In 2014, government representatives came to Raising Up Hope to inform Patrick and William that there was a new list of requirements for children’s homes. The list was long. There were requirements for paint color, space/child, cleanliness requirements, and much more. Some of the requirements made sense. Others were bizarre. We needed to comply with the list or become unregistered and forced to shut down.
We complied with a handful of the requests and were allowed to continue serving the children under RUHU’s care. In 2016 representatives returned with a similar list and more heated threats of closing down children’s homes. Some orphanages were shut down across Uganda. This was all a part of a nation-wide effort to clean up corrupt orphanages that were taking advantage of Western money. Patrick and William worked with auditors and government representatives and got a bill of clean health, so to speak. We were proud of RUHU for the hard work that paid off in passing the government’s intense scrutiny.
This month, like clockwork, government representatives returned bringing with them another set of certifications and requirements. It has been a stressful and frustrating month. The new requirements will be expensive, and we’ve witnessed other children’s homes being shut down. By God’s grace shown to us through the generosity of a handful of donors, we have raised over 15K in order to meet these requirements. When there seemed to be no possible way to make the necessary changes, God provided a way. We are praying that the improvements made with these funds will enable RUHU to continue to serve the vulnerable children that need Raising Up Hope to remain open and operational.
Please pray for the RUHU staff in Uganda as they work with government officials. Please pray for all the kids that RUHU serves as they go through these times of change and uncertainty.
– Caleb & Sonja
