New Homes For Families
Kristin Fronczek
This past year, you helped make a tangible impact on the lives of two families in both Uganda and Kenya. These families were blessed with new and improved homes to call their own, helping each family improve their living conditions and provide for themselves on the land.
Kato’s family has lived in Zirobwe, Uganda for over twenty years. Kato is a local manson who lives with his wife, Nalongo, and their 10 children. Kato and his family initially moved to Uganda when they were displaced from the 1986 war, but unfortunately were never able to reclaim their property, so they stayed in Zirobwe. Kato’s family was blessed with donations that helped them purchase a 2-acre piece of land for the family. Kato’s and his eldest son, George, who graduated from our sponsorship program with hands-on skills in building and carpentry had the skills to build their own home, but lacked funds for building materials. Since, they could barely afford school fees and could not afford to build a permanent home on their property, they continued to live in their mud hut that cracked bit by bit during each rainstorm.
Thankfully, in 2018, donors joined together brick by brick, to build them a bigger, 3-bedroom permanent house for the family. Nalongo responded to her new home was, “I have always dreamed of having a place where my children will have space away from the chickens, and myself having private space. I will forever be grateful for the unconditional love, care and taking care of my children.”
Celestine Auma’s family from Kenya, was also blessed with a new home. The Auma family has lived in the Kibera slum, the largest slum in Africa, for over a decade. Kibera is riddled with disease, drugs and despair, with little to no job opportunities. The father worked as a blacksmith but was unable to provide more than renting a shack of a room for his wife and children to share.
The Auma’s owned land in the village but did not have enough funds to build a home. Through gift funds Celestine’s sponsor gave, the family was able to save and invest in building a permanent home. The Auma’s now have a home on their own land in the village. Building their home has empowered the family even more as it has allowed Celestine’s mother to farm on their land, harvesting crops to sustain the family and create some income and to save money as they no longer have to rent. The family is beyond grateful for their improved living conditions and quality of life.
Your partnership has made a direct impact not only on these families, but also on other families in the village. Currently, people, like you are helping a grandmother and grandson build a new home so they too can transform their lives and have a safe place to live. Thank you for your generosity.
Students in East Africa often find themselves caught in a dilemma where they have limited choices in the future of their education. Dreams remain dreams and career paths dissolve into family trades. This is most often due to a family’s financial circumstances but can also involve lack of encouragement or motivation. For these reasons students commonly drop out of school and rarely have the opportunity to return. However in some cases, hope is found when a sponsor enters a child’s life. One beautiful example is Ketty. She recalls the time when her family was struggling. “My sponsors came in at a time when I was badly off. I was in Senior 4. There were no school fees, my dad was sick, and all that. So they gave me hope where there was no hope.” She explains the timing was all a blessing from God saying, “Thank God my sponsors came to my rescue.” When she finished her secondary education, she was humbled and honored that her sponsors offered to support her through university sponsorship. Ketty is in awe of what she has achieved since those difficult days. Ketty is approaching the day of her graduation and will soon receive her degree in Adult Education from Makerere University in Uganda. Her dream is to help empower people as the manager of an animal farm. Following graduation she has big plans to realize this dream. She intends to begin volunteering for a position related to her chosen occupation in order to gain experience and be better prepared for her career. She giggles as she considers her future, “I am planning as I am learning about animals and people. I love helping people.” She believes that using her gifts and skills to manage a farm will be a productive way to help lots of people. As a child, Ketty remembers her dream job was to become a lawyer. “That was my dream. But all in all, I still see my current study leading me on the right path. It has made me who I am and it is taking me to where I want to be.” She knows the huge impact sponsorship has had on her life and expresses her gratitude and appreciation for the program. “My sponsors have helped me reach where I am. And where I had no hope, they gave me hope. Nothing has discouraged or prevented me from attending school since they started sponsoring me. Sponsorship has provided everything I need for university, so it has really helped me educationally and has also reduced stress factors.” She smiles in amazement at the provision given to her through sponsorship and looks forward to one day blessing another child in the same way. “The little I get, I will give out to another child who is like I was. This is the promise I made to God.” Ketty acknowledged the great need she sees in her village and similar communities. Her education has prepared her to initiate positive development in these places. “I hope my education will inspire more young people in our communities to bring positive change in our villages.” Ketty took the opportunity of an internship through her school and found it to be very interesting and resourceful in composing her future calling. “I was working in Northern Uganda with the local government and a social work association. It gave me the motivation because I saw all the people that really need help. It gave me more hope to help them. This will happen if I excel in my dream. That is my prayer – to help people.” With graduation this year, Ketty has high hopes for the days ahead. “I am really happy and my heart is really grateful. I know this is the effort I have worked for. I know that by graduating I will be inspired all the more. There is no way I can really express it. I cannot show it, but my heart can. I do not believe in a dim future. I believe in a bright one.” Ketty understands the importance of having dreams and goals and is striving to fulfill each one of them. “We have to dream big and that is what I’m aiming for.” Ketty has asked for prayer for her job after graduation. She wants to begin saving and gaining experience to lead into her career path. She would also appreciate prayer for her family and God’s grace and favor in their lives.
Mastula Namugambe is 14 year’s old and lives in Zirobwe, Uganda. She happens to be one of the first sponsored children who have just completed primary school from Empowered Leaders Academy. Today, she is full of joy and is glowing at the realization that her dreams of being a doctor have been reawakened after God blessed her with a sponsor about a year ago. Mastula describes her story from the days when she felt there was no hope in achieving her dreams, to a time where her hope was restored. “First and foremost, I want to thank God for enabling me to complete primary school well, safe, and sound. I also want to thank God for my heaven-sent sponsors, whom I dearly love and am grateful to; that’s Mr. and Mrs. Jane Hindle. I started primary school at Empowered Leaders Academy before Empower a Child purchased it. At the time, it was called Ebenezer Education Center. During my early school days, until I got a sponsor, life wasn’t easy for me with my studies and my parents too. I was always irregular in school because I lacked scholastic materials and school fees, which always kept me out of school. Never in my childhood life did I think or hope that I will even finish primary school. My story changed when I met one of Empower a Child’s volunteers, Porsche Dobinson, who happens to be a very close good friend of mine. I got to know Porsche after she picked interest in my little brother, whom she today sponsors, and after knowing what I was going through at home, she promised to get me a sponsor in 2013 and, indeed, it came to pass early this year when I was informed by the organization of how I had gotten a sponsor. That was the beginning of change in my life. I am more than happy that I receive gifts from my sponsors, school and life’s basic necessities, which have made an amazing difference in my life. My hope has been restored and my dreams reawakened. I am more than happy that I have finished primary school and I am looking forward to what God has in store for me as I press on harder to be the best throughout my education.” Empowered Leaders Academy has very good, loving, and caring teachers that we are proud of! It has now been a year since Empowered Leaders Academy was purchased by Empower a Child. The school is the first thing your eyes see when you drive towards the training center in Zirobwe. The school’s population has grown to approximately 450 children today, quite an increase from the previous 180 children who attended before Empower a Child took ownership. The increase in the number of students was a result of the organization’s assurance to elevate the community school into a role model institution that builds leaders after God’s heart. David Luwassa is a primary six student at Empowered Leaders Academy. He joined the school last year while it was still Ebenezer Education Center. David has been in the top position in his class for the first 2 terms of the year, a spot he has maintained since joining the school before it became Empowered Leaders Academy. He tells of how different his experience has been at Empowered Leaders Academy in comparison to the previous school. “There is a big difference between the two school that I’ve had the opportunity to study in. I might not mention everything, but I will share with you a few things from my observation.” The very first amazing difference Empowered Leaders Academy has brought to our community is being examined. Using well-printed examination papers that we write on, and well-marked [by teachers], then our papers are returned. The very first time I received a marked printed examination paper, I was overwhelmed with joy because it’s a morale-boosting factor to my performance. In the previous school, we were always instructed to take out pieces of paper from our books and write the questions from the black board as we answered them. It was a very old fashioned. That I never appreciated. Another humbling thing that desires me to come to school every day are our very loving and caring teachers. They act in a more professional way, they follow up on our performances regularly, and I attribute my good performance to their input, compared to the previous teachers who never used to care about students’ academics. I am proud of the fact that our teachers encourage us to speak and express ourselves in English always, which was something that never existed before. We are always reminded to understand that English is the language we will always use throughout our education, especially in examinations. It’s a language used in work places so it’s for the good of our performance and always endeavor to speak even when I am not very fluent. My experience with Empowered Leaders Academy is the good education we are being given, with well-dedicated teachers, is just good. My favorite experience is being able to play sports, especially soccer. We have ample space to play games, which was something we never had previously. I am so much looking forward to returning next year and enjoying more of the school. Since I will be sitting for my final year in primary school, I am more than confident and determined to be the best student in the district representing Empowered Leaders Academy."
On September 26th, Tonny Kasozi went to be with the Lord. He was surrounded by his family and received many words and photos of encouragement. He was maturing into an incredible man of God. We will never forget how Tonny touched so many lives and his legacy will live on. We are hopeful that God will use the testimony of Tonny, a sponsored child, to further God’s kingdom. Tonny Kasozi was born in 1998 in the village of Mitiyana, Uganda. His father died of Malaria when he was only two years old, leaving his mother with no source of income. Culturally in Uganda, recently widowed women in this financial state return to live with their childhood family. She left knowing that Tonny and his younger brother Kenneth, would be in good hands with their paternal grandmother and aunt to raise them. When Tonny was old enough to attend school, his grandmother struggled to pay for his school fees as Tonny’s grandfather had recently passed away. In 2007, Empower a Child was able to find a sponsor for Tonny to help keep him in school. The weight of worrying about where Tonny’s school fees were going to come from was lifted off of his grandmother’s shoulders. Tonny was a very smart, hardworking student. He was one of the top five students in his primary school and in his last year he scored 90% or above in all subjects of his Primary Leaving Exam. This is the final test every student in Uganda takes upon completion of primary school, equivalent to the last year of middle school in the U.S. Jennifer Kabeera, Development Coordinator of Empower a Child, recalls "I remember when Tonny was about 10 or 11, I went with one of our sponsorship mentors to do a home visit and see how he was doing in school. His grandmother mentioned how Tonny and his brother were very playful and it was difficult to get them to do their chores and studies after they got back from school. His mentor advised the boys they needed to take their studies seriously if they hoped to finish school and do something with their lives. This behavior didn’t reflect the student he eventually became.” “When I went back to Uganda for a visit this March, I was amazed at how much Tonny had grown, physically, academically, and spiritually. He had passed his primary final exams with straight A's and had a passion to do well in school with hopes of becoming a doctor. He also loved playing tag with our girls, Makayla and Abbie after he would get back from school.” Tonny’s best friend, cousin, and classmate, Edgar, has grown up with Tonny. He shared one of his favorite memories of their childhood. “The first memory that comes to mind was from when we were staying in the village over a school holiday. We were out adventuring and came upon a neighbor’s jackfruit tree, so we decided to have a snack.” Edgar continues, “Unfortunately, we got caught taking fruit from the tree and as a punishment the neighbor had us take all the ripe pieces of fruit from the tree and carry them to his home.” (Jackfruit is approximately twice the weight of a large watermelon) This year, Tonny entered his first year of secondary school (high school) in Kampala, Uganda. Wilson Kabeera, our Executive Director, remembers a conversation he had with Tonny in February. “Tonny came to me and said, ‘Uncle, if you let me come to study in Kampala, I promise I will study hard. I want to do something great when I graduate.’ Tonny and Edgar both showed great promise in school so we bought them out of the village setting into a city school.” Caragh Bennett, a mission volunteer, came to Uganda from April to July 2014 and treasures the simple memories she formed with Tonny. “For the three months I spent with Empower a Child, Tonny and his cousin Edgar were living at the guesthouse in Kampala. He became a younger brother to me. Tonny was so kind, so warm, he had the best smile ever and his laugh was infectious. I remember tickle fights in the lounge, endless card games when the power was out, and trips to buy sodas. He taught me Luganda and I helped him study for his tests at school.” It was in June earlier this year that Tonny began his second term of secondary school. He came back from school every afternoon feeling ill. He would go to bed right after school and not wake up until morning. His symptoms began to progress rapidly; high fever, loss of appetite, and a swelling abdomen. After having multiple tests at three different local health clinics in Kampala, with no relief in pain, and no clear diagnosis, Tonny was taken to an international hospital. After two more days of testing, a diagnosis from a bone marrow test came back. Cancer. Stage 4 Lymphoma. “It was July 2nd, when I got the phone call from Felix Kisa, one of our Sponsorship Field Coordinators. My stomach sank when I heard the diagnosis.” Wilson remembers. Caragh recalls, “I remember so clearly the night Tonny went to hospital. We all sat outside in the dark and prayed together. He was so brave, always so calm, always smiled through the pain.” Shannen Kennedy, our Communications Intern in Uganda remembers Tonny: “I did not know Tonny the way others had the opportunity to know him…I arrived in Uganda in late July and met Tonny once his cancer treatment had already begun. The Lord gave me the chance to love him and get to know him more than anyone I have ever known. Many nights I would sit in his hospital room in silence, partly because I had no translator, but mostly because the Lord was using Tonny to teach me how to love with an unconditional love - to sit and be quiet and to wait on the Lord.” Tonny was an incredible child of God and a huge encouragement to everyone around him. He had a smile that could light up a room and a sense of humor that would make you laugh until you cried. No matter the circumstance, he always found a reason to praise the Lord. The only possession he kept with him in the hospital was his Bible. He was always eager to share what God was revealing in his life. Not only did he impact those who were around him, but people all over the world knew Tonny and what he stood for too. Mary Ellen McCandless, Tonny’s sponsor says: “It was our honor to sponsor Tonny and he truly blessed our lives. In the letters we received, he spoke of how he was going to have a "bright future." I know he wanted to do so much more with his life, but he had no idea how many lives he would impact in his short 16 years. Tonny touched many lives, including ours.” Shannen remembers visiting Tonny the night before he passed away. “Edgar and I arrived in Tonny’s room at the hospital, it was not up to Western standards but it was the best possible room for him to be in. Tonny’s grandmother, mother, and aunt warmly greeted us. Tonny was sitting up on the bed, really struggling to breathe. The room was hot. When I locked my eyes on his, he gave me a half smile and put his hand out to greet me. I held his hand for a long time and just said ‘Hi Tonny’ to which he replied ‘Hi Shan’. He spoke between each big breathe of air and just simply said ‘I am weak.’ I just sat there with the family as they spoke in Lugandan. Edgar stood up at one point and I was able to pick out two phrases ‘Go buy with money’ and ‘he wants fresh milk’. When Edgar got back he sat next to Tonny, opened the bag of milk, put a straw in it, and helped him drink whenever he wanted it. I am so encouraged by Edgar, at only 15 years old, how mature and loving he was to his cousin. We sat there for a long time. Sometimes in silence, other times in laughter. At one point Tonny even made fun of the picture I put of myself on his wall… still ganging up on me even at the end of his sweet life. As we got up to say goodbye, I sat on the edge of his bed and held his hand while Edgar sat on the other side and we prayed. We prayed that he would continue to be a light to those around him and that he would always be reminded of the impact he is to all those people whose photos are on the poster hanging on his wall. (Earlier that week we delivered the collage of photos with people from all over the world holding signs saying “I <3 Tonny”) I prayed that God would spare Tonny from this pain and that he would be healed in Jesus’ name.” Early in the morning on September 26, 2014, God answered many prayers for Tonny. He ultimately healed him and took him home to heaven. The pain he suffered for the past 4 months was gone. “It's hard to understand why God called such a bright promising student home, but it's my prayer that Tonny's passing will not be in vain and be an inspiration for other students in our program to aspire to be doctors in their country with a passion to see an end to cancer related deaths in Africa." Jennifer states. “We had been praying for Tonny’s healing as a family ever since we heard of his diagnosis. When I told my 3-year old daughter Abbie, that Tonny was in heaven now, she looked at me and asked ‘Tonny feel better now?’. ‘Yes, Abbie. Tonny does feel better now.” No matter the circumstance, Tonny always chose joy and it was clearly evident that his life reflected Christ. Shannen states: “The scripture that always came to mind when I was with Tonny is the call of being salt and light to this earth. He often told me that he couldn’t wait to be used by God when he was feeling better. What he didn’t realize was that God was using him right where he was and in a big way. Tonny had a kind heart and was a perfect example of selflessness.” As we reflect on this young man’s life, let’s ask ourselves: how will people remember us? For you; will it be the things you accomplished, or how God used you in the midst of trials? How you responded? Let the Lord direct our steps and let us always be willing to be used for His glory. Tonny was thankful for all of your photos, prayers and words of encouragement. Thank you for your support during this time.