Resurrection of Hope Uganda (ROHU) is a Ugandan NGO (in Uganda, they would technically be known as a “CBO”) whose work involves paying the school fees for families’ little ones, paying the medical fees for people who cannot afford it, and providing basic home needs to single moms, widows, and other struggling families.
ROHU also hosts a Christmas event every December, where over 1,000 children are fed, and enjoy games, dance, sports, and teaching of the gospel and the things of Jesus Christ. This year, 2020, the event did not happen, due to covid-19 and other things that needed taken care of financially (someone needed medical care to fix a broken leg from a boda accident, and raising the money for that is NOT easy).
This NGO is based in Jinja, Uganda, the source of the Nile River. Jinja has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world, and is among the poorest areas. People there, like other struggling regions in the world, struggle to feed their families, pay school and medical fees (one needs to pay the fees for the latter FIRST, to get treatment), and many live on only one meal a day. A common theme is single mothers in the villages raising 5-10 children on their own. There are two villages ROHU primarily works with: Lwanika, in the Mayuge District,
and Musima, not far away.
Both villages are east of Jinja.
ROHU’s education program is where most of our revenue goes
(pre covid-19 shutdown). These fees cover uniforms, school
supplies, three meals a day, and medical care. ROHU works with the families of 95 children between Musima and Lwanika collectively. Due to the coronavirus shutdown situation, families that have already paid their school fees (which feed their children) now have to fend for themselves to feed their kids, which, many people are starving because of this.
The medical program is an essential part of the work (obviously). As stated above, the fees for appointment/clinic visits, surgery, other procedures, and emergency services, must be paid in full, or, however it is arranged with the doctor/medical staff and patient. The problem is that few people can afford to shell out thousands of dollars, and, for the ones in the villages, they have no way to pay to even GET to the hospital, if something happens. Situations happen, and we manage on a case by case basis. We pay hospital fees, transportation, and food, for the patients and families. As of 2019, ROHU has helped a number of people including a man with a flesh eating bacteria, an eight-year-old girl with an umbilical hernia, and a young man’s broken leg from a boda crash.
Since the majority of the incoming money goes towards school fees, the medical program is usually from donors through fundraising campaigns. Due to the pandemic shutdown, transportation was among the things completely stopped (this was back in march). People lucky enough to live close to a hospital were forced to walk, only to be turned away, causing desperate things to happen, like women giving birth on the street,
and people carrying their elderly parents on their backs.
Aside from the education program, the other PARAMOUNT project we have is the basic home needs program. These two programs take up the BULK of our revenue, and the basic home needs may be by far, the most important and critical one, as we go door to door, and meet with the families we serve.
They welcome us into their homes, and cook for us. They tell us their problems, and we pray for them, share the word of God, and offer counsel. The basic premise of this program is feeding the widows, single moms, and the fatherless. We buy in bulk maize flour, sugar, rice, cooking oil, soap, bread, spices, and toilet paper; then it is all portioned according to the number of families.
The whole day is spent bringing these basic home needs to the people we serve, though its not much. We do what we can with what little we have and there are hopes and faith that more money will come in to serve these little ones more in the near future.
When the covid shutdown affected Uganda (which, it still is), we launched a campaign to raise funds for a basic home needs weekend (thats what these pictures are from), to help families affected by the covid shutdown (mentioned above).
The childrens’ Christmas event is held in December every year. One to three thousand kids attend, and it is an epic day. The funds go towards payment to host, food (also people to cook the food), entertainment/music, a bounce house, and beverages.
The event involves fellowship, a meal, music, dancing, sports/competition, comedy, and teaching on the gospel, and the things of Jesus Christ.
This is a great day of joy for these little ones, and they also get a meal in their bellies.
ROHU also manages a community garden, where maize is grown, along with tomato, cassava, banana, sugar cane, and other vegetables.
When harvest is good, the yields are given to the families of the community who are in need.
Lastly, ROHU is in posession of a small four unit apartment building, and the plot of land it is set on. Our desire is to get these units livable for tenents to move in.
The rent will generate income to add a couple more four unit buildings, then, an orphanage and an office.
Thank you for reading this article. This is a very important endeavor, and its too bad that the need is so great, not only in Uganda, but in many, many parts of the world. Our website is http://resurrectionofhope.org/. Please visit this website, and consider making a donation, or becoming a monthly recurring donor, at at least ten dollars a month. you can either visit the website with the link above, or to just donate, without the website, a yellow “donate” button is down below. Resurrection of Hope Uganda, EIN 84-2057998, is a charitable organization tax exempt under IRC code 501C3. All donations made to this organization are tax deductable, though, we recommend consulting with your tax professional. Thank you so much for reading, and God bless!
