New Hopes Kobwin Center

Nabulungi Scovia*, 16, was abducted by the rebel group “Lord’s Resistance Army” (LRA) when she was nine. She escaped after six months but the scars from that time run deep. Scovia came to Kobwin with a lot of anger. Though she enjoys living in a place where she is not referred to by the demeaning label “Kony’s Wife” that she has often heard, she is still very insecure and affected by the trauma of her ordeal. The Kobwin staff continue to love her and look forward to seeing her freed from the chains that bind her.
14-year-old Latolo John*, one of 15 boys now living full-time at New Hope’s Kobwin Children’s Centre, spent significant time in Interally Displaced Person (IDP) camps following the chaos and atrocities of the LRA. Such camps can be quite dehumanizing as those there have no work opportunities nor hope of providing for themselves. The only option often seems to be to sit and wait for the next relief agency to come and provide food.
John’s father had died and his mother was unable to pay for any schooling. There seemed to be no future. John enjoyed getting to know New Hope teams who would come to his area and offer camps. When Kobwin officially opened in March, John and his mother jumped at the opportunity. Now, receiving daily remediation schooling, John is preparing for his P7 exam. He talks about being so thankful for the opportunity to go to school and looks forward to one day being able to help his family with the skills he is now acquiring. Though he is still fairly quiet, he has started to develop into praise and worship leader among his peers, even though he is one of the youngest at Kobwin. John is very much still developing, but God is transforming his life and he now lives with hope.
*Names have been changed
Our Kobwin Centre opened officially with the first 21 children like Scovia and John and coming to live with us in mid- March of 2010. All of these
Water color pics of scriptures
children came from Amuria District and where each of them either lived in an Internally Dispaced Persons (IDP) Camp for a prolonged period of time and had been either traumatized by the war in the North or had actually been abducted by members of the LRA and consequently, had become a part of them.
Kobwin Centre was a long time in the making, but God’s timing is always perfect! In 2003 while members of New Hope Uganda’s Kasana Children’s Centre were part of a month-long relief effort in Soroti, the vision for Kobwin Centre was birthed. We actually took possession of the land at Kobwin in 2005, after having moved from what we thought would be the start up site in nearby Bugondo. From 2005-the end of 2009 only a skeleton staff of two couples and their children were in Kobwin, developing the gardens, planning for the future, building the existing structures. Those two couples are still with us as part of the current Kobwin staff and have had the joy of seeing their long wait pay off this year.
In August of 2007, after having identified Amuria as the area that we would bring our first children from
the group of 50 children from Amuria, came to Kobwin to attend our first camp held for them. Thus we slowly began building relationship with a large of traumatized children from whom we would eventually chose the first 21 children from 2 ½ years later. These camps continued as our relationship with the children continued to blossom so that when they arrived in March of 2010 it was more like a homecoming than a coming to a new place. The two years of camps was one of the best investments we could have ever made in these children and really was testimony to how waiting on the Father’s perfect timing has great rewards!
Our ChildrenWe currently have 21 children from Amuria lining in the family group headed by one of our own sons with his wife and three young boys. The children range in age from 14 – 18 years plus one 21 year old. Of the 21, 10 are former abductees. They were each with the LRA for varying amounts of time, from 2 months to 1 ½ years. The other 11 had their lives tremendously disrupted by the life in various IDP camps. All are behind where they would be in school if not for the war in the North. There are six boys who attend a nearby (walking distance) secondary school and are in S1 and S2. The remaining 15 attend our primary school on the Kobwin site and are in P4, P6and P7. We have 5 girls and 16 boys.
In their time outside of school hours, our kids can be found in the normal activities of the people of Uganda. They dig in the gardens, maintain our compound, fetch water, clean their houses, wash their clothing, help with the family parent’s children, play football and other games, develop their artistic talents attend family devotions, small group mentoring and counseling and just enjoy one another, in general!
We currently have maize, cassava, ground nuts, sweet potatoes, and vegetables growing in our gardens. We are yet to be self sufficient but should produce 40% of our own food this year.
We praise God for all He is doing at Kobwin and for all of the prayers and support that have made it possible.

By Constance Dobbs

Hope Family

Back in 1999 Matthew and Julie Shorack took seven babies into their home, into their family and shared the hope of Jesus. Since that day, over 40 babies have passed through the unique place that is Hope House. Some of them have been reunited with their family, some have been adopted and some have joined our family groups here at New Hope.
Last June, we had the privilege of joining the New Hope family here at Kasana. We are now overseeing the work of Hope Family and look forward to developing the care and provision that we can offer to these precious babies.
Hope House is now Hope FamilyWe have changed the name from Hope House to Hope Family and this is because we recognise that words are amazing things!!! We all know that words whether spoken or written can wield unusual power, they can be both positive and negative. We desire to speak positively and truthfully over these little ones and let them know that when they join Hope Family, they are no longer alone but are in a family that will love, care and protect them. Here at New Hope we know that family is important to God, we had seven families, now we have eight!
As this new year began Hope Family had a pretty large growth spurt! We had 3 new babies join us all in a very short time – Carol came to us having spent five weeks in hospital being treated for severe malnutrition. She was found by a visiting New Hope team in the nearby village having been abandoned by her mother. Elderly, sick grandparents were struggling to take care of her and she weighed in at just 3.4Kg, being 12 months of age. Here at Hope Family, she is making good progress and putting on plenty of weight! We are delighted that her father, although very young, has taken some responsibility for her. He is coming on a weekly basis to Hope Family to work in the compound and spend time with his little girl!
Mary came to us over the Christmas period. She is 5 months old and currently with us because her mother is critically ill in hospital with a heart condition. There are no other family members to care for mother or baby and the church here at Kasana is supporting with medical bills as well as spiritual support. We have been taking Mary regularly into the hospital to see her mother!
Our youngest member of the family is Saul who came to us at just one week old. He was collected from the local police station just before New Year’s Eve following a dispute and disagreement about who the mother was. Sadly as more information came it seemed that the mother was ‘lending’ out her new baby to another woman in order to made some money and both women have now been charged with 64 months in custody.
As you can tell we are pretty busy here at Hope Family and now up to our maximum number of babies. We have had to turn abandoned babies away in the past when we had no room and we are praying that we will not have to do that again in the near future. More importantly we are looking forward to the completion of our new baby home for Hope Family, which will house up to 20 little ones, as well as accommodating more staff members. We still have a long way to go with fund raising although the building work is progressing well. We are praying in faith that the money will arrive over the next few weeks and months so that construction work can be completed by August!
A very big thank you to all of our existing supporters and all those who sponsor Hope Family. We are also so grateful to all those who have made donations towards the new build. Thank you!
Stu & Sarah Dendy – Hope Family

Injury working on the house

Caleb was helping to install the water tower at the new house and he fell into the hole where the tower was going. The legs of the tower had several sharp pieces of metal welded on for the cement to adhere to. One of those pieces gouged his left leg. Our friend Shawn Zimmerman drove us to the local hospital where the surgeon worked to clean, and straighten the cut up a bit. We go back on Friday to have the wound closed(repairing the muscle then stiching the skin).

God has a purpose for every life

For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother`s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well….. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" Ps. 139:13-16

Every individual was created by God, in His image. We are all ‘treasures in jars of clay,’ in need of restoration which only God can bring. Our Father has plans and purposes for each person he has given life to. Every one of us can glorify God despite our imperfections and limitations.

In 2002, a baby boy called Hassan was brought to New Hope having suffered from serious head injuries which had caused significant damage to his brain. At that time it was not evident how much damage had been done and what disabilities had been caused, but as Hassan grew up in the loving environment of Hope house, it became clear that this little boy would be able to do little for himself.

Hassan is now 8 years old and is reliant on a carer for all of his personal care needs. He is unable to walk or talk and has feeding difficulties which have required him to have a gastrostomy tube fitted through which he now receives the majority of his food and drink. When people meet Hassan, and hear his story, they are often overwhelmed with sorrow, pity and sometimes even hopelessness. Perhaps they ask themselves ‘why did God allow this to happen?’ or ‘Does God really have plans and purposes for Hassan`s life?’

However, as someone who spends the majority of my days with him, I can confidently answer this last question with a YES! God does have plans and purposes for Hassan`s life and he IS using him to bring glory to His name. Hassan brings joy into many people`s lives when they see him laugh and smile or when he tries to sing during praise and worship at church.

Hassan now lives in one of the 7 family groups at Kasana children`s centre where a special house was built for him and his carer(s) [caregivers] in 2009. He loves to be part of the family and attends the family devotions every evening. His brothers and sisters often take him out on walks delivering bread or just visiting other family groups or staff members. In the week, Hassan goes to pre-school and always responds with big smiles and laughter when he is welcomed by his classmates.

Hassan has been a catalyst in the beginning of the New Hope Special Needs Programme. As well as caring for Hassan, we want to reach out to other children and adults with disabilities in the local community. At the moment we are also providing care for a man who has significant learning difficulties and has a history of being abused and taken advantage of in the village where he stays.

During school term time, two other seven year old boys (Kakulu and Ivan) come in to visit Hassan`s house and also spend time within the pre-school classroom. Once a month we have been holding a community outreach session where people in the local community who have children with disabilities are able to come for lunch at Hassan`s house and are given support and advice about caring for their disabled child. At the most recent session, we had a visit from the community physiotherapist who was able to assess each child and show their parents/carers exercises and activities to do that would aid their development.

We are aiming towards starting a special needs class at our primary school in February 2011. Initially the class will be located in the new clinic building but eventually we hope to move down onto the main primary site. The class will run from Monday to Thursday with Fridays left open for home visits and a monthly ‘Community Outreach’ session. We hope to start with five students and we will focus mainly on teaching them independent life skills. Basically, we want to enable each child to fulfil his/her God given potential and to grow in their relationship with God.

As well as reaching out to the children and their families, we also want to challenge the community as a whole to reconsider their attitudes and beliefs concerning disability and suffering in general; does what they believe line up with what God says in his word? Here in Uganda, many people believe that disability is caused by sin or by witchcraft.

Others believe that disabilities are catching and are therefore fearful of those affected. As is the case worldwide, people with disabilities are considered by many as being of less worth than an ‘able’ person.

We want to replace these beliefs with God`s truth and challenge the people who live in our community to see people with disability through God`s eyes and to play their part in caring for them and enabling them to fulfil the purpose God has for each of their lives; to live in a way which brings glory to the name of our Father God.

New Hope Uganda are commencing the Special Needs Programme officially in January 2011 and are opening their special needs class at EEVPS at the start of the new school year. If you are interested in giving to the special needs programme in general or in sponsoring one of the children with disabilities who will be part of the class, please contact us either via our website.

By Kate Tolhurst Special needs corrdinator

Musana Radio

New Hope Uganda feels called to help end fatherlessness in the Nakaseke District by 2027. We believe we need to get at the roots of fatherlessness, not just the end-result of it. In 2009, by God’s grace, New Hope was given an incredibly opportunity to reach the Nakaseke District and beyond on a daily basis through a very powerful medium: radio.

With very limited funding and a staff of 30+ who are mostly volunteers, 107.8 Musana FM has been on the air since December of 2009. The impact in the region has been immediate and profound. Listeners have given their lives to Christ and families reunited because they were challenged by the message on Musana FM. In addition, listeners are forming “Fun Clubs” throughout the region. At the last “Fun Club” event, nearly 1000 people came to spend time with Musana FM and hear more of its message. It is so clear that people here are hungry for the Biblical Truth that the station is communicating.

The vision of the station is to be the leading providers of relevant and timely information and education to the communities of the Luwero Triangle to transform the individual, the family and the community. By God’s grace, Musana FM is beginning to fulfill that vision. Musana’s programming impacts the community by providing godly principles in family, farming, business, healthcare and entertainment for the glory of God. Responsible citizenship and integrity are constant messages on the station as it reaches out to affect listener’s beliefs, creating a biblical worldview and seeking tangible transformation.
Through the radio, a family is being built, with love for each other at its center.

1 More Child at Musana Camp

“Sam” was one of about 40 street boys from a slum outside of Jinja who came for a Musana Camps program with an organization based out of the UK called “1 More Child.” He comes from a tribe in the harsh northeast of the country called the “Karamojong” – a tribe scorned by all others in Uganda. Sam had a blast while at the camp swimming in Lake Victoria, hiking all over our 900 acres, participating in initiative games, singing around the campfire, chasing monkeys, playing football (soccer), and more.
At the end of the camp, he jokingly threatened to hide in the jungle when the bus came so he could stay longer! In fact, all of the boys were begging us to let them come back over Christmas. The Spirit was truly working in the lives of those boys during their stay. We shared devotions with them each day focusing on making good choices that will lead them on a path towards God and bring him glory, rather than living merely out of self-obsession and self-protection. The boys learned that making good choices involves faith, wisdom, integrity, and love. They also learned that all of that is gained through a relationship with God, studying his Word, and learning from other Christ followers.
Most of these boys have endured very harsh conditions in the slum they live in. It is easier for them to beg for money or food than to try to earn money somehow due to the extreme poverty and lack of opportunity they have. Yet during their camp, we challenged them to choose to work hard instead of begging on the streets of Jinja, and to live in relationship with Christ and others, all of which God desires for them. Work is part of God’s plan for our lives, and these boys are beginning to see how begging is not. We are praying that Sam is making good choices back in Jinja, and that we will see him again when his group returns to Musana Camps. Experiences like Sam’s are what Musana Camps is all about and it was such a blessing to host those boys.

Dave Bouffard, Musana Camp Director