“Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, be faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
This month I wanted to start by giving you 7 fun facts about V127!
1 – Our scholarship fund supports our vocational and college students, and also pays all of the extra fees for our 53 secondary students in boarding schools. Just this month, we sent $12,720 to pay the extra fees required for those students this term.
2 – In January, we sent $13,930 in scholarships to support our 24 college and vocational students. These scholarships are combined with the sponsorship funds to provide for the cost of tuition, room, and board. Thank you so much for your gifts to the scholarship fund! Only 4% of Ugandan students go on to any type of higher education, but we are committed to giving our students this opportunity!
3 – Speaking of college students, our Hawa Nakato just happens to be the President of the Multinational Society of Biomedical Engineers in Uganda! She is bringing together students from many countries who are studying biomedical engineering. She is well known and respected in her field. Way to go, Hawa!
4 – Our Rose Nakanwagi just graduated with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education! She was also recently hired to be a head teacher at a secondary school in Kayunga.
5 – Our long term vision of having our own secondary school has moved one step closer to reality. God has provided the first $30k that we needed by the end of March for the downpayment on ten acres of land near our Victory Farm! We have until the end of the year to pay the remaining 19k to purchase the land. This is so exciting!
6 – The tiling is complete on our bakery and our workers are putting the finishing touches on the project. Our team is now searching for the right equipment (at the right price) to be able to start operating! This bakery is going to supply baked goods for our school and the community, and will also employ some of our recent graduates!
7 – We recently had two of our teachers, Teacher Clair and Teacher Kevin, graduate with their diplomas in education. These are the first of our teachers to continue their education through our Teacher Education fund. So proud of them!
As we rejoice in all of these blessings and thank God for what he is doing, we also remember those who are suffering.
Three of our students (Sifa, Aisha, and Favour) recently lost their Mom, leaving them without a caregiver. She had been dealing with the effects of TB and passed away last week. Please pray for these kids who are heartbroken, and for wisdom for our team who is caring for them. It’s another poignant reminder of why we do what we do, of the pain, heartache, and poverty that our students face, and in light of that, just how amazing the victories that we celebrate really are.
The message today for all of us, is to “Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, be faithful in prayer.”
Much Love,
Jan