Overview of the started construction works in Kabale.
It’s time!
With the last missionary trip in March, meetings were held at a high level. The concrete steps for the start of the new house in Kabale are laid out and discussed around the the table. What long stood as a blueprint design on paper will now become real!
The official meeting with the dignitaries in the tent.
Officiating the start-up of the site development. The District has given land to Koinonia a few years ago. There is a lot of bureaucracy involved, a lot of steps to develop the plans and to put funds together.
Official launch of the land.
The district and subcounty officials together with the local board members and project coordinator of Koinonia Kids launch the start-up of works. It is a ‘must’ procedure in Uganda.
Start of excavation works.
The small hill land is being transformed. The wild ground is being tamed. Counting down to four months, we are expecting the first part of the construction to be completed.
Foundations.
More than a year the plans were discussed and analysed. The foundations are the most important part of the building. Building on a hill is a standard technic in Kabale, a city built on mountainous ground with a rainy climate exchanging the dry and shiny seasons.
Supporting wall.
The exculpated ground of the hill is used to level the ground where the house will be built and the sharp edge is being supported by the retaining wall. This is very necessary for the rainy environment that can pull otherwise the ground down.
Construction of the house.
The engineer started building as soon as the go-ahead was given. The works progress by day. It is a great joy for those building, those supporting and those awaiting to move in the house.
Dear friends, sponsors, supporters and readers,
The ‘marathon for life’ campagne for a new rehabilitation home in Kabale, Uganda was in between the lockdowns in Belgium, Uganda, Austria and further. The underlying statement has been: it is not all about Corona!
Indeed, while a big part of the attention worldwide is on pandemic statistics and measurements, our teams in Uganda and in Europe united, focused on building for life! A relatively small but extremely important undertaking is the building project in Kabale. Soon, street children from Uganda will settle there on their way to hope and a better future.
The Ugandan construction team, led by the engineer Shadrak Mushak is putting in full effort. The management team of pastors from Kabale Full Gospel Church and the local coordinator are watching over it day by day.
The team in Belgium is not relaxing but rather intensifies efforts with one initiative after the another to present the need and point out on the way to the solution.
A lot of challenges had to be dealt with in the course of the project. The most recent one was the lockdowns of the boarders, market, meetings, the prohibitions, instability and much more.
Our team decided to encounter all this with faith and anticipation.
During the lockdowns we prepared trusting for better days. The annual Hope Festival was set up on May 15, 2021, the exact same day that the excavation work for the construction in Kabale began. (photo above)
Despite of the threat of a ban on the event, the day was a declaration of hope for the city of Antwerp and for for Uganda.
The showers of rain on the white tents on the Groenplaats were an illustration of the showers of blessing over the land of Uganda!
The proceeds of this day was €2402.
After the Hope Festival, Agape Church decided to start a small scale online sales campaign of second-hand clothes and other items.
This “little” brought in € 265 between June and August.
The motivated team meanwhile has ambitious plans to start their own online Agape Shop with the motto “Sale to Save”!
The next event was the Freedom Festival, on July 17, 2021, at the Maria Hendrikaplein in Ghent, a gospel event for the benefit of the street children in Uganda.
About 140 volunteers and artists, churches from Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels came to participate. With their singing and acting talents, or in the stands and stalls with homemade goodies they dedicated the day to the children of Uganda. While one performance after another took place on stage, the sale in the different stands were exclusively dedicated to the construction project in Kabale.
The proceeds of €2165.66, go entirely to this project.
What incredible power, joy and victory that comes from working together towards one goal.
The new house in Kabale is in full construction; the progress is obvious!
There is still a lot needed to complete the building we obviously still need a lot of funds. Can we make an appeal on you in the name of the street children, to make this your goal as well? Will you build with us, will you share with the children the joy and celebration when it is finished?
You can help build by:
- Donating an one-time gift
- A monthly donation
- or sponsor the bricks
- sponsor the doors,
- Windows
- Plumbing (bathroom)
- Toilets
- Floors
- Kitchen
Prices will be attached in the next update.
Will you run this ‘Marathon for Life’ with us?
Together we build the future of the street children in Uganda, together we share in their joy, together we celebrate!
