Something to believe for

I've talked a bit about Kakira now, in Widows and Orphans, Mary's Interview and last week in This is a Life. I have spent very little time in Kakira, several hours at most, and yet it rattles me maybe more than any other place I've been, probably second only to the refugee camps that I visited (also briefly) in Goma, DRC in 2008. It has a grip on my heart, even though I don't have a relationship with any of the kids and barely know our Australia HOPE International partners who work there.

Why?

Maybe because our help there is so limited. At all our other sites I have the privilege of seeing all that HOPE is doing and hearing the stories of triumph, stories of children who have been rescued from somewhere and been given a chance. Now I know that for Kakira we raise bits and pieces so that we can help provide school fees for a few, and I know that helping sixty kids go to school is not a small thing.

But…

If we built a school - which we could do for less than $50 000, that’s fifty thousand dollars (for ten classrooms, solid temporary structure) - we could help maybe four hundred kids. And then have the land and space to eventually build a boarding house for those who are total orphans and those who are living in abusive situations.

$50 000

A year's wage. Okay so not a year's wage in any year I've worked, but still a figure that for some represents your take home pay in a year. Could build a school. Obviously I'm not suggesting that anyone should try and live off of nothing and send all their wage to HOPE to build a school. Because who would want to live off of nothing? Certainly people here who live on little more than nothing don't want to live like that.

But raising $50 000, that's doable. That's fifty people donating $1000 each. That's your next computer upgrade. Or a year's worth of shopping. Or saving up for that car. Or going on that holiday. These are things we can afford. These are things that we choose to spend our money on. I'm not saying that we should not do these things. And it's our money that we have earned. It is our right to spend it how we like.

My trouble is that we tend to spend on ourselves, with not so much thought for others. And don't worry, I'm preaching to myself here. I know that in two weeks I'll be back in Australia, and the easy thing to do will be to spend money on myself, forgetting that every purchase I make to make my life more comfortable I am choosing my own desires in my abundance over using that money to help others in their lack.

I am not saying that we should not spend on ourselves. But let's not kid ourselves that we aren't.

I hope that’s not putting it too harshly. I hate the thought that I am trying to guilt anyone into giving to HOPE or other aid organisation.

So, bless you all heaps

bron

Let me finish with some excerpts from a couple of emails. One email is from our partner in Kakira to Bill Osborne, CEO, Australia HOPE International. The other is from Bill to me.

To set up the first email I should tell you that the orphans that are referred to are siblings (I think there were four) whose parents were killed in a car accident earlier this year. They are now living with a relative (who obviously does not want/ can't afford to care for them).

Dear dad,

I visited the orphans for the pastor who died in an accident with his

wife, I found when the orphans are selling pancakes. They told me

that, they don't give them food if they do not sell pancakes. They

also told me that, since i left, they don't allow them to go to school

because of doing work at home.

I pray that God may provide and we get a school in Kakira where we

can have these hurting orphans…

Your son,

Lulenti J.Ssali.

 

From Bill…

We would have to buy at least 1 acre for $7,000, or up to 5 which are available for $30,000. The LC1 (local council) has confirmed with Lulenti (apparently) that they will allow  temporary timber and pole structure because they are desperate to get help for these kids. We could build 10 rooms plus offices/store/staff room for around $3000 per room, so $35K or so would do it.

This really deserves a push and we could fill it with around 400 children...

...It is a heap of capital, but under $50,000 all up for 400 kids is pretty good.

Something to believe for.