August 2021 Update
Dear Friends of H3:
As you might imagine, the past 16 months have been a trying time for international travel, particularly for those attempting to provide medical care for large gatherings of people. Because of this, we were forced to cancel both our 2020 and 2021 Ugandan medical clinics. We are hoping to return in spring of 2022, but the situation in Uganda remains uncertain as vaccines are largely unavailable and even this month, our Ugandan counterparts endured yet another large scale lockdown. As expected, this has been quite trying for those living in a subsistence culture.
However, there is some good news! While we have been unable to travel, that does NOT mean that H3’s work in Uganda has stopped. In God’s perfect timing, we were able to establish H3 Uganda, a Non-Government Organization (NGO – similar to a non-profit in the US) as an official entity in early 2020. As I mentioned last month, this has allowed our Ugandan colleagues to continue serving in all sorts of ways over the past year and a half.
Here’s some of what’s been happening... and some very specific ways in which you can enter into this ministry through your generous giving.
Heads of H3: While schools also experienced lockdowns, they have been continuing to meet when they are able. We have continued to support JoJo, Prossy, and others to continue their education in spite of the pandemic. We also have been able to assist with support of our own Kennedy Sentamu as he pursues his degree in spiritual counseling! (On average, it costs H3 Uganda around $1500 to send a student to school for a year.)
H3 Uganda board member Kennedy and his wife Vicky are in the United States for seminary study in Pittsburgh.
Hearts of H3: Although we haven’t been able to go, the gospel continues to be told to those needing to hear it. H3 Uganda staff have continued to meet with our spiritual follow up patients, as well as visiting and praying with our long term medical patients. Our medical work has provided a way to share the gospel with people who would otherwise be closed to it – from Muslims to Rastafarians to Spiritists – and we are confident that God’s word will not return void! (H3 Uganda employs two staff members who assist with spiritual follow up of individuals. A typical salary in Uganda is around $400 per month)
A gospel presentation accompanying food distribution
Hands of H3: Dr Nick, Esther, Robert, and others have continued working with our follow up patients from previous years. For those with long term needs, we have still been providing medications for chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. As some of these patients have become acutely ill, we have been able to support them with diagnostic studies and treatment that they could not otherwise have received! (H3 Uganda spends around $10 per month to provide follow up care for each of our long term patients)
Our Ugandan friend Doctor Sam with one of our long-term followup patients after a successful surgery.
The Internship for Women: H3 supports Ugandan young women who are unable to otherwise find meaningful employment. H3 Uganda is developing and piloting an internship in which we provide a living wage for one young woman who in turn volunteers at a nonprofit, learning job skills and contributing meaningfully in her community. We can't wait to tell you more as this program grows! ($400 per month allows a young woman to stay off the streets and gain marketable work experience)
Eunice works for Project Princess Initiative, serving young girls in secondary schools in programs that nurture a sense of the arts, provide community, and give at-risk girls a mentor.
Food Ministry: For many, not being able to work for a day means not being able to eat. Extending that into a government mandated lockdown means many people have been facing significant hunger and even starvation. H3 Uganda has been able to provide, on several occasions, essential food for a number of hungry families both in the church and in the community! ($50 can feed a Ugandan family for more than two weeks)
Serving the physical needs of hungry families.
I would like to repeat my request from last month, when I asked for a friend. PLEASE invite your friends, family, coworkers – or anyone you think would be interested in hearing about the work we are doing – to subscribe to our monthly newsletter. We would love to spread the word about what’s happening! I would also like to ask for your support. While a dollar goes a long way in Uganda, the needs there are great, and continue to grow. In the past, we have largely funded operations through the support we have received for our clinic trip. As we have continued to expand the scope of our work, this is no longer sufficient to meet the challenges we face. Consider partnering with us financially so that we can feed more people, care for more medical needs, educate more young women, and continue to spread the gospel as widely as we can? As a reminder, we have NO overhead expenses on the US side. Every cent you give goes to support work in East Africa!
What your dollars do in Uganda:
$3.50 = cost of care for one patient in an H3 clinic
$50 = feed a Ugandan family for over two weeks
$120 = one year of follow-up care for a patient
$400 = one month salary to support a young woman
$1500 = boarding school for a year
Lastly, please continue to pray for our Ugandan counterparts as they continue to labor in their community. The needs are overwhelming, but we are thrilled that the work can continue in spite of difficult circumstances. Friends, our God is on the move!
In Him,
Mike