When our son, Jake, was at Dartmouth College, he spent part of a summer working with ROWAN in Uganda. Read more about that here! As a result, we began our first sponsor relationship with a young man named Mugabi Cyrus. Jake met Cyrus in the village and said Cyrus was a strong and eager participant in the leadership training sessions. As we prayed about someone to sponsor, God spoke swiftly and clearly that is should be Cyrus.
Mugabi Cyrus
And here’s the thing—while we felt good about helping Cyrus, we had no idea that he would give us far more than we could ever give him. He loves us without reservation and calls us family. As we pray for him he prays for us. He worked hard in school and got an art degree—he is very talented. He calls our sons, Jake and Jonah, his brothers, and my husband and I, mom and dad. He is our “son” that we’ve never met. He has taught us uniquely more about the love of God. His faith in the most difficult circumstances has been a light to our family.
Cyrus graduated out of the sponsorship program but he is still our son, friend, and prayer partner. When co-founder Kelsey Hargadine visited Uganda in May, Cyrus gave her a backpack he made for us—made fully by his hand. She mailed it to us in Washington state and I cried and smiled at the beautiful stitching, the hand embroidered message, the thoughtfulness of a young man who works hard as an entrepreneur and who is now a volunteer for ROWAN. We are humbled and proud to know Cyrus and excited to see how God loves and leads him in the days ahead.
Jonah Casale, in the USA, holds the backpack handmade by his brother-in-Christ, Mugabi Cyrus!
ROWAN would like to share with you some breaking news from Uganda. The Ugandan government is tightening up their demands and requirements on NGO’s (non-governmental organizations that are nonprofit). There have been too many briefcase NGO’s (fraudulent nonprofit organizations set up only to obtain money from donors but having no programs on the ground) in the country, so the government is making every NGO, including ours, go through complex hoops to re-register and confirm our legitimacy.
The good news is, ROWAN has favor in the government and goes above and beyond with financial integrity and with our our local work in our districts. The only difficulties we face are that this process takes time and money; local leadership must travel to Kampala and spend time gathering data and filling out all the paperwork to meet deadlines.
ROWAN used to be a community-based organization (based upon our size), but since we have grown across four Districts, we are now an official NGO. ROWAN has been registered locally since we started in 2008. We value the importance of local authorities and laws regulating our work. We pray this intensive process will only further validate the work and ministry happening at ROWAN! Please join us in prayer for a smooth process and positive outcome as we continue to serve our many members. Thank you!
Kelsey Hargadine honors local ROWAN leaders. May, 2019.
It doesn’t matter if you are from the west and have never been to Africa. It doesn’t matter if you are from Africa and have never been to a western country. Our circumstances may be vastly different but our capacity to grieve and care for one another are human capacities.
Will you let me introduce you to Daniel Okola? The ROWAN team met Daniel less than than four months ago when they visited Uganda. Daniel’s wife just died in March, in childbirth. While this pain may be unfathomable to many of us, Daniel continues to love and care for his eight children. Daniel had no livable house and his biggest challenges were finding places for his children to sleep at night and his inability to work due to caring for his children. When the team visited Daniel, he told them he receives strength from looking up at the face of God.
ROWAN put out a call for help to build Daniel and his children a house. Many people donated and the money was raised. Today, Daniel’s house is under construction and soon he and his family will be living together in their very own home! ROWAN thanks everyone who donated for helping Daniel in this difficult time and transforming his sorrow to hope with a house for his family. There is a long road ahead but a safe home for his family to live and sleep in together is life-changing for each one of them.
Daniel and most of his children have now been sponsored and we praise God for that. The last child that needs sponsoring is sweet Godfrey. Would you consider changing Godfrey’s life and supporting Daniel in his desire to be a father that stays with his children? There is so much strength in a father to stay with his children in such a dire situation. In addition to the loss of a mother, culturally, many men run away or send the children to family members. Daniel is choosing to stay and we want to support and bless that! Thank you for considering sponsoring Godfrey:
Look for an update soon on the Okola house and family and please continue to pray for them as they navigate the loss of a wife and mother. Thank you very much for reading their story and comprehending that no matter where we live on this earth, we are bound in compassion, grief, and love, as the family of God.
“While other worldviews lead us to sit in the midst of life’s joys, foreseeing the coming sorrows, Christianity empowers its people to sit in the midst of this world’s sorrows, tasting the coming joy.”
That’s right, we are putting all our eggs into the goat basket.
Ingredients for our current goat farm:
200-250 goats (3-5 male goats, rest female)
17 acres
goat house
Managers House with full time manager
office and part time room
grass and water
fencing
laptop for financial tracking
local market to sell goats
What reward will ROWAN receive in return?
Every initial goat is given back to ROWAN from each of our members. They were gifted a female goat back in 2016, and today each one of them is gifting back one baby goat.
Each goat is worth about $85.00 when sold.
As the goat farm grows, and we begin selling goats, sustainability is created.
All sales from local goats (About $20,000-$30,000 per year) will go toward sustaining the 20 local salaries in Uganda.
What is the only ingredient missing?
We need a goat well.
It sounds strange, but now you can see why the need is so great. This is the last and final piece needed to really take off. The current water source is over 2 miles away, and we need water right on our land.
Obviously the big day is long gone for this year. However, we hope you will all agree that these photos are too cute not to keep to ourselves. As part of our flashback theme, lets go back to 2011 & see images of some of the happiestlittle faces (& some big) on Day of the African Child 2011.
Day of the African Child 2011.
Looking Back
We always enjoy looking back at special days & events like this. Especially as they have have all grown so much since these images were taken. Most of the children pictured here aren’t even children anymore! We want to celebrate them anyway. Here are some of the best shots from that day, enjoy!
Loving Uganda
That’s all we have for today, but check back for more pictures of this festive day soon. In the meantime, why not come to Uganda & take some amazing photos of your own?
Obviously the big day is long past this year. But we hope you will all agree that these shots are cute enough to appreciate every day. As part of our fab flashback theme, lets go back to 2011 & see images of some of the happiestlittle faces (& some big) on Day of the African Child 2011.
Day of the African Child 2011.
Looking Back
As always, it’s great fun looking back at special days & events like this. Especially as they have have all grown so much since these photographs were taken. Most of the children pictured here aren’t even children anymore! We want to celebrate them anyway. Here are some of the best shots from that day, enjoy!
Loving Uganda
That’s all we have for today, but check back for more pictures of this festive day soon. In the meantime, why not come to Uganda & take some amazing photos of your own?
Our summer team had the privilege of visiting many homes this last May and got to hug, hold and love on many different children and families. Many families in Eastern Uganda have taken in other children because of loved ones who have passed away. A home might contain grandparents who have become parents to their grandchildren, aunts and uncles who have taken in their nieces and nephews after parents have passed away, or older brothers and sisters who become the parents to their own siblings.
One of the homes that the team had the chance to visit, was the home of Bruno. At the time, he was 9 months old and had lost his mom suddenly so his uncle and grandparents took him in to care for him. They could not afford to buy formula to feed him and give his body what it needed. He was given black tea, because that was all they could offer him. After the team visited him, they soon realized that he needed more and they decided to help him. They gathered some money to purchase formula for little Bruno and were able to find two amazing sponsors to help him and his caregivers.
Unfortunately for Bruno, his body just couldn’t gain the strength it needed to overcome this obstacle. He passed away at 11 months of age.
This news shook many people who had the opportunity to meet sweet little Bruno and also many others who simply heard about it. But his story will bring other babies in the same situation some hope. A friend of the ROWAN family has begun the process of starting a non profit called Formula ONE. This organization will raise funds to help other babies like Bruno who have lost their mothers and have no way to get the nourishment their little bodies need to grow. These funds will purchase formula for families that need it but can’t afford to purchase it themselves.
In the meantime, if this story tugs at your heartstrings like it did to mine, please consider giving now to help a baby who needs more than black tea to nourish his body. Let’s not allow another baby like Bruno to suffer because of something out of his control. You can give to our baby formula campaign where $50 will provide a young baby with formula for one month. The ROWAN clinic will purchase the formula and then will train the caregivers on how to care for the little ones who need it.
Bruno will now become the voice for Formula ONE and will bring hope to so many, giving many other precious babies a chance to change their own story.
Obviously the big day is long gone for this year. However, maybe we can all agree that these photos are cute enough to appreciate any day of the year. As part of our fab flashback theme, lets go back to 2011 & see images of some of the happiest little (& some big) faces on Day of the African Child 2011.
Day of the African Child 2011.
Looking Back
It has been great fun looking back at special events like this. Especially as we have have come so far since these photographs were taken! Most of the children pictured aren’t even children anymore! We want to celebrate them anyway. Here are some of the best shots from that day, enjoy!
Loving Uganda
That’s all we have for today, but check back for more pictures of this festive day soon. In the meantime, why not come to Uganda & take some amazing photos of your own?
While the big day is long gone this year, maybe we can agree that these photos are cute enough to appreciate every day of the year. As part of our fun flashback theme, lets again go back to 2011 & see images of some of the happiest little (& some big) faces on Day of the African Child 2011.
Day of the African Child 2011.
Looking Back
It’s always fun to look back at special events. Especially as we have have come so far since these images were taken! Most of them aren’t children anymore, but we want to celebrate them anyway. Here are some of the best shots from that day, enjoy!
Loving Uganda
That’s all we have for today, but check back for more pictures of this festive day soon. In the meantime, why not come to Uganda & take some amazing photos of your own?
If you’re anything like me, you occasionally or more than occasionally like to research things based on online reviews. I’ve made a lot of decisions based on said reviews: what books to read, what movies to watch, which restaurants to try and which vacuum to purchase! Practically every public figure and organization receives reviews. At ROWAN, we learn a lot about ourselves by listening to those who interact and spend time with us; they have good insight into who we are.
It is exciting to share with you that the reviews are in, and ROWAN is a top-rated non-profit organization!
Listen to what this ROWAN donor has to say:
“ROWAN has truly impacted our hearts and minds through sponsorship and Christmas giving. To be able to correspond with our sponsor children online and through mail is such a blessing. I truly feel like I am part of their journey. I can rest easy knowing the funds we donate are used for exactly what is intended. The clear communication between ROWAN and their supporters allows us to not only completely trust their vision but to be proud of what is being done.”
Brandon, an Ivy-League graduate, shares this powerful story about ROWAN:
“This is an utterly amazing organization that builds up leaders in the communities it operates within. I have never come across a group that more fluidly engages local leaders, donors, and teams from around the world in a partnership that values and maximizes the skills that each individual brings to the table. I volunteered with ROWAN in the summer of 2014 and met a group of Ugandan men and women who care very passionately about their community, especially widows and those suffering from HIV/Aids. They made it a priority to not only coordinate the administration of necessary medication, but also bring impactful change into the lives of individuals in the village by teaching them skills that they could use to build a business and thrive. Treating every person with respect and a implementing a tangible, long-term plan for success are hallmarks of this organization and things that really set ROWAN apart from other organizations I have worked with in the past. I would recommend ROWAN to anyone if they are seeking to donate or volunteer for a group with an impeccable track record who is changing the lives of hundreds of people and growing at an impressive rate. From the top down, I want to stress the character and integrity of the men and women who are a part of ROWAN and the life-changing work they are doing.”
Sometimes those who work inside an organization have the most to complain about. This is not the case at ROWAN. Listen to what Lauren has to share:
“I have been working with ROWAN for five years now, and have visited the village three times. Each time my understanding of cultures, nonprofits, and foreign aid has increased exponentially, and each visit has changed my life in a different way. The people and experiences impacted by ROWAN have greatly influenced my career path and the motivations behind it. The people in Mawanga, Uganda have even greater stories to tell, however! It has been a great joy to see the growth over the years, and to see and hear the success stories in both the children and the adults! It’s a rare nonprofit that can focus on empowering every aspect of a person’s life (again, child and adult), and ROWAN does it so well in so many pioneering ways! Pastor Paul Nyende and Kelsey Hargadine are two of the most humble and committed people I know, and their teamwork has created an incredible organization!”
I encourage you to read more reviews at greatnonprofits.org.
