Adversity on the Horizon

On Friday, June 24th, we invited ROWAN supporters to join us for an internal Zoom update on the mining crisis that threatens the region…

After her exploratory trip to Uganda in May, ROWAN Co-founder Kelsey Hargadine returned with stories of God’s hand in this situation as well as the details we needed in order to determine our next steps as an organization.

Here’s a note from Kelsey:

For those of you who were able to join me on Friday, thank you! It is so encouraging to share this powerful story of my recent trip to Uganda.

We are excited that we recorded it and want to send to you if you have not yet heard the testimony. It includes the current ROWAN story and ways in which you can continue to support/pray/volunteer/advocate with us. This testimony is TRULY remarkable…you don’t want to miss it!

Feel free to email me if you’d like to watch the video***!

Love to you ALL,

Kelsey Hargadine

Among other updates shared in the video***, we found that the mining company will likely not affect our region for many more years… plus or minus a decade.

As scary as it feels, we know that these widows and orphans need our steadfast support now more than ever.

If you found out that your home might be torn down in 10 years, would you move out now? Of course not!

In the same way, we’re using this time to plan and prepare for the next chapter of ROWAN serving the vulnerable citizens of Uganda while advocating for the rights and proper treatment of the widows and orphans there, now.

There are so many widows & orphans needing a sponsor, now more than ever. When you sponsor an orphan in Uganda, you provide for them 6 essential ways.

Look through our sponsorship page and get involved today!

***Request access to the video update by emailing kelsey@ loverowan. com , no spaces.

KELSEY’S BIRTHDAY WISH

As ROWAN Co-founder Kelsey Hargadine’s 40th birthday approaches, she’s spent some time reflecting on what she wants her birthday to be about this year.

It would be her dream come true to see 40 new sponsors join the ROWAN family — a family of people making a difference from where they’re at with what they’ve got.

There are so many widows & orphans needing a sponsor, now more than ever. When you sponsor an orphan in Uganda, you provide for them 6 essential ways that no person should go without.

Look through our sponsorship page!

Whose story stands out to you?

Whose sweet smile gets stuck in your heart and mind?

Who will you help?

And who can you invite to join you in making a difference in this world?

In Wednesday’s blog post, we featured two caregivers (Katherine Nabirye and Badiri Mukose) in need of sponsorship. Today we are turning the spotlight on two of ROWAN’s sweet primary children who are waiting for their sponsors.

Elisa Mugoya is a little boy with a big heart. He is one of 8 siblings! Elisa dreams of one day becoming a police officer so that he “can help keep people safe.” With your help, we can support Elisa as he grows up and works toward accomplishing that dream.

Wahabu Kafero is one of two siblings who live with their mother. He is a kind little boy who dreams of becoming a lawyer one day to help “protect and defend” others. Wahabu knows that this dream will require a lot of work, but he’s willing and ready to put the work in to make his dream a reality. By sponsoring Wahabu today, you are showing this determined little boy that he won’t be alone on the journey toward his goal.

A ROWAN sponsorship costs as little as $38 a month. Your sponsorship dollars help ROWAN cover the cost of:

Medical Care

Education and Literacy costs

Business training

Nutritious meals

In addition to meeting the physical needs of our ROWAN members, sponsorship builds relationships. Once you sponsor a ROWAN member, you can write to the individual you sponsored – and have them write back. You become a treasured part of their lives, and they will quickly become a precious part of yours.

To sponsor Elisa or Wahabu, simply click on their names anywhere in this post to be taken to their individual sponsorship pages.

When you sponsor a ROWAN member, you are changing lives and lifting hearts. We are so grateful for each of our ROWAN sponsors! Your generosity helps ROWAN stand in the gap for our members, and we couldn’t do that without you.

This week we will be spotlighting a few of our ROWAN members in need of sponsorship. Today we are shining the light on Katherine Nabirye and Badiri Mukose – two of ROWAN’s incredible caregivers. The caregivers that ROWAN serves genuinely understand the scriptural passage found in Matthew 25:40, which teaches, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Katherine Nabirye is a woman who knows the meaning of christ-like service. She takes in orphans and lovingly raises them until they are old enough to be independent. She serves those in her community selflessly and without hesitation. Katherine is love in action, and she has touched the hearts of many in the ROWAN family.

While raising his ten children, Badiri Mukose has also taken in his nieces and nephews, who lost both of their parents to HIV/AIDS. Badiri is a peasant farmer by trade with a full house and a full plate, but he doesn’t allow the stresses of daily life to stop him from being there for those who need him. He is a man with a huge heart who shows, by example, the power of choosing love.

We would love to see both Katherine and Badiri get fully sponsored this week! Will you help us meet that goal? Together, we can show Katherine and Badiri that they are not alone on their journey as caregivers.

If you are interested in sponsoring Katherine or Badiri, please click here to be taken to ROWAN’s sponsorship page or click on either of their names anywhere in this post to be taken directly to their individual sponsorship pages. Thank you for standing with us in the gap!

A ROWAN family in Uganda in front of the new home that was built for them.

Do you remember Ibrahim from the post we did last April? He is one of 16 siblings who were taken in by their grandparents after their father’s passing. Before his passing, Ibrahim’s father had started work on a home for the family, and it was Ibrahim’s dream to be able to finish what his father started.

A grandfather with 4 of his grandchildren standing next to a broken wall in Uganda

With the help of his sponsor and other supporters, ROWAN was able to build a new home for Ibrahim and his family! What a beautiful and joy-filled day it was when Ibrahim and his siblings saw their finished home!

Despite all that Ibrahim has been through, he continues to carry a spirit of gratitude and love. In speaking of his sponsor, Ibrahim recently wrote, “Dear my beloved sweet sponsor it is my joy and happiness to extend my sincere gratitude of appreciation for the love and care that you have shown me ever since you chose me for sponsorship, indeed l want to express my inner happiness and feelings towards the golden gift of a house that you have managed to construct for me and my family, may the almighty God bless you so, so, so much.“

It only takes $3300 (USD) to build one of these homes, and we are hoping to build more homes for our ROWAN families. With your help, we can do just that. If you are interested in donating to our next house-building project, please click here.

Thank you to all of those who helped us make Ibrahim’s dream a reality. Your sponsorship and donations left a lasting impact on the lives and hearts of Ibrahim and his family.

While the pandemic has brought hardship and struggle to the world, some of us have fared better than others. Many of us have been able to shop online for food and other things, with front door deliveries. We have made use of curbside pickup and Instacart shoppers. And most of us have been able to shop inside grocery and other stores as needed. I am grateful to God for the relative ease of feeding my family during such a hard time.

Our friends in Uganda are facing something wholly different. Due to rising cases of Covid-19 in country, Uganda began a 42 day lockdown on June 19. People may not leave their homes unless for medical emergencies. This has put people in the ROWAN villages in a dangerous situation as they have no way to get food to sustain themselves for this long period. ROWAN asked for your help and you came through! Last week, Paster Paul and our ROWAN team (under the watchful eye of Security officers) were able to distribute food to our widows and orphans.

Maize and beans made ready for distribution outside at Mwanga Hall of Hope.

Pastor Paul and Isaac Malinga, ROWAN Board Chair, witness the food distribution process along with police officers.

Without the generosity of donors this would not have been possible. And we’re not done yet! To sustain each person through the lockdown we need to purchase and deliver more food. Please consider giving, anything you can, to our Food to Families campaign, and help us be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to our faithful widows and orphans in the villages who need to eat. All of the money raised from this campaign is going toward the purchase of food supplies during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Their faces! Happy beneficiaries of food send thanks and God’s blessing to donors and sponsors.

Pastor Paul just sent this message:

“Good evening to you all,

Thank you for your prayers, we made it. Everyone was excited with the food given to them—God Bless you all abundantly.

You may wonder why we didn’t use the Bus. The first point was that the Kilos were too many for the Bus, secondly the roads are too bad for the Bus when packed with food, thirdly the police we had didn’t allow us because when you carry people in a Bus it can easily spread the virus, so that is why we had to use the truck.

But the most important thing we thank God is that we were allowed to buy food and we were able to distribute it to them.

Thank you so much for your help.

Talk to you soon.”

Pastor Paul Nyende

Being hungry and not being fed takes a toll on the mind, body, and spirit. Thank you for continuing to help us alleviate this most basic need for our Ugandan brothers and sisters in Christ. He is the bread of life and we give Him thanks!

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