Population: 40,853,749
Percent Below Poverty Line: 21.4%
After years of working with Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales (MSFS) priests and seminarians in India, our partnership with the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales has opened the door to serving the poor in Uganda in 2019. In 2020, work in Uganda expanded to supporting St. Philomena School, which serves 450 students, many of whom are orphans. Read more below.
Population: 40,853,749
Percent Below Poverty Line: 21.4%
After years of working with Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales (MSFS) priests and seminarians in India, our partnership with the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales has opened the door to serving the poor in Uganda in 2019. In 2020, work in Uganda expanded to supporting St. Philomena School, which serves 450 students, many of whom are orphans. Read more below.
In many places around the world a typical 12-year-old girl is preparing for the school day by gathering materials for classes and fitting them in a backpack. Even if she is attending virtually – she is connected. She fills her days working on academics as well as developing the social skills that she will need for her adult life.
Twelve-year-old Jane’s life is not typical. She fled a brutal war in South Sudan and now lives in a bleak refugee settlement in Northern Uganda. For a time, she did not attend school. When she was able to join a primary school that provides free education to underprivileged children, Jane saw a chance for a better future. But then the pandemic shut down the program and robbed her of that dream.
Without access to electricity or the internet, students here cannot attend remote lessons provided by the government on television. The education stops. No learning is taking place. Social skills vital to independence and survival vanish. School closures have hit girls from the least-developed regions of the community the hardest, heightening their risks for early or forced marriages.
Many girls like her are now at home, unable to continue their education. Without support from Catholic World Mission and our friends like you, most of these girls will never return to school again. Many will be forced into early marriage.
Like many schools around the world, schools in Uganda are more than a place to learn – they’re a safe place for vulnerable children living in poverty. They provide security and protection against violence and abuse. Unfortunately, the school closures have gravely impacted so many children – especially girls.
Through our Keep Girls in Education project, YOU have the opportunity to empower these vulnerable girls! You can help shape their future.
With your help today, the 30 senior teachers in this project will do in-home visits with girls like Jane – 3,000 girls in total. Each of the visits to the girls’ homes will begin and end with prayer, songs, reading of Bible passages, sharing educational materials, teaching life skills and, finally, a question and answer session.
The Keep Girls in Education project outreach doesn’t end with the girls as 6,000 parents/guardians will be helped to understand the travesty of child marriage. Our prayer is that through outreach and mentoring, parents of young girls will end the practice of marrying off their daughters before their 18th birthday and become advocates for their children and keep them in school to complete their education.
For girls who are already pregnant, the project will share God’s message forgiveness and second chances and teach them to say “NO” to abortion and encourage their families to show them love, care and to enroll them back in school after giving birth.
Your generosity will ripple out into the community as senior teachers have been out of work since the start of the pandemic, they are struggling to provide food for their families. These amazing women are so excited for the chance to do what they love doing most: mentoring the girls!
With the loss of jobs and lockdowns, each family member works to survive in Namwendwa. Parents, many of who are single mothers, seek ways to earn a living wage. Children, shut out of schools, take to the streets to sell fruit. Grandparents are left in charge of the children. These grandparents sometimes do not eat, putting others in the family first when food is scarce.Without access to masks, soaps, or sanitizers for protection it leaves grandparents, like 95-year-old Mbwali Teopista, left vulnerable to the virus.
There are hundreds of families in the Jinja Diocese in dire need of food staples like maize, flour, beans, and salt. There’s also a high demand for masks, soap, and cleansers so these families can maintain proper sanitation and safety.
Monsignor Paul Musana hears how weary parishioners are without access to the Mass, community, and pastoral care. It is during indescribably difficult times such as now when the Gospel of Jesus Christ is desperately needed.
Ninety-five-year-old Teopista and her grandchildren
“This morning I saw kids at the trading center selling vegetables to make ends meet for their families.” Msgr. Paul Musana
With your generosity, Msgr. Paul, other priests, choir members, and youth leaders will be able to broadcast the Mass on Kamuli Broadcasting Service Radio. They will reach over 1.5 million suffering people with the hope of the Gospel. Msgr. Paul will be able to reach remote church members and offer counseling and vital messages of prevention.
“Your support will enable our parish to pay for radio airtime. The Mass, celebrated by priests, will be broadcast live on radio sharing the message of Christ. We can restore hope, build resilience, and instruct the population without sectarianism to prevent further damage for the future of the people of God.”-Monsignor Paul Musana
Along with sharing the Gospel Msgr. Musana wants to ensure that the people in the Diocese of Jinja are properly taken care of during this pandemic. With your generosity, we can also distribute food and Covid prevention supplies to 300 families in the Jinja Diocese.
Are you able to help Teopista and her grandchildren with food and other basic supplies while sharing the message of Christ?
Msgr. Paul will encourage Teopista’s family and many families in the community “not to lose hope but to turn to God and pray.”, and we can do our part by providing them the essential resources to help them during this time.
Young children sell vegetables, bananas, and berries in the village in order to help their families survive during the ongoing pandemic lockdown in Uganda. So many have lost their jobs and have no other source of income.
St. Joseph Balikuddembe Catholic Church in Namwendwa is abundantly grateful for the selfless donors who have been able to bring the radio-broadcasted mass into the Diocese of Jinja.
The mass has been airing on the radio for over four months and brings forth joy and hope during an exceptionally difficult time. On June 6th, a second lockdown was put into place for Uganda. While under the enforcement of the lockdown no one can gather in a church unless it is to attend a funeral. Not only has the parish been hard at work in spreading the gospel, but they have also been distributing much-needed food, masks, and sanitizers to 300 families in the area.
Familiar faces featured in the campaign, including the woman in the red shirt and the children of Namwendwa, continue to be positively impacted by the broadcasted mass. They thank Catholic World Mission for this blessing of a gift as they face disastrous effects from the pandemic.
Monsignor Paul Musana shares that he wants to, “…keep thanking the almighty God who channeled the response from you people. For sure the people are benefitting. And as a pastoral worker I feel empowered.”.
We bought blue and black masks and liquid soap which were distributed to the families.
Teopista always has a sense of humor despite the pandemic effects and a nice storyteller.
Some of the representatives who received the food, masks and sanitizers.
“God will provide. We have to pray and answer his call.”
-Stephen Ssematiko
In the 90s and early 2000s, this rural corner of Uganda was hit hard by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, leaving behind many broken families and a vast number of orphans. In 2010, Stephen Ssematiko decided to open a primary school in order to prevent the younger generation from growing up without an education.
Stephen shared his dream with his father, Vincent, who donated the land for the school. In 2015, St. Philomena School opened with only one classroom.
From the beginning, Stephen has been adamant about not receiving government funding. His dad was skeptical.
“How will you manage without government funding?” Vincent asked.
“God will provide,” Stephen responded. “We have to pray and we will answer his call.”
In 2016, Vincent donated more land so they could build a church as well. They wanted to teach the children to read and write, but they also knew how crucial it was to teach the children about the love of God, too.
Today, the school and its little church have become the cornerstone of this community. The school currently has 450 students, with more wanting to enroll every year.
Academically, the school is thriving. In 2018, St. Philomena ranked 4th in the region on national exams! Mass is celebrated at the school every Wednesday, and the entire village is invited to join.
This school has really done amazing things in just a few short years! And today, the students have one pressing need above all others: they need a dining hall.
The lucky ones are able to find a rock to sit on, but everyone else has to sit on the ground–right in the dirt, or on scraggly patches of grass. Their nutritious food is then exposed to dirt and insects. This is a major health concern!
A health inspector recently visited the school and said it’s imperative St. Philomena School builds a proper dining hall. Plans were drawn up. They’re truly impressive: when completed, this dining hall will accomodate 500 students and will be built to last 80-100 years. Students will have access to wash stations, their food will be stored safely, and best of all–they’ll be able to enjoy their meals at a table with chairs!
Stephen was able to raise $10,000 and construction has begun! But those funds have run out, and St. Philomena has a long way to go.
You can help today. Click here to give now, or visit the How You Can Help tab to see how your gift will make an impact.
Here’s a peek at the construction progress so far:
You can help finish this dining hall today! Click here to learn more. Click here to give now.
The total cost to complete this dining hall is $36,150. We know that together, we can do anything!
Even if you can’t donate the total amount, there is so much good you can make possible. Here are some examples:
Every dollar makes a difference! Please, give right now, and give these little children — who have already endured so much — a safe, sanitary place to eat at school.
Click the green Give Now button to donate right now.
That’s because they have no church structure of their own. Many of these worshippers are elderly and can’t make the trek to the parish church in the next town over, 2.5 miles away.
So every Sunday, Fr. Sunny Mattathil, MSFS, comes to them. He celebrates Mass under the mango tree, and the people pray that one day, they’ll have a church of their own.
The villagers of Kyamwinula made 25,000 bricks by hand so they could build their church. People are very poor here. Most are subsistence farmers with little or nothing to spare. But they came together, made bricks for their church, and got ready to build.
Sadly, before they could cure the bricks, a rainstorm came a washed their work away. The bricks were destroyed.
The sad truth is, the villagers have nothing left to start over with. They have no resources to buy building materials. And they’re running out of time: the rainy season is about to start again. With no church structure to protect them from the elements, the rainy season will put this faith community in danger of losing hope.
In Uganda, the rainy season lasts 8 months out of the year. While there are two “dry” seasons, the country experiences substantial rainfall even during those seasons.
Can you image what it’s like to have Mass outside in the rain? People get soaked, clothes get drenched, and worse yet, the hosts used for communion would dissolve before the priest could even consecrate them.
In short, the rains effectively cut the villagers off from the Sacraments!
When the rains come…
Masses will be canceled.
Catechism classes will be called off.
The faith of 432 of our brothers and sisters in Christ will be in peril!
Kyamwinula is an extremely remote village. The nearest church is only 2.5 miles away, but the terrain is rough and ragged—an impossible journey for villagers in Kyamwinula (most of whom are elderly or very young children) to make. It’s even more dangerous in the rain.
Please, friend, we must do what we can to keep the spark of faith in Kyamwinula from going out.
We need your help.
Fr. Sunny needs your help.
The villagers under the mango tree need your help.
Visit the “How You Can Help” tab right now to help.
Good News! Because of your help, St. Teresa of Calcutta Church was dedicated on Sunday November 22nd on the Feast of Christ the King.
Great progress is being made on St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church in Kyamwinula. Check out the photos below:
Construction is well under way on St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church in Kyamwinula. Despite some delays from the rains, they’ve been able to make awesome progress. Check out the photos below:
The total cost to build a church in Kyamwinula is $39,479.
That may sound like a lot, and it is, but when we all come together, we can accomplish even more.
Ready to be a hero and help save the faith of an entire village? Click the green “Give More” button to donate and help.
