The relationship between Beautiful Response and Raising Up Hope for Uganda can be a bit confusing. Raising Up Hope (RUHU) is the Ugandan NGO started by two young Ugandans (Patrick and William). Beautiful Response is the US-based non-profit that Sonja and Caleb started in order to send funds to RUHU.
Early on, it was not uncommon for people to hear us advocating for the work in Uganda and assume we were missionaries there. Or people would ask if we split our time 50/50 between our home in America and our work in Uganda. It’s an understandable assumption. But Sonja and I have never lived in Uganda. And our work with RUHU has never been more than in a volunteer capacity. When we make trips to visit, we always begin by telling people that we are visiting friends. We’re quite reluctant to call the work in Uganda ‘ours’ or even talk about the kids using that kind of language. It isn’t our work. They aren’t our kids.
When we began Beautiful Response, we were especially passionate about local leadership. We had great confidence in the work of RUHU, partly because it wasn’t our work. It was the work of individuals we trusted who knew the problems far more intimately than we ever would.
Often, on trips to developing countries, you encounter problems that need solutions.
That wasn’t what led to Beautiful Response forming. We didn’t encounter problems that needed solving. We encountered people who were already addressing real problems. We encountered young Ugandan leaders who knew the needs of the children they were serving and needed our support to execute their solutions.
We are immensely proud of the 75+ staff that we fund. Volunteers from overseas can be incredibly helpful and encouraging (like us!). But since day one, the real work has always been done by local leaders meeting local needs.
Peace, Caleb