It’s been two weeks from the night of the This Is Love Banquet, and we are still so humbled and amazed at all the stories that are continuing to pour into the office about that night. Here is a highlight video that we would love for you to watch:

This year, Faith from Bringing Hope to the Family  came to share her story and what they are doing to change the story of education in Uganda. Check out this video to see what education in Uganda looks like:

We can do something about this. By helping us meet this NEED, we can change provide an education for these children. Through the This Is Love Banquet, we were blown away by your generosity and passion behind meeting this need, but we still have more to do. Through your partnership, we can change the world.

Thanks so much for being part of an amazing night and for helping us meet this need! Click the above link to continue being a part of this story!

As we are traveling back to Uganda I want to update everyone on the progress of the new dormitory that is being constructed in Kyongera on Bringing Hope’s farm land. The windows and doors were installed last week and work began on plastering the inside of the building. We are excited to see this structure getting closer to occupancy. This building  is going to be such a huge blessing to Bringing Hope, their vocational school, as well as, the students who get the opportunity to live there.

Thank you all who have made this possible!

Chris

April 25th is World Malaria Day. Malaria is one of the biggest issues that Bringing Hope to the Family’s medical center has to treat on a daily basis. Last year alone with the help of Bringing Hope and our volunteer teams we vistied over 60 homes in our surrounding communities and hung over 200 mosquito nets! Since 2009 we have visted 180 families and hung 665 nets, greatly reducing the risk of malaria contraction. Hanging these nets and instructing these families on the proper use of their nets has truly been life saving for these communities. We thank God for the opportunity to help these families and we are so very grateful for all of you for joining with us in making a tangible difference in our communities.

To learn more about malaria and World Malaria Day please click on the highlighted words above, check out some of the photos below, and join our conversation over on twitter and facebook!

Our team is steadily growing, and we could not be more excited! Allow us to introduce Savannah, our intern for 3 months. Hear from her in her own words below her picture:

I’m Savannah, and I’ve come to intern at Know.Think.Act from the great state of California!  I will be finishing up my B.A. in International Relations from the University of California, San Diego, where I am involved in the university’s new Center for Global Justice.  I’m excited to be working with Global Support Mission and Know.Think.Act. primarily because it is so rare to find an organization who really has its act together, and whose organizational model reflects the true issues facing impoverished and developing communities with a holistic and sustainable approach that are helpful in both the short and long terms.

The opportunity to work with great people doing great things that are directly related to my field of study was too good to pass up.  So here I am, and I couldn’t be happier. While I am here I hope to make myself useful closing any gaps in operations, while working to actively promote its message of compassion through action– a message everyone needs to hear and take to heart if we are to bring positive change to the world.

We could not be more excited to have Savannah joining our team! Feel free to say hi to her in the comments, and I know you will be seeing the results of her hard work very soon.

It’s planting season again in Kyongera, Uganda! Rainy season is just getting started in Uganda and Bringing Hope to the Family is trying to get their farm into shape in time to reap the benefits of this oncoming wet season. The students of Bringing Hope’s vocational school, Dorcas, are busy helping to get the land prepared along with some hired help as well.

If you are interested in assisting Bringing Hope with their agricultural needs, feel free to check out a couple of ways you can be a part of this project on Know.Think.Act.

I just received these photos of the Home Again bathroom/kitchen addition from Moses, so I thought I would share them with you! The bathroom is nearly complete, and the focus will soon shift to finishing the kitchen. We are excited to see it come together!

Thank you to all who have donated towards the project! You are changing lives!

With this post, I want to show the progress on Bringing Hope to the Family’s new administration building. This building is being constructed next to their new medi al center that is also under construction. We are believing along with Bringing Hope that both of these structures will be completed and in use later this year.

Work on the admin building started back in September. The walls are about half way completed. The next phase will be roofing and installing gthe windows and doors.

This new building is going to be a huge blessing for Bringing Hope. It will allow all of their departments to be under the same roof and be on the same land as their new medical center. This will also save them money monthly as they will be able to stop renting facilities in the trading center.

If you are interested in seeing the needs that are left towards this project, please follow this link:  Know.Think.Act.

We are going to continue our staff spoltlight to allow everyone to get to know some of the wonderful people that God is using in Kaihura to reach out to those that so desperately need God’s love and truth in a practical way.

Gorret has been working at Hope Again Medical Center since October 2008. Prior to coming to work with Bringing Hope, she was working at a clinic in the district of Busia. Having talked to Faith about Bringing Hope’s need for a midwife, she applied for the postion and later made the transition to Kaihura.

In 2011, Gorret went to further her medical studies at a univesity in the south of Uganda. She is hoping to continue her studies soon which will allow her to better serve her community.

In her own words:

“I really enoy seeing a pregnant mother coming in for check ups and delivers an alive healthy baby. I always return the glory to God when I discharge a live mother with an alive baby.”

Gorret was in our second leadership course that just recently ended.

In her own words:

“I learned that God’s word is forever and will never die. I also learned to be courageous and not fear anything because I serve a living God and I am secure in Jesus Christ.”

Gorret is a blessing to this organization and to her community. We thank God for people like Gorret who are willing to give their lives for the glory of God.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we would like to take a moment to honor the women who work with Global Support Mission. As the only woman working in the U.S. office full-time, I’m especially humbled by the ladies who have come before us, the ones who continue to walk alongside us, and the men who support us.

The last hundred years have brought incredible changes worldwide for women. We can now vote, work, go to school, receive healthcare, manage our own finances, and run for office in many countries throughout the world. While inequalities and injustices certainly continue to exist in many countries, today we celebrate these victories and the effect they’ve had on us.

Take our fearless leader of Bringing Hope to the Family, Faith Kunihira. She was raised by a single mother in rural Uganda and speaks of how they did not have hope that she or her family could bring any good to themselves or the village. However, through doors that miraculously opened for her and through her work outside of the village, she began to see hope and a future full of positive change for her home. She returned to the village and began to lay a legacy of difference in her community. Today, she is the mastermind behind the great strides being taken in orphan care, healthcare, education, leadership, vocational skills, and agriculture for thousands of boys and girls in Kaihura. What an inspiration!

I admire Faith for her boldness in faith, hope, and action. I admire her for taking steps forward in enacting change for her community. I admire her for courageously walking down the path of opportunity that many women before her had begun to pave. I am especially encouraged by the ways she is continuing to inspire all the little girls and young women not only in her community, but also in those of us who love Global Support Mission and Bringing Hope to the Family worldwide.

Working alongside Faith in Uganda, Katie Sasser, one of our International Coordinators in Uganda, continues to use her skills and gifts to further the mission of GSM & Bringing Hope to the Family. We have great women working alongside us Stateside as well, from Maggie, Evan, and Katy in the office, to Exchange Tour participants, international and domestic volunteers, and Legacy Partners. Today, we remember the women who paved the way for us and honor today’s women who strive alongside Global Support Mission every day.

Thank you for supporting the women you so dearly love in your life and for encouraging them to continue to seek opportunity and change.

Thank you,

Karen
International Volunteer Coordinator & Office Manager

Allow us to introduce you to Monica, our Child Welfare Officer for Bringing Hope to the Family (BHTTF) and a former resident of Bringing Hope! Hear from her perspective below her picture!