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James has worked with Our Village for ten years now. James is from Northern Uganda, and when we started working with him his people were still displaced from the war, living in IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps. James's heart has always been to see his people learn how to live again after the war. Over the past ten years, James has seen his people restart their lives again; many with scars that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. James has been an inspiration to his community and we work with him to help empower, educate, and equip his people. This past year, James lead the way in teaching sustainable farming techniques; which taught women in his community to successfully grow tomatoes for the first time!
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Betty, (or Aunty Betty) as most of the children call her, leads our Tendo (meaning Praise in Luganda) Department at Our Village and also is the school Bursar, doing cost tracking for Our Village. She takes pride in being an example for young girls and that through her they can say, "someday I will hold an office like Aunty Betty". Betty's strong faith and integrity is a pillar for the Our Village team. She leads weekly bible studies with the staff, coordinates our kid's church program, and makes prayer a priority for our staff. Uganda has a high level of mystic beliefs rooted in witchcraft. Many from our community, and even our staff, were held in fear and bondage from this; and Betty has helped them find peace and freedom.
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Afan is one of the founders of Our Village, starting out as one of the first teachers. In the beginning, he often wasn't paid and the conditions were terrible; but Afan stayed because he had fallen in love with the children. Today, that love he started with has only grown. Afan is the Headmaster of our school, as well as head of our family partnership program. Afan knows how to get to every one of our partner families' homes. This is no small feat, as there are over one hundred homes, no roads to access many, and only winding trails and trees to mark the way. He is so loved by each of these families. Many of our students will tell you they want to grow up to be a science teacher like Mr. Afan.
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As 2016 winds down and we prepare to celebrate the coming of a new year, we first want to pause and pay tribute to the Our Village team. This amazing team of Ugandans are the ones day in and day out making a difference in their communities. They truly are the Heroes of 2016!
From our security guard to our program director, we have seen each of our staff make an impact in their community. The Our Village advantage is truly our Ugandan staff. The ripple effect and impact of these people is huge! Thanks to them, hundreds of families are no longer struggling alone, but have been brought into a beautiful loving community. Since our staff is from the community, they truly know and understand many of the struggles of the families we partner with.
As 2017 approaches, we are both excited and daunted by many of the needs and tasks that lay ahead of us. We are blessed to have a Ugandan team that not only is up for the challenge but is praying for the many details and unknowns that lie ahead. One of our biggest struggles each year, as we grow and reach more families, is having enough funding and unfortunately 2017 is no exception.
Would you join our team in praying for all that will be accomplished by Our Village in 2017, and also join in funding our vision? This is so that our team can ensure that the ripple effect continues to grow as more vulnerable families are empowered, educated, and equipped to bring real lasting change from within.
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Aunty Loy is one of the onsite mommas at Our Village. She looks after all of the young boys who stay at Our Village to go to school. It is our hope that one day no children will have to stay away from home to go to school. However, with not enough quality schools in Uganda, many children have to go to boarding schools in order to receive an education. Thankfully, Aunty Loy makes a smooth transition for these boys as she takes such incredible care of them. Everyone knows at Our Village that Aunty Loy loves her boys and they thrive under her care.
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Paul is one of the founders of Our Village and is the Country Director. From the beginning, Paul felt God place a love in his heart for the children. Through this, Paul being an orphan himself, was given a huge loving family. Though Paul leads in many practical ways, from meticulous budgets to planning, he is clearly still lead by his desire to take care of his 'family'. Hundreds of children look up to Paul as a father. Many have even lived with him at one time or another. Every holiday you will find children who don't have a safe place to go staying with his family.
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Madame Susan is one of the teachers at the Our Village School, Hands of Hope. Throughout the years it has always been hard to get by financially at Our Village, which has meant that all of our staff has had to wear many 'hats'. Madame Susan really personifies this. She was hired as a nursery school teacher eight years ago; but, every day you will find her helping in the kitchen, taking care of sick children, teaching life skills, leading Sunday school, and the list goes on. Her joy and willingness to serve have impacted so many.
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