The Good Samaritan Center

Kampala, Uganda; Monday, May 25








We spent yesterday in Buddo, a rural community right outside of Kampala, at a home stay for students whose parents have died from HIV/AIDS called, The Good Samaritan Center. This center offers education and medical care to the poorest of families in six communities. A total of 1,600 children were admitted to the Good Samaritan School who were either affected by HIV/AIDS, domestic problems exposing the children to danger, or the war torn region of Northern Uganda.

The school currently lacks piped water, textbooks, chalk, lab equipment, pens/pencils, exam papers, registration fees for final exams, extra curricular training, and several other academic concerns. The school Head Master took us on a tour of the half finished facility, which provides dorm rooms for girls. In Africa, girls at 15 years old are expected to get married, which can lead to neglect, abuse and HIV/AIDS. This school is taking a stand against this practice. They are giving these girls a hope and a future through solid education, proper care and Biblical teaching that shows them their true worth. Raising up these beautiful young girls and protecting them from the dangers of being on their own in the city is revolutionary.

We were able to meet these children {about 1,200 of them!} face to face, and it was incredible. They welcomed us to their country with traditional song and dance and greetings from the Head Master and all of the School Teachers. Our team brought new school paper and pens/pencils. Since they lack paper most of the year, the school walls are lined with paintings/diagrams/learning material so the children can sit in front of it to learn. Children will often be seen sitting there, studying the information, unable to write it down to take home to study.

The school is continuing its construction as new dorms for the boys are being built, along with a dining hall and kitchen. All of the construction work is done by hand {hand made bricks, hand made/poured cement} by a small number of men, which is why it is taking so long to build. But every day the staff and children pray, and God keeps answering their prayers. The stories of God's provision in the lives of the school staff in order to provide this safe place for these orphaned children continues to amaze me…