A VISION FOR A NEW FUTURE
While foreign missions has helped many in poverty throughout the ages, too often it has left those communities in poverty, instead of bringing them out of it. Those helped have become addicted to foreign aid and help. Our vision, and plan, is to create a new paradigm among future generations. This new paradigm is one where the next generation of Africans gets a vision and begins to rise from the needy and too often greedy, to become the leaders, innovators, and supporters of others in need.
Education is the Key
Ugandans in particular, have always valued education. The parents and youth of Uganda understand, probably as much or more than any other people, that education is the key to a prosperous future. They have raised some of the most intelligent people in the world, in their own land. However, many of those- doctors, lawyers, business and other professionals, have left to make their way in Europe and America. It is our hope and goal to change that.
While education is very important, as the old saying goes, “it is sometimes too hard to hear anything else above the growling of an empty stomach.” Nutrition is very important, as is personal safety. Ugandans have been sending their children off to boarding schools throughout the country for many, many years. In the past many years, however, the cost of those schools and the exploding population have made these schools less accessible for many. In addition to that the internal wars and AIDS epidemic of the 70s and 80s has left many orphans in the country, and there are still very many orphanages there.
One of the more recent obstacles to arise, has been continuing and higher education. The primary and secondary schools in Uganda and East Africa bring the youth through their basic education. After that, however, many do not have the resources to continue to university or trade school. We want to help with that.
The Joseph Project currently supports one orphanage/school “Bulamu Children’s Village”, and two other schools. One of those schools “God Cares School”, is actually a model for the others. “God Cares”, a ministry of “Buyamba Uganda”, has grown to educate and take care of a few thousand children in their primary and secondary schools. Their challenge has now become one of assisting those who graduate with the costs and needs of a university and trade school education.
In the almost five years that we discovered and have been helping with “Rejoice School” and “Bulamu”, they have grown from 30 and 300 students, respectively, to over 300 and 800 each. Bulamu, both an orphanage and school, faces the extra challenge of taking in children with no living family members or those who cannot take care of them. The children have a home through secondary school but then comes the grim reality of life after the orphanage. Those who are not able to continue their education or get a job are left to their own devices. We hope to help see their future continue beyond the orphanage and secondary school.