Missions

I hope you all are doing well and getting ready for the holidays. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been reaching out to some of you, asking if you could join us as Board Director or Advisors at  Hope Institute of Uganda.  We are a 501c3 non profit organization, licensed in the state of Wisconsin since 2006.  Currently, there's only 3 of us carrying out the work of the organization. Surely, this is not effective as it takes us way too long to get important tasks completed.  

What's the commitment:  Initially, the work would be a little more involved as you have to learn about us in depth. We would meet monthly for about 1.5-2 hours for the first 3 months. Traditionally, we only meet once every 3 months and meetings last only 1-2 hours. 

What's the Mission of the Hope Institute?  To bring hope to the hopeless, so they can live full lives.

What's the Vision of the Hope Institute ?   Our vision is “Changing generations one life at a time”.

So, what this essentially means is that, we start where we are,  with what we have. We do not wait for a particular time or resource. We do believe that we are servants of the most high God being sent out to his people. As we go, we are equipped for the journey ahead. As a co-founder, I am so glad to say that the Lord has been faithful to the group and we have done some pretty amazing things . We strongly encourage you to join us, so we can multiply our impact. There is so much work to do, and together we can change the world just like the 12 disciples did. Our website is www.hopeinstituteofuganda.org

What programs is the Hope Institute involved in ?

When we first began in 2003, the only goal at that time was to bring a mission team to my village and build a library. My sister Rebecca had just died from Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) at age 36 leaving behind 3 kids all below 10 years and a husband. Our whole family was devastated. Prior to Rebecca’s death, I had lost 4 brothers —as a result of preventable deaths— Alcoholism and its consequences,Suicide, HIV/AIDS and one guy was killed in a motor vehicle accident. All my siblings were very highly educated, so for my parents, the shame they endured was untold! The worst part of my family history is that there is no treatment at all – for the struggling families after such intense loss. No psychiatrists or psychotherapists or even social workers. Somehow, the family has to figure it out !!! Naturally, my elderly mother suffered from frequent episodes of severe depression and anxiety. The only saving grace was her community– fellow village women who banded around her, always nursed her back from the tragedies and she was able to make it to 86 years of age when she bowed out to a big stroke. RIP beloved mother @MrsAgnes Babuwe! 

Given my tragic childhood, I was fully convinced that if only I could help bring a LIBRARY to my village, my people’s problems would be solved. The kids would learn to read and from there be able to climb their own mountains. My mother was a teacher, so naturally she made sure every one of her 11 children got an education. We girls were the favored bunch as she sent us to boarding schools where we were able to get a top class education in spite of the poverty around us. Unfortunately, my 8 brothers  had to walk 5-10 km to school and along the way, all veered into alcohol and smoking that eventually led to their early deaths. 

Why a library? My sister Rebecca was a big reader and since we were only 2 years apart and at the same boarding schools till medical school, she had taught me to love reading. She would always hand me a book after she finished reading it. This is what saved me from dropping out of Anesthesiology Residency at the University of Minnesota  when she eventually was diagnosed with ALS/Lou Gehrig's disease in 1999. I am glad to report that our long awaited library will become a reality this year! KUDOS to Roseville Rotary Club and the other Minnesota Clubs that have made this possible. A grant of $22,000 was approved although I still have to raise $5,000 before I get the money released to me.

Hope Institute programs:

1. Education—Increase access to basic education K-12 and Vocational skills

2. Health care—  Increase access to basic healthcare– prioritize preventive health.

3. Jobs & Poverty Eradication—Create jobs and teach skills, raise entrepreneurs ASAP.

4. Leadership and Policy Development—Raising leaders for the next generation.

1. Education: Equipping others as we do the most good.

–Hope Institute schools: Joy Learning Center (#38 students) & Hope Academy -Ncube (#30 students ), Kwekiri Nursery in Bugodi village -#30 students 

–Hope Supported schools: Bereans in Kampala ( #25 students), Batambogwe Primary schools -1000 students, 

–Library : Rebecca Isiko Memorial Library -Bugodi village (Funding secured –Rotary International—$22,000)

–-Continuing Education & Youth Conferences – Equipping our teachers so they do a good job. Our first continuing education conference is Dec 20 and 21, 2023.

–-Hope Scholarship: We have offered scholarships since 2003. Over 60%  of the funds have come from our Jinja crafts. We also have  a few donors but the crafts have been tremendous assets. We have offered over 50-60 scholarships and have that many graduates that we assisted. Currently managed by Dr J. Namusobya and Gideon Ngobi.

2. Poverty Eradication, Job Creation and Entrepreneurship

We do believe in creating sustainable jobs. We encourage small businesses and microfinance projects. This is going to be the way to eradicate poverty. Anybody willing to work can apply to our programs. Our goal is sustainable businesses.

– Jinja Jewelry and Crafts – a small business in Wisconsin selling unique, handcrafted african gifts since 2006. It has provided 80% of all finances used for scholarships for the past 20 years.We have never made a loss. We are veering towards wholesale.

– Kwekiri Craft Center– Currently has 3 students. It has suffered from poor leadership. Potential is huge.  Teach sewing and knitting and other crafts to both men and women.

–-Microfinance projects in place : -We give small loans to community members who have shown great potential.

1. Musita Womens Finance group – 190 members. Loaned $3000 and profits this year $600. Great partner!

2. Were Business Group—This group was loaned $2,000.  Interest is 5% monthly and pays $50 and the principal is repayable when both parties agree to the time.

3. Personal loans we do give personal loans too but the repayment rates on these are very poor mostly because the borrowers are either relatives or friends. It's a struggle to get the money back. I can confidently say that 90% default so as we move forward personal loans are not our favorite yet at times you need to help when they ask.

4. Publishing Company : This is a new partnership with Debbie and Steve Nutzmann, career missionaries based in Jinja, Uganda . They too came to the conclusion that Africans do not read and their comprehension is pretty poor, even those who have graduated in different institutions. God brought us together about 5 years ago. We are raising money right now. We need $80,000 to buy the system and ship it to Africa. We have ~ $30,000 and the goal is to secure the remaining funds before we ship the publishing system.  This company will create at least 5 jobs. We also would like to ask Hillsdale college to partner with us and find us 1-2 interns. They should be willing to stay for 2 years as we get the company going.

5. Publishing books: We have published one book– “Hope for Joy” and we sell a copy for $20. We have made about $25,000 from it that we plan to use to build a ministry guest house in 2024. We dream of selling 100,000 copies of this book. Book sells very well. We plan to continue writing books and telling our African stories.

3. Increasing access to basic Health care: Our goal here is simple. Make sure that every Ugandan visits a doctor/ Provider once a year – for a wellness exam. Africans don’t go to the doctor unless they are sick and often it's too late. This leads to death from many simple and preventive causes. The goal here is to assist with capacity building, mentor, coach and equipe those already serving. It has been a blessing to be on this path for the past 20 years.

Our current programs:

1. Short-term mission trips : We have done over 10 trips bringing over doctors and nurses and other staff  offering free surgical care for a week. We teach Ugandan students and doctors. 

 2. Medical supplies and equipment –We have sent 6 containers full of equipment and supplies. For the most part we have shared it with our partner hospitals and clinics. Recently, we have sold some to private clinics, another good source of income. 

3. Study Abroad programs: This rotation could be 4-6 weeks. We have sent students to Uganda  and residents . Ugandan doctors have visited here too. 

4. Wellness Clinic / Primary Health CareClinic —We are planning to open a clinic in Bugodi village . This will include  Home Health services, Physical Therapy Services and Mental health services. We have $2500 to start and are planning to apply for more grants.

6. Training programs– currently exploring anesthesia training in partnership with ECUREI and Hope and Healing Center , Kiwanyi village.

4. Leadership Development, Policy and Advocacy 

 I believe that training leaders is the most important task for Africa and other developing nations.. A leader without a vision will bankrupt that nation. We must confront inept leadership. This is what is killing Africa. 

  —Lobbying & Advocacy—This is almost a non-existent industry in Africa and third world countries and this is why politicians can pass self-serving laws. Of course, it will take a lot of civic education but with the help of technology, this is a goal we should aim for, so the communities can lobby for themselves.

—Sports Ministry where you teach different games like basketball, soccer and athletics. Sports allows young people to value teamwork and as they work together, biases are reduced and healthy communities begin existing.

—Hope Run -done annually in different locations Minneapolis, Minnesota, Bugodi village, Uganda and Janesville, Wisconsin. The Hope runs allow us to interact with the communities we serve , give us a chance to eat a meal together and engage in a healthy competition. 

–Radio Ministry for the last 2 years and unfortunately we ran out of funds but it is a wonderful opportunity to teach life lessons and share the gospel.

 Mentoring and Coaching: We ran a mentoring program in Jinja, Uganda and it was very successful. Funded by Rotary except we ran out of funds. We will just duplicate that program , including debate clubs and bible quizzing clubs as we practice speaking in public.

7. Finances —-Gideon and Katie to report. We have never been in debt since our inception.                                        

Long term Vision : Establish a Center of excellence and grow it to be the University  for most Africans seeking higher and specialized education. That ensures that most of them will remain in Africa as opposed to studying abroad and not going back. We will encourage exchange visits so our people can learn from others , benchmark and collaborate without the brain drain.