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New Hope Uganda Ministries, Inc.Summer 2001"A father to the fatherless is God in His holy habitation. God sets the lonely in families" (Ps 68:5,6).
African Odysseyby Greg Lange, Hazen, NDSix North Dakota residents, a California girl, and a Bostonian landed in Entebbe, Uganda on March 6, 2001. Two came to stay a while, five came for a two week work visit. All were drawn to central Africa -The Luwero Triangle. Recently elected President Museveni led his successful fight to free Uganda of dictators Amin and Obote from this small area in central Uganda, and the residents paid a heavy price. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed and many children left fatherless or orphaned in the carnage. Into this darkness stepped Jay and Vicki Dangers with a vision to father the fatherless and so give these children hope for today and for eternity. They called their vision New Hope Uganda. After traveling through ten time zones and watching two sunsets in twelve hours, we landed in Entebbe, location of a famous Israeli raid to free hostages held by terrorists under Amin's protection. The next day we experienced Africa at eye level. An hour of pot-holed tarmac (asphalt) led us to and through Kampala, a city of millions, with one working stoplight. The masses aren't hidden in large office buildings, they fill every street and open space. Shops six feet wide run one against another for miles. Open sacks of corn flour and sides of beef compete for space with produce markets and coffin carpenters. Urban Africa was soon left behind with the tarmac. Red roads of murim lead us past mud huts, fields of bananas and swamps of papyrus to New Hope Children's Center at Kasana. A warm welcome and tour introduce us to the staff and facilities of New Hope. From one small building and a few people they have grown to a community of fifty staff and over three hundred children with numerous brick huts, cottages and school buildings. Cousins Melvin Bosserman and Glenn Hudson, after a short stint wrestling a single bottom plow behind two oxen, find their niche in latch and pump repairs. Neil Lachappelle, our "Praise the Lord" Bostonian and I, Greg Lange, fall into screen replacement and varnishing and complete these upgrades on eight cottages before leaving. Bill Bowen and Gary Wood supervise and assist while Shannon Hammeran repairs computers, and Amber Mason begins working administration. We soon discover the warm spirit of New Hope in its people. Each day we are told "well done" by the children and staff- more times than we can count. In Neil's temporary absence, I find good help and fast friends in the little children of Ebenezer family. Their wide-eyed fascination with our pale white faces is replaced by warm smiles and hugs as relationships develop and the equatorial sun gives us all "farmer tans." We spent fulfilling hours with our sponsored children, deepening, in some cases, relationships begun and maintained through frequent letters.* We worked and played, laughed and cried tears of joy in worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Two weeks after arriving, we leave Africa changed by new experiences and new friends and filled with the joy of knowing that we have been a small part of something big. Through the vision, perseverance and love of the staff and children at the Kasana Children's Center, God is indeed bringing the New Hope of Jesus to the people of Uganda. To all of you at New Hope, we your grateful guests say , "Well done!" *[The New Hope Uganda Ministries board has recommended that we have a Sponsors team go to Uganda in 2002. If you would be interested in going on a team to see your child and work at the site, please contact Gary Wood at his address listed in this news1etter.] Through their involvement in Basingstoke Community Churches, David Downer and Tony Leach, who were originally electricians based at Aldershot and Oxford, UK, respectively, spent two weeks last winter at the Kansas Children's Centre helping to install an electricity distribution network. Although Uganda is now enjoying a time of greater peace and stability, the years of war in the 1980's left 1.5 million fatherless or orphaned children, a problem compounded by the devastating AIDS epidemic. Kansas Children's Centre, located about 50 miles from Kampala was set up in 1986 to provide love, care, clothing, education, training and Christian family values for some of these children. With darkness falling around 7pm every night, there has been a high incidence of eye strain amongst staff preparing lessons and children doing homework by the light of kerosene lamps. The introduction of a reliable electricity supply to the Center was essential to tackle this problem and would also provide power for small appliances, fridges and cooking as well as making the Center a more appealing place for potential staff. Dave and Tony designed and installed a network comprising four underground feeders and fourteen pillars where all connections and terminations are made. This simple, flexible arrangement provides a distribution system with easy connection of services, easy maintenance and no underground joints. Although the system itself is fairly simple, there were some challenges that a similar system in the UK would not have to cope with - Dave explains: "A kilometre of cable trenches had to be dug without the use of machinery. The local people overcame this by working with African hoes, a cross between a pickaxe and spade. We also had to work out how to protect the cables against termite attack and opted for an additive to the cable sheath that hardens it so the insects can't gnaw through to the core!"
Launch PadIntro to Dave & Raych ClayWe have a farm in Africa! A year and a half ago we were quite happy living in Oxford, UK. We visited New Hope as part of the Kings School team and God ambushed us and captured our hearts. We came back for 3 months last year and God made it clear that we were to stay; he also gave us our first son: Moses (one of seven babies). Our purpose in being here is to assist the older young people to launch out into the community, to be selfsupporting and to be salt & light wherever God places them. The GapCurrently graduates (from Vocational School) and school leavers come back to New Hope with some new skills, but most lack the ability to support themselves independently from New Hope. The result is that some become job seekers (very few around), some work for New Hope, do odd jobs, or leave, with very few actually succeeding. Launch Pad ProgramA structured and organized launch pad program is being established as the final link to successfully resettle the young people. Launch Pad Components
For those of you who have wondered...All the babies are doing very well. Of the original seven that arrived Dec. 15, 1999 six are being permanently adopted by staff and one close friend of New Hope who lives nearby. The seventh is now living in a family group and joining 4 others for day care at the Shoracks. The health of all the babies is excellent. In June, Thomas came to the Shoracks from an overcrowded babies home in Kampala, but he quickly stole their hearts and is now a Shorack himself. Esther came from the village in July at 8 months old and 8 pounds. Her mother had abandoned her to her single father who didn't know what to do. After being treated for malnutrition, syphilis and TB she is now doing very well. She is a chubby 18 pounds and crawling fast enough to chase after the other babies. She spends weekends with her dad and will go to live with him when she is walking. We truly thank God for each of these little miracles. |