The turkey is gone, the shopping madness has subsided (slightly?), and today, we slow down and zoom out to refocus on giving even when it hurts, empowering others when we’re out of energy, and generating hope when all we want is to take a nap

slice of great news #1:

Giving Tuesday isn’t a one day sprint for us at ROWAN… we’re marathon-ing this Giving Tuesday for a 17-day stretch, ending on December 15th. Our hope and prayer is that we will receive 1,000 bricks by then. Why? So that we can START BUILDING by early 2018!

Most of our tribe know that Phase Two of building the Hall of Hope, our first ever community center, is well underway and that we’ve asked you to consider donating a brick toward getting this beautiful building up and running…

slice of great news #2:

…but you may not know that you can ALSO donate a brick in someone else’s name as a gift to them this Christmas!

But wait… It gets better.

slice of great news #3:

Giving Tuesday isn’t just a “Make America Feel Better About How Much Money We Just Spent on ourselves on Black Friday and Cyber Monday” holiday anymore. In fact, this whole “Giving Tuesday” thing is about to play out in an INCREDIBLE way for our friends in Uganda, unlike anything you’ve seen before. Stay tuned to learn about the secret second twist—Giving Tuesday, UGANDA STYLE—at their CHRISTMAS PARTY!

Join us on our quest to get to 1,000 bricks!

To those of you who have already donated… Remember, this is about so much more than a building—and we couldn’t have FATHOMED doing this without you!

How the Kenyan Re-Election Affects Our Student, Eddy

ddy (pictured above on the right) is currently finishing law school in Nairobi. During Kenya’s recent presidential re-election, which was scheduled after the annulled results from the questionable one in August, Eddy shared with us that he was feeling very nervous about the political climate and fearful about the implications of this re-election.

Despite our own tumultuous stateside election last fall, our election-related fears seem insignificant and even petty when compared with political situations elsewhere, including Kenya. As they seek to implement democracy, free and fair elections come at a price—often including inevitable violence between opposing parties, polling stations enduring attacks of various sorts, barricaded roads, and the deaths of targeted victims as well as innocent civilian bystanders.
This re-election was no exception, and the validity of Eddy’s fears has been confirmed in many heartbreaking stories since then. Despite his fears, Eddy will continue to study hard, preparing for the selfless career he’s long pursued: as a lawyer, he plans to offer his expertise as a source of hope, becoming a legal voice for the voiceless.

What can you do?

Join us in praying for Kenya and other African governments that are desperately taking strides towards stability in their courts and safety in their neighborhoods.

Join us in praying for Eddy—that he would remain brave and determined to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

Join us in praying for our other sponsored students and those yet to join our program, who also have big dreams that may take them into scary places, just like Eddy’s. In fact, if you’re interested in helping other ambitious but underprivileged kids like Eddy pursue their dreams, please follow this link to read the stories of the kiddos who are waiting for your help!

And finally, join us in praying for our world—that we would all be a bit more relentless in hope, more resilient in adversity, and more committed to compassion for one another.