions

1715 Cleveland Highway

Gainesville, GA 30501