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!
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!
“He who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, by the revelation of the mystery, about which from time immemorial it has been silent, but which is now revealed, and through the prophetic writings, by the command of the eternal God, proclaimed to all peoples to conquer their faith. To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, glory forever. Amen”. – Ephesians 3:20-21
It is in these places of Scripture, we, as the first generation of Baptists in South Sudan, have rooted and prayed to reach all the farthest corners of South Sudan and other sub-Saharan countries. The photographs you see are testament to the fulfillment of the commission of Jesus Christ and the preaching of the gospel to the lost in the refugee camps in northern Uganda. As part of this mission, a total of 76 people gave their lives to Jesus Christ, and they are now taking discipleship classes. Pray that God strengthened and grew them in their faith. Glory to God. We pray that God will continue to equip leaders so they can help all the lost in South Sudan.
The people of South Sudan have survived many wars. We never had our own school to train missionaries and pastors. And now, the long-awaited discipleship center has opened in Moyo, Northern Uganda! We started with 10 students who were recruited from the refugee camps. We have experienced the power of God for the last 14 days of teaching and witnessed four students being baptized after learning the biblical meaning of baptism.
Pastor Yonan Ismail baptized them early Friday morning! All students felt the importance of studying Word of God. Our first witnesses went to preach in the city of Moyo, located near the school, and in total 46 people turned to Jesus Christ. One former demoniac teacher also received Christ as Lord. We would like to sincerely give glory and honor to God for the fact that our training center began to work. We would like to thank you all for your prayers and generosity in supporting the construction of the center. We plan to provide online learning in the future, so you can teach as well. In our center and we are praying for hardware, screen, laptop, Wi-Fi, all of which will require about $3,000. Pray with us as we plan to reach the most remote villages, groups and tribes south of the Sahara.
