This summer, our East Africa development workers have been meeting with twelve youth from Bombo, Uganda every Saturday night.  This time lasts for a few hours and consists of Bible study and discussions about culture and relevant issues in the world today. For the last several weeks the discussions have revolved around God’s care for prisoners. We discussed Matthew 25 and focused on God’s desire for his people to visit and care for prisoners, who are grouped alongside the most vulnerable people in society (hungry, thirsty, sick and naked).  A visit to the Nakasongola Prison was then arranged so that the youth could connect what they were learning with practice. On July 30th, John Nyago, Cameron Kagay, Adam Loeffler, two of our East African Cooperatives (Reuben Ndwiga and Lawrence Ssemakula), and 10 of the youth visited the Nakasongola Prison.  Although it was the youth’s first time at this prison, this was our movement’s third visit to the Nakasongola Prison this summer (the first two visits were with a SLAM team from North Carolina – they did educational programs and played soccer on the first visit, and teeth extraction, dental hygiene education, and donated tooth brushes and toothpaste on the second).  While ...

Each day children in Uganda face limited educational opportunities, illiteracy, disease and even death.  A child should not have to think about his/her basic needs being met. But when parents are seeking to survive, their child’s education is neglected.  Uganda’s schools should be a place of hope for their youth. Instead, the average class size is just under 100 students—leaving teachers overworked and unable to give proper attention to their pupils.   Most schools enroll as many children as possible in order to benefit economically and, hopefully, one day expand their property.  This ‘business mentality’ of Ugandan schools fails to give proper attention to the children who count on education to brighten their future. Students must overcome the difficulties of overcrowded classrooms to receive an education in much of rural Uganda. A few weeks ago I met a young man named Baye.  Baye is in his 20s and makes money by fetching water and disposing of people’s trash.  Baye is an orphan; both of his parents died of AIDS when he was young, leaving him to only complete a few years of elementary school.  To this day, Baye is illiterate.  ...

Ugandan economy has been in a constant downfall over recent months, primarily due to drought and inflation. The Ugandan Shilling plummeted in recent weeks and hit an 18-year low this week when its value to the US Dollar fell to 2,710 UGX / $1.  The devaluation of the shilling, astronomical inflation of goods, and a nation of people with less income has produced turmoil in Uganda.  When people are poor and hungry, their actions are driven by the desperation to survive, which often leads to violence. Wars are fought everyday around the world because people are unable to provide for their families and resort to violence as the avenue to effect change. Ugandans participating in "Walk to Work" Protests In April, a political pressure group, motivated by Uganda’s economic inflation, coordinated a protest against high commodity prices. What began as a peaceful strike against the high prices of food, gasoline and other staple resources ended in violence, as police responded with hostility.  It was called the “Walk To Work Campaign,” and it encouraged Ugandans to do just that – walk through Kampala rather than drive or take ...