Create Hope for Ugandan Children

Life on the streets is an ordeal no human being should endure, let alone a child. Unfortunately this is the harsh reality for many Ugandan children.

Child Hope Ministries is a nonprofit organization aimed at bringing children off the streets of Jinja and surrounding communities. With the help of international volunteers we are now reaching out to the public for help to build a home for the children to live together in a secure and nurturing family environment.

CHM was founded and is run by Joram Muwanguzi in 2009. After being abandoned by his father at birth Joram spent most of his childhood living on the streets, with no chance for an education. His only dream was to one day have a family in which everyone could achieve his or her goals. As an adult, Joram saw the suffering of orphans and disadvantaged children in his community and decided to act to provide these children with food, shelter, education and most importantly the love they need to thrive.

The children taken in by CHM have come from a range of difficult circumstances. Many have been abandoned; some have lost parents to HIV/aids while others come from families which can no longer support them financially. If it weren’t for Joram most of the children would live on the streets, as many did before he found them.

As CHM has relied heavily on individual donations, the journey has proven to be slow and even difficult at times. Even so, CHM has grown to care for over 30 children. In August 2015, the rent of the house they all lived in doubled; a lack of funding meant that they were evicted. Now Joram lives with 11 children (including his own two young daughters) in a three bedroom home; 15 live 70 kilometers away with his mother and a helper paid for by CHM, and 5 are being fostered by friends of Joram. CHM pays for food, clothes, tuition fees and medical expenses for the children. Malaria is a constant risk, and two children have HIV.

Joram has raised the money to purchase land in the countryside to build upon, and made plans for the building works. As soon as the house has walls and a roof, he will move in with the children, in order to put his current rent money towards the project. As of 17 June 2016, a septic tank and foundations had already been dug with help from friends and international volunteers. Now progress has halted until funds are raised for materials to complete the house. We estimate it will cost NZD $5520 (13,785,500 Ugandan shillings) to get the home to the stage where the family can move in. With the necessary funds, this could be possible as early as August.

In the longer term, Joram plans to build a kitchen, bathroom, volunteer housing, connect electricity, running water, secure fencing, etc. The estimated cost for completion is NZD $18,140. This could be finished by the end of this year, allowing the children to celebrate Christmas in their newly completed home.

After this project Joram hopes to take in more children, and to create a network within the community that will nurture the children and give them the support they need.

[For more photos and to learn about the children’s individual stories, please visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ChildHopeMinistries/ ]