On March 12, a team from various churches embarked on a mission trip to Uganda and South Sudan! For over 10 years, around 2,000,000 refugees from Sudan have been living in camps in northern Uganda. Their situation is worsening, as the monthly ration has again been reduced to 3 kg of beans and 6 kg of cornmeal. This is distributed by the camp administration only to the elderly, widows, and the disabled! Therefore, we brought food to share during our meetings.
After loading two trucks with food, the team set off for northern Uganda. Part of the team traveled to South Sudan to help in a hospital and to get acquainted with school projects and the local church in Kajo Keji. Life in the camps is becoming unbearable, which is why some refugees returned to South Sudan after a truce between the warring parties. Others are waiting for the elections in December 2024, fearing that war will again force them to flee their homeland, and they hope to return in early 2025.
Together with Willy Daiker and Vasily Stupin, we conducted training on discipleship, leadership, and counseling!
We thank everyone who donated and prayed for us! In November 2024, we plan to send a construction team to Uganda to complete the discipleship center in the city of Moyo!
Many women in refugee camps struggle to provide for their children. While believers may have found peace for their souls, material prosperity and stability for their families remain significant challenges. Due to the level of illiteracy among women, earning a living is not easy to accomplish. They want to give their children what they themselves did not have, both in terms of health and education. Many of these mothers did not finish school themselves, but they are now paying for their children’s education.
Getting an education in the camp for mothers with children is impossible, but thankfully, they can learn a trade. Tailoring is a very successful profession in the camp! Women learn to sew, cut fabric, and make clothes. Tailoring is a skill that anyone can learn, regardless of their level of education. It only takes a few months for a person to learn how to cut, sew, and start earning a living.
By learning tailoring, many mothers have brought smiles to their children and their entire families. We want to purchase 100 sewing machines at $150 each and provide women in refugee camps in northern Uganda with the opportunity to earn for their families. Thank you for participating in our joint ministry!
Ebenezer Secondary School was founded by a church. The school opened in 2017 and educates 350 students. Most of the students are orphans, and the school is located in the largest refugee settlement in the Yumbe District of Uganda. The school employs 13 trained teachers and is very successful, being the leading school in the refugee camps in the Yumbe area of Uganda.
The school has four classes, from senior to fourth grade, and the students take national Ugandan school exams, with excellent results. A significant portion of the students are girls, many of whom drop out of school due to the lack of hygiene kits. Out of embarrassment, many tend to quit school and prefer to stay at home.
The school lacks educational materials such as pens, pencils, notebooks, rulers, math sets, and other items. There is also a lack of laboratory reagents and a facility where students can conduct practical experiments.
The biggest need is the lack of teacher support, which is a major threat causing the school to close in December 2023 and not reopen, as the teachers have not received support for the last three months.
On behalf of the school and personally, I want to ask you to pray and support the school in the Bidi Bidi refugee camp in Northern Uganda. We pray that you support one child with $20 per month. We pray to support the teachers with $100 per month so that the school does not close. Thank you for being with us!
Simon Odong is a minister of the Gospel in Torit, Eastern Equatoria, South Sudan. The Lord has blessed his family with two children. Torit is the capital of the eastern state of Equatoria, and most of the unreached population groups live in these areas. We pray that Simon’s support will open doors for establishing new churches in this region. Please pray and support Simon in his ministry in South Sudan! Just $50 a month will help him and his family to serve in opening new churches in Sudan! Thank you to the churches in the states for donating finances for a motorcycle for him! Your prayers and support mean a lot for the advancement of the Gospel in South Sudan.
The physical difficulties faced by refugee camps in South Sudan do not hinder evangelism from house to house, discipleship, and establishing churches in refugee camps in northern Uganda and Eastern Africa. Last week in the refugee camps from South Sudan in the West Nile region of northern Uganda, we conducted house-to-house evangelism, and the harvest was very great. In total, 172 people heard the Gospel in the Simbili camp in the Rhino-Arua district in Uganda. Over 70 people opened their hearts to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Thus, in one day, another church was born in the refugee camp! The pastor of the local church is named Moses Banga. This week he will continue the work, and we pray that the sown seeds will bring even more fruit. Thank you for your participation and prayers!
We are concerned about the impending famine in the refugee camps. The UN has reduced food rations for refugees due to insufficient funding. Now the UN is considering providing three kilograms of corn per person per month, and exclusively for vulnerable groups such as the disabled and elderly. This amount is enough for about 10 days!
We saw children in one of the schools crying because they had not eaten for at least a day or two. We asked one of our team members to support the school. We sent several team members to the nearest market to buy rice and beans, while others went to look for firewood in the forest. We asked the school administration and the church to look for kitchen utensils, and they quickly found them and started cooking.
The team was able to cook lunch in a short time, then feed the children, and everyone received food at the same time. The children and the school thanked our team for the support provided to the children. We thank God for the mobilization of resources and ask you to support our school meal program and teachers who work as volunteers. For just $30 a month, you can feed a child lunch every day! Thank you for your help!
Our women and girls face significant challenges during menstruation, which is uncomfortable but needs to be discussed. We have recognized this need and decided to help especially the girls who cannot afford to buy hygiene kits and end up missing school during this time, staying home and feeling very uncomfortable. We have decided to create reusable hygiene kits. Some of us can sew, while others handle finishing, assembling everything we need into one kit. One of the sisters took the initiative and started meeting with 5 girls. Soon, their number increased to 150. Today, more than 200 teenagers come.
The schoolgirls who receive these kits gain confidence, not fearing awkward situations, and they can continue their education. They receive not only reusable kits but also guidance from the Bible that transforms lives.
A complete hygiene kit costs us $15. We give 2 kits to each girl! Each kit contains 2 bars of soap, which are very valuable at the camp. These kits are convenient and designed to last for a year, minimizing costs. Helping these teenage girls will lead to a great transformation of their souls. By being involved in their lives, they open up to the Gospel! We ask for your help in purchasing materials and sewing 2000 kits!
