I can’t believe that 2025 is halfway over. As I think about what has happened at RUHU over the past 6 months, I’m not sure I can say that ANY of it was on our agenda.
The year started with the RUHU kids in their Christmas holidays, and a group from our church in Sydney headed to Uganda. Sonja and I didn’t expect to be making a trip as an entire family to Uganda in January, but with the opportunity to bring 8 friends from Sydney along, we couldn’t miss the opportunity.
That trip was an investment in the future of RUHU, which is already making an impact. It has allowed us to fund the Secondary School budget this year! The Secondary School is a growing part of RUHU’s ministry to kids and youth in Uganda, and we have been trying to keep up with their ambitious programming. We’ve been consistently overwhelmed by the needs of the Secondary School, but with the help of new partners in Australia, 180 students are able to continue attending Secondary School this year.
We’re also celebrating the rehabilitation of 6 boys from Kampala’s slums. We were able to see the impact of RUHU’s slum outreach as the social workers identify and work with young children who want to escape the slums and find a new life at RUHU. These young boys have just re-entered Primary School. Pray for them!
The RUHU Vocational Training Institute is beginning to put down roots. Still in the trial phase, some students are already up-skilling and developing gifts that will hopefully enable them to find sustainable employment. We do not have the proper funding for this endeavor yet, but that hasn’t stopped students and teachers from developing a curriculum with the goal of skilling graduates. This will be an area of investment over the next 5-10 years as we work uphill against significant national unemployment in Uganda.
A new row of classrooms now stands on the Secondary campus, thanks in large part to a group of committed volunteers from the United States. Another generous donor made it possible to complete a new kitchen and dining area, build new toilets, dig a new well, and begin the work on a new block for the boys’ dormitory, which was MUCH needed.
The Farm Project is well underway, and in the first half of 2025, we are literally seeing the fruit of the hard labor that has gone into it. Former RUHU children are on staff working with the head of the Farm Project, Nicholas, to care for this innovative agricultural project.
This work is all being carried out by the diligent staff in Uganda. It’s funded by generous gifts from people from around the world. And I can’t wait to see what God will do in the second half of the year.
Peace, Caleb
