Girls’ Dorm + Emergency Shelter
CONSTRUCTION ON THE UGANDA GIRLS’ DORM + EMERGENCY SHELTER IS MAKING GOOD PROGRESS!
Read about an inspiring story of community and hope.
Our newest project, the girls’ emergency shelter in Uganda, provides a refuge for young girls displaced due to loss and abuse as a result of Covid-19. Uganda has seen an exponential increase of trafficking, sexual abuse and other forms of exploitation of children since March 2020. With the closure of institutions, boarding schools and loss of relatives to illness and starvation, girls are particularly vulnerable to such abuse.
When some of the members of the local community found out from Dove School leaders about the severity of the situation for many of the girls and young women in their own community who were suffering, they took action. They knew there needed to be a separate shelter for the girls, as they were simply not safe in the emergency foster homes and even their own extended family homes. Some of the local men started volunteering making bricks and digging the foundation. Eventually, half a dozen came to help however they could, even if they had no money to contribute. Some men and women brought firewood to help with cooking, some brought water from the stream to quench the workers’ thirst, and some brought beans and helped feed the workers. We were brought to tears by this story of a community rising up together, and truly acting as the hands and feet of Jesus to serve children. It takes a community to take care of each other.
Perhaps the greatest ministry is that they (and we) all see what God is doing, and it encourages them to draw closer to God when they see His work and blessings first hand. We are humbled to be a part of what God is doing in Mukono, Uganda.
- Since the Covid-19 lockdown, more than 21,000 cases of abuse were reported by young girls in Uganda. And that’s just the REPORTED cases. We all know the truth is that many, perhaps even most cases of abuse are never reported due to fear of safety, stigmatization and hopelessness that nothing will be done anyway to obtain safety and justice for those abused.
- The Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion in Uganda asked our partners, Daniel and Erica Kaggwa, who run the Dove School in Mukono to stand in the gap for as many of these children as possible. The Dove School’s reputation precedes it as one of the most impactful and influential community-building Christian projects in the greater Kampala-Mukono area, which is why the Ugandan government came directly to them for support.
- The emergency shelter will house 28 girls to start, complying with social distancing measures. It will be fully equipped to house 100 girls at full capacity.
Eventually, when Covid-19 restrictions have lifted, the emergency shelter will become a girls-only dorm for the Dove School!
Once the dorm is ready for the girls to move in we will need to supply beds, bedsheets, blankets, mosquito nets and hygienic supplies. We will also need to hire “house moms” to care for the girls 24/7.
Additionally, we will need to hire a social worker to check in on all of the girls monthly. The budget for the social worker’s salary is $300/month.
RENEWABLE ENERGY – SOLAR POWER – (UPDATE: SOLAR POWER HAS BEEN FULLY FUNDED!)
Do you know any companies or individuals passionate about Clean, Renewable energy who might be willing to support solar power for the entire Dove school for orphans and vulnerable children, as well as the Girls’ Emergency Shelter in Uganda? Please let us know! This is the next step toward completing the project, once the 2nd floor is complete.
We have received an initial estimate from a local Ugandan company of $1500 per building for solar panels, with 3 buildings needing solar power, totaling $4500. Please join us in prayer for provision of this invaluable resource.
The reason solar power is so important is because the Mukono village where this is located is rural and there are not yet power lines from the city to the village. While electrical wiring is being installed, and until the city runs power lines to the village, they would need a generator to have power. Fuel for the generator is cost prohibitive: the cost of generators and fuel for a year is more than the total cost of solar power for all 3 buildings indefinitely!
Thank you for supporting and praying for this project!
WE DID IT!!!
All 100 girls in our dormitory now have warm cozy beds, thanks to the VERY generous support of many donors! We are jumping for JOY and are SO THANKFUL for each one who gave! (You know who you are!)
CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION
The construction of our girls’ dormitory at the Dove Nursery and Primary School in Mukono, Uganda, is finished! This dormitory provides urgently needed shelter for orphaned and vulnerable girls, offering them a safe place to sleep and access education. Many of these girls were rescued from abusive situations and potential trafficking.
EMERGENCY FOOD AID FOR UGANDA
UPDATE: Thanks to many generous donors, this project has been FULLY FUNDED! Thank you!!!