REACH: Rescue African Children

Meet Nasim Naigaga

      I am by the names called Naigaga, Nasim, ten (10) years old. I have two sisters and two brothers.  Currently I am in primary three (3^rd grade) at Omega School, staying with my grandparents in Buwenge Town Council, Jinja District. When I get back home from school, I help to cook food for my grandparents, fetch water and do some other things.

I cherish the first day I first joined Rescue African Children (REACH) sponsorship program. I am the only fortunate child in our family who received a chance of sponsorship. Our parents divorced when I was too young,  I cannot tell the story very well how it came about but at the moment all that I know my sickly mother, who is HIV positive,  she went to a place I do not know and my father got another wife who did not welcome us to stay together with them.

Our grandparents worked hard to take care of us and paying my school fees and giving us food, until I got a sponsor at Omega School.  While in my baby class at Omega School I was registered by REACH and our Director went to America to get sponsors for children. When he came back he told us that; “Children got sponsored and you are one of them.” I went back home happy and told my grandparents and they got happy.

I used to sleep on the ground like many other children, wear torn clothes and going to school without school requirements. But I am now very happy for the gifts I receive from my sponsors.  When I got the birthday gift from my sponsors I bought a bed mattress, blanket and bed sheets.  I now sleep on my bed under a mosquito net; Malaria cannot get close to me. Malaria is a bad disease caused by mosquitoes and it kills many children in my village who do not have mosquito nets.

      I like all the gifts I receive, the cow, which were given to me, a calf and now we take milk with my grandparents and many other gifts. I am now at school studying.  It is my prayer that, God may give our sponsors and REACH good life.

Omega School Chicken Farm 

Excitement at Omega School is mounting as gifts towards the Chicken Farm have begun to be received from sponsors and friends of REACH. Please identify your gifts for this project as “Omega Chicken Farm.”

Tent Arrives Safely

      After several months time a large meeting tent donated by a friend of REACH safely arrived in Jinja.  Times were tense as the tent was held “hostage” for  a few weeks as duties were assessed on the tent’s determined value.  After much prayer and dialog the tent was released for delivery.

The tent will have multiple uses (current and future) :  Revivals, conferences, prayer meetings, Aids/HIV awareness, and medical clinics.

REACH is attempting to raise $2500 to cover a portion of the levied duties that were not covered by funds raised locally.  If you desire to help with this expense, please identify your gift as “Tent”.

Love at Christmas and Beyond

      My name Is Kisakye, Priscilla (UG/1005) and I am eleven years old. In our family we are three children and we are all girls.  I am very grateful to Rescue African Children under Reverend Fred Tumwebaze for all the help and love given to us. I can’t forget the sponsor he got for me; they have extended a lot to me and they mean so much to me. I get school fees and scholastic materials and feel loved so much .

Four years ago. Both our mother and father were traveling and got involved in an accident where a train went off its trail and knocked the car where our father and mother were. They were all taken to hospital in critical condition. It is unfortunate our father died when our mother was in a semi-conscious condition, she did not have chance to say or to listen to the last words of our father. However, our mother didn’t die but sustained serious injuries on her body.

While our mother was near death in the hospital we remained with our aunt who is called Naume. Our aunt was too harsh, she began to sell our family possessions

. She sold the poultry, cattle, and our plot of land without our mother’s consent.  She finally made up her decision and took our home. She added more pain to our family

By the time our mother was discharged from the hospital, we were homeless. She moved around and rented a single room in the small town council of Buwenge and it is where we are staying up to date.

Having a sponsor has helped make life better in our home.  After suffering much grief and loss it is good to know love. In Africa Christmas is a happy day where families enjoy family reunions, good meals and nice dressings, but all this had gone far from us after the death of our father. We are happy through Rescue African Children all the above items and extra are now catered for.

On 22^nd December 2011 all Omega School students were shown this love.  This very day we had our Christmas party at Omega School.  The party was very good for every child as we got gifts of a new dress each and rice and meat, plus soda. It was very good to praise and dance for the Lord. Christmas Day helps me to remember the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

I ask God to bless my sponsors and Rescue African Children for having the good heart of helping us in need. Please continue with that good heart. We can now see the future gradually because of your love for us.

Success: Now a Nurse!

     I am Nsekanabo Topista, aged 24 years old, the 3rd born in my family of five children. I am the only girl. My father died in 1994 when I was in primary one (grade one) and later my mother died in 1996 when I was in primary three, they both died of HIV/AIDS.

After the death of our parents, I and my siblings we were taken by our aunt who had several other children under her care. The worse story, she was a peasant practicing substance farming, all the food from the garden was only to be eaten.  She tried her level best to help me be at school but she couldn’t, due to financial difficulties.

It was one time; a friend of mine sought for me a job in Buwenge town to work as a house maid, I had no alternative but thanked her for the great help. We made our journey from Namawojjolo village, Mukono District where I was born and joined the strange family in Buwenge, Jinja District to work as a house maid.

The nearby church that I loved and I often went to was Omega Christian Prayer Centre under Rev. Fred Tumwebaze. I got acquainted to this church as my personal church and I loved all its services so much. It was through this compassionate man of God, Rev. Fred Tumwebaze; in 2005 he adopted me as his own daughter after knowing my background.

I am so thankful to my God that through him my life was rescued from total misery and my hope was renewed. I got registered with Rescue African Children; they took me back to school, met all my school requirements and finally helped me achieve my long time ambition of becoming a medical personnel. As I speak, I graduated in the month of May, 2011 as a Comprehensive Nurse after under going three (3) year training. All this has been achieved through the effort and prayers of Rescue African Children in union with my wonderful sponsors from United States of America. Glory be to God!

Currently, I am working with Omega School as a School Nurse, I am happy about that because it has been my outcry and indeed it is realized. I have great joy in my heart and thank God to help me be of help to the surrounding orphans and needy children in the community. As I treat, I as will do some counseling to some children who have similar background like mine and pray for them to reach the same success.

I conclusively say my goals are still in process by God because I do have a dream to go for further studies. May the Almighty God keep on blessing all my guardian and sponsors for the great job well done to help me achieve my career as a Nurse. Be blessed!

   Christmas 2011

  Omega School held its all-school Christmas Party on December 22nd.  Thanks to our generous sponsors, $5,601 was transferred to Uganda to help with this blessed celebration! Praise God for compassionate hearts that showered our dear Omega students with such an awesome demonstration of love.

Photos and a full report of this event will be published in next month’s newsletter.

From the Director’s Heart

       Am so glad to write to you in this upcoming Christmas Season. Hope you are all doing well in all that you do. It is our joy to let you know that things are fine here in Uganda and the ministry is going very great. Thank you for the continued support you give for the work in Uganda.  Your partnership with REACH has helped to touch many Ugandan children and their families.

The students at Omega School are now doing their end of school year Exams to be completed in two weeks time. They will be having their big holiday on December 2^nd 2011; we again thank you for enabling these kids to have an opportunity for an education as it would have been not possible for the majority of them.

Christmas party is coming up and the kids are so excited. They try to come to me and ask if we are going to have it again. So it is a blessing to see children celebrate the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our P.7 Candidates finished well their P.L.E. and are now waiting for the results which are expected back in mid January 2012.  Pray that they all pass well with an A.

We have been working hard on clearing our new farm land by removing stumps and cutting bushes in preparation for next year’s planting season.   The rains have been so much which has made so hard for the drill truck to reach the spot surveyed for the well.  We expect the rain to stop early December so we should have the well drilled in January 2012.  Am sorry for these unplanned challenges.  We do not always have a lot of rain at this time of the year but this has been so strange.

I would love to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2012.

Fred Tumwebaze

 Project Update

       Omega School’s new latrines are nearing completion thanks to the generous gift of a friend of REACH.    This much needed project will help meet the needs of the ever growing student population at Omega School.

In the upcoming newsletters updates on each REACH project will be published.  The status of the campus improvements, chicken house construction, the Good Shepherd Farm, and the Omega School Ag Project will be included.   Please be encouraged to pray for each of these projects as they move towards completion.

Your partnership in prayer and financial support has helped to accomplish much in 2011.

Malaria Protection in Hand

     Expressions of joy and thanksgiving were evident on the faces of 530 students at Omega School in mid-October as they became recipients of mosquito nets.  These students were overjoyed to be numbered among the children to benefit from  this initial  distribution of mosquito nets by REACH. 

   These children were blessed by means of the generous and compassionate giving of REACH sponsors and supporters, including a single $3500 donation (designed to be provide for the initial distribution as more funds were received).   Five hundred (500) nets were purchased and the supplier gifted REACH with a 30 net bonus.  In December the remaining 58 students currently enrolled at Omega School will receive a mosquito net as more are purchased.  As funds continue to be received a quantity of nets will be purchased to have on hand as replacements for damaged or stolen nets and to meet the needs of the ever growing student population.

Mosquito nets were handed out with this reminder to the parents and guardians, “These nets are for the children, please do not take them for yourselves.”  Perhaps in the future enough funds will be provided for the purchase of nets for the entire household of the students and beyond.

As a reminder of this opportunity to help protect children from malaria, the “Mosquito Nets” line will remain in the Extra Giving section of the remittance portion of the newsletter.  Thank you for your participation in this much needed ministry to the children of Uganda.

Primary Leaving Examination

    The time has come for Primary 7 (P-7) students at Omega School to demonstrate their proficiency levels by means of the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE).  On November 2-3 a total of 52 PLE candidates from Omega will take part in this examination that will determine their readiness to move on to secondary school as they pursue their education at this next level.

The Omega candidates ask for your support through prayer as they take part in the PLE.  These students, like their counterparts here in the USA, tend to get nervous when these mandatory testing periods arrive.  Pray God’s peace on each candidate during  this stressful time.

 Christmas 2011

     November is the last month funds will be received and applied towards the 2011 Christmas Fund.  Once again, REACH will provide special gifts and an all-school meal in honor of Christ’s birth.  To date, $2643 has been received.  There is still time to exceed last year’s $4000 in gifts.  Thank you all who have given so far towards this special celebration at Omega School.

Truck Donations

     Gifts for the Omega School Ag Project truck are still being matched by a REACH supporter.  To date $2460 of the $9000 needed has been raised.  When the $9000 is raised that sum will be matched to meet the $18,000 purchase price of the needed truck.  Your prayers and gifts for this project are welcomed and appreciated.

Sponsorship: Love in Action

 My name is Namulinda Aisha Tibiri with REACH number UG/393, born on 3^rd/12/2001 and now in grade three (3). I stay with my grandmother known as Nangobi Topirista in the village called Buwolero. My father and mother died when I was four (4) years old.

My parents died in a fatal motor accident when I was young, I never got chance to stay with them. My young brother, Amuza Kitiibwa was left when he is not even a year old.  On the day they got an accident Amuza was with them but fortunate enough he escaped death. I thank God he survived.

It was hard time for us after the death of our parents, we moved from place to place seeking comfort and begging money from people. The reason was that we were seeking ways of survival, just because we had no immediate alternative. By then the only choice left was to beg.  Our grandmother was and she is old, she was not able to work for our survival.

During our days on streets God brought a Good Samaritan who picked us and started taking care of us, unfortunately he had not enough to prolong his help to us. It was in 2007, we went to church with him, message was preached and it moved my grandmother, brother Amuza, and me to take Christ as our personal savior.

Later, we were introduced to Rescue African Children (REACH) through Rev. Fred Tumwebaze. When I joined REACH, I got chance to start school at Omega School. When at School I was informed that, I got sponsors. I thank them for they have brought a lot of joy and peace to my heart. I now have hope for the future. I call them my parents because they have provided to me most of the necessities at school and some at home.

I bought a goat from some of the funds sent to me by my sponsors. The goats reproduced and were sold. After being sold a healthy calf was bought and it is growing very well. In the nearby future it will as well reproduce. We will be drinking some milk and sell some for a little income for our household.

May God bless my sponsors for all they have done to help, and may God bless all other sponsors who love children so much through REACH.

 Christmas 2011

     October and November are the last two months funds will be received and applied to the 2011 Christmas Fund.  Once again, REACH will

provide special gifts for each child at Omega School as well as provide a special meal to help celebrate the birth of Christ.

Last year’s celebration was a tremendous success due to the generous giving of REACH sponsors and supporters. Your extra gift will help bless the lives of our Ugandan children.

A Reminder or Two

•  An extra gift of $7 will provide a child with a mosquito net  which will provide protection from malaria

• Your gift for the Omega Ag Project truck and trailer are still being matched by a REACH supporter.

A $7 Life-Saving Gift

Did you know that just seven ( 7 ) dollars can potentially save a life?

Sounds impossible?  Far reaching? Or just not so? …… Yet, it is true!  A donation of $7.00 to the REACH mosquito net fund will provide a child with a pre-treated mosquito net which will help protect everyone sleeping under the net from the life threatening mosquito bite that carries malaria.

Malaria facts the World Health Organization 

Malaria is spread by the bite of an Anopheles mosquito.  The mosquito transfers the malaria parasite, Plasmodium, from person to person.  People get very sick with high fevers, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, chills and flu-like illness.  Especially in children, the disease can worsen rapidly, causing coma and death.

About 3.3 billion people – half of the world’s population – are at risk of malaria. Every year, this leads to about 250 million malaria cases and nearly one million deaths. People living in the poorest countries are the most vulnerable.

Malaria is an especially serious problem in Africa, where one in every five (20%) childhood deaths is due to the effects of the disease. An African child has on average between 1.6 and 5.4 episodes of malaria fever each year. And every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria. Malaria kills more African children than any other disease.

In community-wide trials in several African settings, insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITNs) have been shown to reduce all-cause mortality by about 20%. Their use has repeatedly been shown to reduce severe disease and mortality due to malaria in endemic regions.

Our goal is to raise funds to purchase pre-treated mosquito nets for all 565 children that attend Omega School.  This will not only help the children that attend the school but also any siblings that may also sleep under the net.

Yes, you can potentially save a life for $7.00 and make a difference for the children at Omega School.

Please consider adding an additional donation toward the mosquito net fund this month.  Invite your family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to support this project. Together we can make a difference.

Omega School Ag Project

A well-drilling rig has arrived on the newly acquired land indicating that drilling will soon commence. Pray that all goes well as this project gets underway.

Also, remember that matching funds continue to be offered for the purchase of a truck ($18,000 total cost) and trailer needed for the Omega School Agriculture Farm.  After a truck is secured, funds will be raised to purchase a trailer ($8,000 total cost) that will be utilized to transport supplies and tools, serve as an aid in the harvesting process, and help transport the harvest to storage and market.

God’s Provision is Always Best 

     Much excitement was generated last month as the report from Uganda stated that negotiations for a 52 acre parcel of land were underway.  It is a joy to report  that these negotiations have ended without the land being purchased.

     Pastor Fred Tumwebaze states, “The person who was to sell us the 52 acres changed his mind at the last minute and said he would only sell 25 instead, but God had something better for us out there. I asked friends to pray and now our prayer has been answered in a better way.”

    Although this first parcel was lost, a better parcel was found, an answer to prayer.  Pastor Fred reports he is “so glad to update you on the Land Issue, thank you so much for praying. The Lord has surprised us with a good and bigger land for Omega School Agriculture Farm. We now own close to 70 acres of land located about 69 km (approximately 43 mi.) from Buwenge.”

    Currently, the land is being farmed and has a crop of corn that will be harvested in a matter of weeks, and a crop of sweet potatoes due to be harvested in 2-3 months.  These crops will remain the property of the former owner, but REACH will contract the drilling of a well in the next few weeks and then build the house for the workers.  

     Pastor Fred prays that “the Lord may provide a truck for the farm work and transportation of workers and students and that all goes well with the development of this project.” 

 Greater Distance, Greater Need 

     With the greater distance between Omega School in Buwenge and the new 70 acre parcel, the challenge of transporting the tractor, supplies, workers, and Omega students to and from the Farm has become greater.  Please give prayerful consideration to sending an extra gift to help with the purchase of a truck ($18,000 total cost) to aid in this great endeavor. 

     Remember that matching funds continue to be offered for the purchase of a truck and trailer needed for the Omega School Agriculture Farm.  After a truck is secured, funds will be raised to purchase a trailer ($8,000 total cost) that will be utilized to transport supplies and tools, serve as an aid in the harvesting process, and transport the harvest to storage and market.

Land Search Begins

As previously reported REACH has been focused on raising $25,000 to purchase 50 acres of land for the Omega School Agriculture Project.  As Pastor Fred traveled across America he shared with many individuals, groups, businesses, and churches that a friend of REACH offered to match gifts for special needs when 50% of the funds were secured.  The response by REACH supporters and sponsors has been overwhelming.

“During my trip here I have been sharing the need for us to buy our own land so that we do not continue to suffer the pain that comes from landlords,” states Pastor Fred.  “I am so happy to say that the response has been very great. Now the needs for the farm have been met!”

Funds will be transferred to Uganda in June that will cover the cost of the acreage ($25,000), water well ($8,000), and building ($8,000) to house workers and supplies.  Pray for the Lord’s

help to identify and secure the “right” parcel of land for this project.  “REACH could be planting corn on its own land in the second season of this very year,” states Pastor Fred with a thankful heart for all that God has done.  “Thank you all for your partnership in praying and giving.”

Matching Funds

“You gotta have a dream. If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna make a dream come true?”  -   Oscar Hammerstein II  (South Pacific).  Obtaining its own land for the Omega School Agriculture Project may have seemed quite ambitious to some for an organization the size of Rescue African Children.  However, as stated earlier, the $25,000 goal has been met in a very short period of time due to the promise of matching funds.

The “dreaming” continues as does the offer of matching funds.  REACH desires to purchase a truck and a trailer for work on the project.  Pastor Fred explains, “The truck is needed for transporting workers to the farm from Buwenge as the farm will be 40km away. It will also be used to move corn to Buwenge from the farm and take kids to the farm to learn how to plant and how to take care of animals. The cost for the Truck is $18000 – 50% will be matched so we are raising $9000.  The trailer is needed for moving the tractor and other things in and out of the farm. The cost of the Trailer is $8000, but we are raising now $4000—50%.”

Let’s dream together and then make the dream come true as we pray and trust God  for His provision. Consider sending an extra gift to help with the purchase of these two farm needs.  Together, with God’s direction, great things are being accomplished in Uganda.

Season One—Looking Good

After losing the lease on the 50 acres of land utilized last year, REACH was able to secure a lease on a 32 acre parcel for the 1st planting season of 2011.  Maize (corn) has been planted and workers are weeding.  “Maize is doing well and we hope for a good harvest since there is enough rain for this season in Uganda,” reports Pastor Fred.  “It will be good to have our own land so we can keep getting good crops to feed the 556 children at Omega a complete meal. “

Happiness is Contagious

I am Musoke, Bright, and I was born on 28^th/02/1998. My father died when I was still young and I never got chance to see him. My mother is still living, but not staying with me.  I do live with my grandmother in a family of seven people.

I remember in the month of February 2006, when I was in Primary 2.  It was the time I got introduced to the REACH sponsorship program. My aging grandmother was struggling to get money from what she grows for the 7 people at home and finding school fees and other school materials for me. Always her garden’s production is determined by good weather, when drought struck the country, it means scarcity and famine for our home. 

I am now happy and in Primary 6 at Omega School. In our recent four weeks holiday I received my gift of $130 and I bought a bicycle, mattress, blanket, shirt, trouser, socks, belt and shoes. I thank my sponsor so much for the gifts sent to me. I am so happy!

And my grandmother is so happy for me. My happiness is now contagious, because your love for me is making others to be happy for me.

The bicycle I bought is now helping me to come to school everyday, carry food from the garden to home, and fetching water. My grandmother now is relieved, too, from carrying the sacks and baskets of food on her head all the time.

May God bless you abundantly!

Musoke, Bright

UG/809

In Pursuit of a Parcel

Upon his return to Uganda, Pastor Fred Tumwebaze set aside a few days to “catch his breath” and get re-acquainted with his wife, Joan, and his two sons, Jeremiah and Jonathan.  The family’s reunion was sweet and all were glad the time of separation had come to an end.  God answered the prayers for safety and fruitfulness on Fred’s 2011 USA Trip.

Another prayer answered was for the provision of land to be purchased for the Omega School Agriculture Project.  Pastor Fred was able to find a 52-acre parcel of land and has entered into negotiations to purchase the parcel.   Hopefully, next month’s newsletter will report specifics about the purchase of the parcel, leading all of  the REACH  Family to celebrate this significant accomplishment.

Matching Funds

Matching funds continue to be offered for the purchase of a truck and trailer needed for the Omega School Agriculture Project.  Please consider sending an extra gift to help with the  purchase of a truck ($18,000 total cost) needed to haul workers, supplies, and the harvested produce to and from the agriculture farm.  After a truck is secured, funds will be raised to purchase a trailer ($8,000 total cost) that will be utilized to transport supplies and aid in the harvesting process.

Thank You

Thanks go out to all who helped make Pastor’s Fred trip to the USA a huge success.  Several people were involved in the planning and promotion of Fred’s “tour”, and many served as gracious hosts providing housing, meals, and transportation during Fred’s stay.

“Thank you!” and “Welcome!” to all the new sponsors and supporters that joined the REACH Family.  Together we will touch many lives.