Friends of Koinonia Kids joined us, which meant we could take a great group of 10 fantastic people with us to visit our waiting and certainly expecting kids.
Young and old, men and women were all there, creating a synergy in the group that was like that of a family. Sometimes tense, sometimes funny, sometimes tired, sometimes lively, but always guided by God’s love for one another and the motivation to serve the children of Uganda! ❤️
Our 1st stop brought us to the 1st part of the Napak children at the Lotomo primary school for girls❤️
They were waiting for us, singing and dancing, “We are the children of the future!” which touched our hearts, looking at 200 of these girls who, only six months ago, were still living on the street in horrible conditions with no prospects, hope or future.
After an extensive introduction on both sides, each of us had the opportunity to share something personal with the children, one a cheerful song, the other an encouraging word, which was listened to and enjoyed with great attention and gratitude.
The next day we drove to Lokodiokodoi primary school where we met the other children, including the 100 boys who had just been rescued from the street.
Many of them wanted to talk about it and shared a piece of “their story”. They spoke with controlled emotion about the horrors they had to endure on the streets every day. Ben, 6 years old, “I had to fight with the dogs at the garbage cans to get something to eat”. “Every day I was beaten and I was afraid.” It was quiet as they came forward one by one, trying to imagine this and thinking of our own children. ❤️
We rescued these 300 precious, violated children from the streets on our mission trip in January 2024 and they are now under the wings of Koinonia. Until now, the provision of food, shelter and education has been a miracle, but every day is another step of faith waiting for people who want to commit financially to each of them. ⭐
Arrival at the Masulita children’s village. The partner organization where, during the mission visit in January 2024, the grounds were literally littered with an overload of more than 1000 street children and parents, had now returned to some of its familiar tranquility.
The little ones from that large group of street children who are too young to go to school have stayed and we have now met them again.
Due to sudden heavy rainfall, we were forced to take shelter under the roof where the children normally gather to eat. Some of the children were brought to our attention, showing conditions and growths that urgently require medical attention. It was dark and getting cold. The little ones were looking for a warm lap to take shelter in. Each of us had one or two children on our laps, wrapped in the scarves we were wearing. The warmth, the tender embrace and the maternal and paternal security brought the little ones such peace that they fell asleep. It was not easy to wake them when it was time to leave.
A message to remember! We would like to share some impressions from our latest mission trip with you, to bring the children and their lives at Koinonia a little closer to your home.
The first 10-hour car ride was filled with conversations back and forth, looking out the windows that, like a TV screen, showed the beautiful and varied nature of the Ugandan landscape in color and movement. The surprise and enthusiasm eventually gave way to silences followed by heavy eyelids and a short sleep despite the jolting on the bumpy roads.
When the two youngest members of our mission group, Helena and Sofia, started blowing giant rainbow-colored soap bubbles, the enthusiasm reached a peak! Dancing and singing together, handing out small gifts and necessary clothing was a celebration for them and very satisfying for us to see them so happy. 😊
Many of the 300 Napak children we have taken in and also those still in Masulita have injuries from the hard life on the street. They have urgent needs that we must meet, not only mental but also physical. We are considering how to meet these needs. There is hardly any medical care in this vast, violated region, and there is also no hospital. In order to give these children the right kind of care that is also affordable and accessible, we are considering setting up a well-equipped infirmary at one of the schools where the children are staying. That way, we can offer our own children and other people in the region urgent medical support. ❤️
Napak is still a very vulnerable region, but we believe that lasting change can be made. Together with you, it is possible! 🌿
With big plans in mind, focusing on long-term solutions with a positive impact on the living conditions of the children in Napak, we had planned a visit to the authorities of this region. We were received and greeted with great respect and kindness. During the conversation, the need to build a community center with adjacent land was brought up. The community center would be a “safe haven” and at the same time a place where people could receive help in various social areas. The land, on the other hand, would serve as a “model” for growing profitable crops. This as an example but also to encourage the people around to start cultivating small plots of land themselves so that agriculture can eventually be promoted again to meet the needs of the people in that region for the much-needed food that is currently lacking. 🌿
Our next stop, “the mother project” in Kisoro, where it all began!
The children were happy to see us all, they had been looking forward to it, which was clear from their broad smiles and the excited hugs with which we were welcomed. It touches them every time, the loyalty with which people, even “from so far away”, connect with them and make this entire trip especially for them. ❤️
For the first time, Gerald and Ingrid were able to greet their “worry-wart daughter” Esther live and shower her with warm hugs and tons of love! ❤️
Praise, now 14 years old, who was taken from the street when she was barely 8 years old, is one of the children who gave her testimony.
The warm welcome they received in Kisoro translated into a real performance with beautiful, colorful homemade clothes and costumes.⭐
The children performed a dance depicting the story of a child in the same situation they had once been in. This was followed by a few testimonies from children about how they lived on the street before coming under the care of Koinonia, and once again it became quiet.
What a joy it was for the kids to be able to display their artful, homemade things and show them to us. 😍
So many colorful fabrics were shining invitingly in the Ugandan sun! It was not easy to choose just the right pattern for the rug or the backpack that we wanted to take to Belgium as a gift for our family or friends. The “little shop” did well! Sister Rose, who supervises the children in the sewing workshop, was proud of her pupils and was allowed to receive the proceeds for the upcoming purchases for the sewing workshop.
We are currently working on optimizing the sewing workshop together with a friend of Koinonia who is a subject expert in this field in Belgium, so that in the future we can accept assignments that our workshop can carry out with a view to increasing self-sufficiency for both our students and the sewing workshop.
After a wonderful time in Kisoro, we say goodbye to the children and travel some 80 km to Kabale where we are once again enthusiastically awaited by the boys who have been living in the new house for three years.
HAVING REACHED THE END OF OUR LAST NEWSLETTER FOR 2024, WE WOULD LIKE TO CLOSE WITH AN URGENT AND NECESSARY APPEAL. 🚨
RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MISSION REPORT, YOU COULD SEE THE 300 CHILDREN IN THEIR BEAUTIFUL PURPLE UNIFORMS DANCING, SINGING AND LAUGHING, ALL SAVED FROM A VICIOUS LIFE ON THE STREETS IN JANUARY 2024.
We stayed for a few days, which gave each of us the chance to really get to know the children and the faces suddenly took on a character.
Each of the group had prepared something in Belgium to bring to the children in the various projects, each in their own personal way. It was a real treat for the kids! 🥳
We also had fun surprises for them, suitcases full of clothes collected throughout the year.
For each child, we also had a set of craft supplies, fun things to play with, small dolls, toy cars, balloons, but also things that did not need to be wrapped, encouraging words, hugs, joy, attention and lots of love! ❤️
We hope you enjoyed everything you saw and heard.
✨ Thank you! ✨
A big thank you to the fantastic team at De Vierhoekhoeve in Gijzenzele for opening their doors to welcome the Koinonia team and introduce our children from Uganda to the guests. The evening was introduced by the family of Rita de Sutter-Colpaert who traveled on mission with her two granddaughters. She expressed her sympathy for the children and how she experienced the trip. While the delicious spaghetti was eaten in the cozy setting, people could open their hearts to the needs that were present. It was a very fruitful and beautiful evening; the children were blessed!
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE 300 OF THESE ARME KINDEREN WHO ARE NOW IN THE MIDST OF SOME VERY ROUGH CIRCUMSTANCES TO COME TO MY ATTENTION AND WHO, WHEN A KANS WIL BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE, HAVE NODIG ONS!
WE WILL USE THE MONEY WE HAVE MADE FROM THE MONEY AND THE TIME WE HAVE SPENT ON THIS OPERATION TO GET THE CHILDREN TO COME HERE, WE WILL GIVE YOU A FAIR SHAKE? WE WILL GIVE YOU A FAIR SHAKE!
CAN YOU GET A VERY GOOD AND VERY VOLUNTARY AGREEMENT, AN AGREEMENT THAT, FOR ONE KIND OR ANOTHER, WILL NOT BE THE ONLY ONE? YOU CAN SEND THE CHECK TO BE96 9734 0791 1205 WITH THE PAYMENT OF RESCUE 300. ❤️.
ALL GIFTS ABOVE 30 EURO PER YEAR ARE FREE OF CHARGE.
Wilt u dichter bij de Koinonia familie komen in Oeganda en/ of België om zo deze kinderen en hun noden beter te leren kennen en samen deel te kunnen zijn van de oplossing?
Good luck to you!