Hope Africa reaches out across the world

Hope and trust are beautifully linked to one another. You cannot have hope in anything or anyone without trust. Trust is exactly what the organization Hope Africa International is built upon. The mission had to trust they would be able to make a difference in the lives of others, they had to trust they would be successful in their goals, and those who they have supported have had to trust the people providing this hope.

In 2004, a group from Sisters Community Church went to a festival in Kapchorwa, Eastern Uganda. This is a rural town, ridden with poverty, turmoil, and lack of resources. People from Sisters Community Church were so impacted by this first visit that they continued sending teams down yearly. In 2009, the group created a child sponsorship program. People in the Sisters community and beyond could sponsor a child from Kapchorwa, sending money to provide for school fees, uniforms, medical care, and two hot meals every day.

Photo provided

Sisters volunteers have worked for years in in Kapchorwa, Uganda.

This sponsorship program was an incredible resource for the children in Kapchorwa, but it had the potential to make an even greater impact. In 2014, the team worked to become a 501(c)(3), establishing credibility and trust and allowing the organization to partner with other churches. Kapchorwa is a very rural town, sitting at an elevation of 7,000 feet. Because it is so rural, children have limited access to quality education. Sponsorship through Hope Africa gives these children the opportunity to stay at home with their families and become active members in their community so they can contribute and give back to that community. Katie Keranen, executive director of Hope Africa International, says, "We believe if we support the child and their education, we can keep them at home and that's our ultimate goal."

Soon after, Hope Africa, in partnership with Powell Butte Christian Church, created another sponsorship program for a school at K&K, near two extremely impoverished villages Kaplobotwo and Kabacheriya. The nearest school to K&K, two remote villages in Uganda, was five kilometers away. This can be a dangerous trek for young children, making the journey from home to school in the dark. There is extreme poverty and starvation in these villages. By bringing the sponsorship program to K&K, children were able to access quality education and hot meals, as well as medical care. All these things were new for the community. Most of the parents of these children were never given these resources themselves, so the addition of the school to their community has given their children hope that they never experienced prior.

Not every child is sponsored yet, however there are currently 580 individuals currently sponsored between the two programs and 260 additional children have already graduated. Two of those graduates, Jacob and Shedrack, now work for Hope Africa, working to improve their community as the project nurse and the child welfare officer. Jacob, the project nurse for Kapchorwa, reflects, "I decided to go for nursing, but to raise the money (for school) was a problem. I thank God that He blessed me with a sponsor, who was really a generous sponsor. These are people who really loved me."

Shedrack, the Child Welfare Officer at K&K, lost both of his parents at a very young age and was raised by his uncle. He was sponsored by Hope Africa International and, after graduating university, was hired by K&K. "When I was sponsored," says Shedrack, "light started coming into my life. I really enjoyed sponsorship because it opened doors for me to succeed. Now I am working for the organization at K&K and children are getting blessed here every day because of the great support our sponsors are giving us." Sponsored children are more likely to give back to their community. These children become leaders in their community, going into professions such as teaching, volunteering, and pastorship. "When you invest in a child, you're not just investing in one child; you're impacting an entire family and community and ultimately they start giving back to others," says Keranen.

On October 5, at 5:30 p.m., Sisters Community Church will host a Legacy of Hope Dinner to honor Hope Africa International's ten years since they established their 501(c)(3) status, fifteen years since the church started the sponsorship program and twenty years since the first team visited Kapchorwa. The dinner will be an authentic Ugandan dinner. If you are interested in attending this dinner and listening to the stories or staff and children involved with Hope Africa International, you can register online.

This dinner is a celebration of the impact years of investment can have in the lives of others, but it is also a celebration of the hope and trust created between communities on different continents.

Visit https://hopeafricakidsorg.reachapp.co/events/ten-years-of-hope-dinner/event_registrations/new.