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200 Patients Living with the HIV Virus get access to clean and safe water

A story worth reading

Profile of Mrs. R. M

Age: 62

Sex: Female

Location: Nyamitanga Mbarara Uganda

Activity: Mushroom growing project

Marital status: widow

Mrs. R.M is a widow living with HIV/AIDS. She has a family of 10 and she is a grandmother too. She has been supported by words of Hope since 2003 and she is on Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART). In 2003 when I got visitors from Words of Hope, I was encouraged and I knew there are people who do not judge me. I was only 56yrs and most people were judging me to be sleeping around that, that’s why I had HIV since my husband had died.

I started growing mushrooms in 2005 and I have been growing for only home use. But when I got the training with the words of Hope support this year in Jan, now I have expanded my project and I have more skills. I can now produce 30-40kgs in a month.

I want to thank words of Hope for helping me see the Hope in Jesus and I want to thank God for blessing my project and for saving my life I can now live a happy life and I know that when I die I will be with Him in heaven. My son is now at the University and other are also in school because of my project.

Mrs. R.M produces 35 kgs of mushroom every month and each kg is 3000 ($1.5) for fresh mushrooms while a kg of dry mushrooms is 15000 ($7.5). M.R has a monthly income of 500,000 ($250). She has been able to pay the University fee for her son of 800,000 ($400) and she is happily living in her home. She has a deep desire to help train other women in the mushroom project so they can also be like her. She is a strong believer and we are glad to have seen her faith grow over the years as we visited her home.

We are praying and believing God to train and start a mushroom growing project for 25 widows living with HIV/AIDS. Each mushroom farm costs 120,000 ($60).

For this project to be completed we need 3000.000 ($1500) we are asking you to pray with us.

Prayer for the water of Life

The water Project is half way through. We give you glory God


As we get to the half way of this project, pray with us that people will see Jesus as the living water of life.

The water Project

Another day at the water project

This morning we continued work on the second hall for the installation of the well. As we approached 5 fit deep, there came the water and there was so much excitement that you one of the villagers offered us with sugar cane o eat.

Pray with us, before completing this project, we will be showing the Jesus Film one of the nights this week. There are about 2000 people from 3 villages that will be benefiting from this water project.

Pray for the machines, pray for the good weather, pray that the people will turn up in numbers pray that the Lord will be glorified as souls turn back to Jesus.

Praise be to God, the youth group that has helped to raise funds for this project has already hit the target and we want to thank all those that contributed and remind you of these encouraging words of our Lord Jesus ,


I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward. Mark 9:41

water project

This moring having had the blessings of the rain during the weekend we set our off to continue work on the water project in Nyakayojo.

On friday, the community members got together and started dingig and as the rains poured over the weekend, the hall was over flooding.

This was a set back to us as we have to start diging another hall, but it was such a relief for Hadija. This moslem lady kept pouring praise on these christians that come to helpwith the water. She was ready fetching water we would all call dirty water, but when asked, she says, it was such a relief that she has a hall with water. To her even if the whole project ended there, she says something has alreday been done

We started on a new hall that we hope will be done in three days, we need 20-25 ft deep hall to be able to install a shallow well for three villages that will see 200 patients and over 1000 families get clean water.

This is the begining of what seems to be an opening that the Lord has provided for us to share christ in this community.

Today we also got a chance to get more information about these villages.
The average life expectancy in these villages is 45, the leading cause of death is HIV/AIDS and malaria, there are more women compaired to men over 65%, there are more illiteracy levels with only 2 out of the average 7 familiy members able to read and write. The major source of income is agriculture and the donimanat religious groups are the protestant christians and roman catholics.

We will be working closely with a team of 7 members that have been set on the water committe, pray that we will be able to reach out to them in these days that we will be woring with them.
As we look to answering this critical water need, there are more opportunities to minister to the sick and children orphaned by bHIV/AIDS that the Lord will be opening for us. As we work, we ask that you will pray with us and for this project to be completed and more to be stared we need your prayers and donations. Donatios towards this project can be sent to Clare (cl780112@arbor.edu) Michigan or Chris (cbosson686@stbsstudents.net)

The water project is on and this is the group raising money for the project

In Africa, stories were always told in a circle. This was to equip the cildren with their cultural heritage and to preserve the important aspects of the culture.

Like the old parents did, we at words of Hope love telling stories about the man called Jesus. we love to preserve the most important truth to ever be revealed to man that Jesus is the saviour and so as an approach, we form small groups in the community where we tell people about Jesus.

Usually after lunch, people tend to sleep or take rest, others use this time to go to bars and so we are sure that at this time we will get more people as they have had their lunch. Questions are asked about Jesus and decisions are being made. Over 6 community groups meet every week to share and find support and strength from each other but also learn a new story abut Jesus.

sharing the good news

We are words hope are always grateful to God for the open doors He has given to us to share the good news of Jesus Christ. While it is evident that this woman is living under poverty, it does not change her concentration as she keenly looks and pays attention as the bible s being read to he in her local language.
Each day we are faced with several situations that leave us amazed at how people regardless of their external circumstances pay attention to the good news.

Women like Grace have not only put their faith in Jesus but know that He is the ultimate source from whom all blessings flow. Grace like the other ladies in the community may not be sure whether she will have the next meal or be able to have clean water to drink as she takes her ARV. we at words of Hope have developed a plan to help these women and men see themselves out of poverty. with our various projects we know tat its not long before we see a physical change in these communities. Having worked on the spiritual needs of these women, we are believing God for a physical transformation. There are many women like Grace that we can inspire. You too could be part of this life transforming process by choosing to make a donation to words of Hope.

The water Project

For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. Mark 9:41


Words of Hope continues in the journey to provide care that is Christ Centered. In the latest project, words of Hope will be building a water project to serve the people of Nyarubungo sub county Rwampala county Mbarara District. The project will benefit more than 350 families and an average of more than 2000 individuals.

Right now, 1.1 billion people on the planet don't have access to clean and safe drinking water. That's one in six of us. Words of Hope is a non profit organization bringing Hope in the communities where we work.

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and disease, and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Many people in Nyarubungo, usually women and children, walk more than three hours every day to fetch water that is likely to make them sick. Those hours are crucial, preventing many from working or attending school. Additionally, collecting water puts them at greater risk of sexual harassment and assault. Children are especially vulnerable to the consequences of unsafe water. Of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation, 90% are children under 5 years old.

In this project Words of Hope is working with Clare and the you at her church to raise money to build a well for the people in Nyarubungo. Clare visited this community in June and this was one of the problems that were raised. We hope to do more of these projects in addition to the other projects we are doing. May the Lord Jesus Be glorified in every project we do.

Our Approach to Community Work

We at Words of Hope describe our work as empowering Men, women and children, providing assistance to communities and resources for people to make a difference in their own lives, and ensuring access to resources and tools for change.

Our multi-faceted development approach is community driven, low-tech and sustainable in the long run. It is targeted specifically to the local community's needs and guided every step of the way by the community that we serve.

There is no magic here, just providing the information and tools that people need to make a sustainable difference in their own lives. This is the essence of empowerment and what we accomplish every day with our work. Our approach is working, women are starting their own businesses, children are learning to read, families are staying healthier, and have more food to eat. This is how we eradicate poverty and how we change the world, one man, one woman, one child, one family at a time.

We have come to learn from the communities where we work that community members have the desire to change and all they need is simple facilitation, providing a bible for example to one family, motivates them to seek the truth for a changed life.

INTERNATION CHILDREN'S DAY

Tomorrow is International Children’s Day—a day to celebrate children around the world. But for so many children worldwide, there will be nothing to celebrate.

Abuse, hunger, homelessness and loneliness are the few words that we can use to describe the life of most children in developing world.

The tragic reality is that every 2 seconds, another child is orphaned. Worldwide, there are nearly 145 million orphaned children, left vulnerable to issues such as hunger, disease, and HIV/AIDS

We at Words of Hope join the world community in observing International Children's Day and renew our commitment to improving the lives of children in the communities around us.

Around the world, even in the most desperate situations, people show astonishing determination and nurture high aspirations for their children. Today, Words of Hope is working in over six communities to help parents build better lives for themselves and their children. Words of Hope has chosen to concentrate our efforts on personal and community discipleship as one of three focus areas over the next five years.

We also strive to improve the lives of young people by seeking innovative solutions to poverty, including programs that provide emergency relief, promote economic opportunity, and integrate human rights concerns into humanitarian assistance. By attacking poverty at its roots, Words of Hope helps to build a future of dignity and security for all the community's children.

Today you can make a difference in the life of a child and it begins with you saying a prayer like this for children

O God of the children of Mbarara, Congo, Somalia, Sarajevo,
South Africa and South Carolina
Of Makopo, Alabama, Bosnia, and Boston,
Of India and Cairo, Chicago and Croatia, and all the nations and cities of the world,

Help us to love and respect and protect them all.

O God of Black and Brown and White and Albino children
and those all mixed together,
Of children who are rich and poor and in between,
Of children who speak English and Spanish and Russian
and Runyankole Ruganda and languages our ears cannot discern,

Help us to love and respect and protect them all.

O God of children who can walk and talk and hear and see
and sing and dance and jump and play
and of children who wish they could but can't,
Of children who are love and unloved, wanted and unwanted,

Help us to love and respect and protect them all.

O God of beggar, beaten, abused, neglected, homeless, AIDS,
drug and hunger-ravaged children,
Of children who are emotionally and physically and mentally fragile,
and of children who rebel and ridicule, torment and taunt,

Help us to love and respect and protect them all.

O God of children of destiny and of despair,
of war and of peace,
Of disfigured, diseased, and dying children,
Of children without hope and of children with hope to spare
and to share,

Help us to love and respect and protect them all.

In the name of Jesus

And all God's people say

Amen

more from the field

As we moved from the joy and excitement of seeing George give his life to Christ we took off to another words of hope community in Katukuru about 40 minutes from George's community. Here the group is rearing pigs and these pictures will show you how fat the pigs are growing. it was joy and excitement in these families. Our prayer i that our God will be exalted in all these projects

21st May 2009 i go on the words of hope home visit to see how mzee George has been doing with his project. The passion fruits are well, the rabbit farm which he setup from the passion fruit money is doing well and the family is well.
It was exciting to see what was happening in the family. the wife is HIV positive and a believer in Jesus. Mzee has been waiting for years and he used to say he wants to take care of his needs first.

This led me to Luke 9:23 ff. As i read the scripture i saw the look in his face and i knew the spirit was working in his life. i took the time to explain to the mzee what the scripture means and as i did i also asked him the question, mzee, do you understanding what Jesus is talking about. It was about 13:30 GMT and he asked me what can i do now.

Joy ran in me and i could not wait to explain to the person i have known for over 3years and have been waiting on him. He finally told me he wanted to receive Jesus in His life and as i led him into prayer i knew that this was the power of the Holy Spirit at work.

This week also my cousin brother asked the Lord Jesus into his life and 4 students gave their lives to Christ at the youth retreat.
As w continue to see people live transformed financially we want to give Go the glory for giving us the patience to wait on them for these major commitments. Please pray with us as w continue to be witnesses for our Lord

Our mothers living with HIV/AIDS

Think of all the friends you have ever had. Now imagine one in five of them are HIV positive – and there is little or no treatment available. This is the situation facing people in some of the communities we work with here in Mbarara Uganda. However, Medicines, known as antiretroviral drugs, have transformed HIV from the death sentence it was in the 1980s into a treatable condition. In rich countries these medicines enable people with HIV to live healthy, productive lives. However, for most people in poor countries they remain out of reach.

As a result, in some of the communities worst affected by HIV and AIDS, hundreds of people are dying each day. The HIV and AIDS pandemic is sweeping away teachers, nurses, farmers, mothers and fathers. This leaves a community locked into a cycle of poverty and a life of Hopelessness

Words of Hope believes that all people living with HIV and AIDS have a right to life and dignity and Hope.

We work in partnership with poor and excluded people in their communities, at Village level and family level to defend this right and bring Hope.

Our mothers
The effects of the AIDS crisis are felt most sharply by women. In Uganda more than a big percentage of those living with HIV are female. Discrimination, poverty and gender-based violence are all driving these statistics.

What’s more, women who become HIV positive are more likely to face violence and discrimination. Women and girls also shoulder the burden of caring for relatives suffering with AIDS-related illnesses and for looking after children whose parents have died.

we believe that for what our mother's have done,we need to do more for them. We are starting up campaign to help our mother's living with HIV. This campaign will see them receive food supply, support for an income generating activity and a bible. Today you can be part of this campaign by committing to pray for our mothers and also prayerfully considering supporting a mother with $25 on a monthly basis.

Responding to Hunger

Words of Hope staff members in are reporting that despite a good harvest this season, many people remain desperately short of food because of the effect HIV/AIDS is having in the community. .

“Historically, shortages of food have been caused by severe drought that resulted in poor harvests,” says Onesimu, Words of Hope community group leader. “Now it is the result of less agricultural productivity brought about by AIDS. A good harvest no longer guarantees everyone enough to eat.”

The majority of people living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda are between the ages of 15 and 49. It is estimated that one in four people within this normally productive age group are infected with HIV, translating to fewer adults supporting more people. “Many people are too weak or ill to work the land,” says Onesimu. “Much of the burden of responsibility is falling upon young women and children in the community to do the difficult task of planting and maintaining gardens.”

These circumstances only elevate the problem of little or no income for an increasing number of people. Many affected families are forced to sell what few assets they possess such as chickens, cattle and goats to survive. With little income, many families can no longer afford school fees and must withdraw their children from school. An increasing number of children are forced to leave school in order to take care of sick family members.

In response to the immediate crisis of hunger among AIDS victims, Words of Hope staff member, Pastor Naboth, says staff members are helping community groups in Mbarara generate improved methods of food productivity that should require less day-to-day physical labor for those affected by AIDS. Establishing small Passion farms and Piggery are two projects that will require minimal maintenance once established, but will yield foods beneficial to people’s health.

“Words of Hope staff members are committed, along with many other individuals and organizations, to the battle to end the AIDS epidemic in Uganda,” says Pr Naboth. “But until that end, we will do what we can to help communities develop food security and sustainable good among residents most affected by the disease.”

Through your support, you can help us create a sustainable change among the world's poor, including those most affected by HIV/AIDS.

The God from whom all blessings flow

Hallelujah. Praise be to God from who all blessings flow. When we launched the seed loaning project, we had no ideal what it would turn out to be. We give God the glory, people have successfully harvested and what was amazing is that these families donated to words of hope part of they produce as food to give to poor families in the food parcels. We give you glory God and pray that your blessings will continue to flow.


The seed loaning is its second season and we need 2000kg of beans for the seam in August to take God's blessings to yet another community. Pray for God's provision.

George visiting with Pastor Aloysius and Peace a beans garden side by side with a passion fruit garden in the pictures.

FROM FRUIT GROWING TO KEEPING RABBITS

A s you may all remember its now over two years that we started growing passion fruits with patients living with HIV/AIDS to support their incomes. Far from what we expected, its been a great success as more and more people got involved in this project. Today families can purchase basic needs for supporting their homes and we give God the glory.
In July we shall be giving out fruits to another 200 families.

For Mzee George, its been more that a success, he was taken back his sons to school and has now a rabbit farm. We visited him yesterday and he told us he now has 22 rabbits from the savings he made after selling off his passion fruits. More pictures on the farm will be uploaded.
We want you to pray with us that God will provide financially to the organization so we can reach out to more people as we share the gospel with families and individuals building comm8nities for Jesus Christ. You can learn more about the current needs and possible ways you can be part of these projects. We always need volunteers in all fields. Please speak to us if you have the heart for ministry

Looking Back

We have been blessed to have worked with different people here at words of Hope from all over the world. We continue to offer opportunities to men and women from within Uganda and out side to serve God in our different projects. From Dr Larry, Kelly, McDowell, Jena, Evas, Peace, Naboth. We give God the glory for the impact you have caused in these communities.