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Peter Masereka A $7,500 donation will feed all 49 children at the House of Hope orphanage for the next 12 months. Tangible Deliverables: House of Hope provides a safe environment for 49 orphaned children in Kasese, Uganda. The children are protected, housed, fed, clothed, supervised, taught basic life skills, educated, all with the aim of meeting the difficult mental, physical, emotional and spiritual needs of children orphaned by war and AIDS in Uganda. Competitiveness & Efficiency of the Delivery System: The House of Hope is an orphanage run on a shoe-string budget overseen by a local group of volunteers (the “board”). The orphanage does have staff to look after the children, i.e. to cook, nurse (there are currently three babies in the orphanage), supervise, and maintain the orphanage. There is no other infrastructure. This is a grass-roots organization. Financial Efficiency: Total yearly budget is $48,561.60. $47,561.00 and is directly attributed to the care of the children, leaving 2% in administration expenses (we are expecting to get this down to 1% in the year following): food for one year is $7,500; school costs $9,000 (an alternative school is being looked at which will lower costs slightly - school fees are mandatory in Uganda); medical costs are $3,000; shelter is $4,800, clothing $800. Additional expenses include workers ($1k-$2k per yr per person), utilities, transport, maintenance and repairs. There is a monthly bank account charge for funds received in Canada. This is the only administration charge in Canada. Accountability to Clients & Investors: House of Hope has partnered with CACHA (Canada Africa Community Health Alliance) and as such, now has charitable status. A receipt for income-tax purposes will be provided for your donation. CACHA is a Canadian humanitarian organization that seeks to develop and improve basic health and HIV care and education in remote African villages. CACHA’s charitable-status number is 86288 9755 RR0001. In Uganda, the House of Hope is monitored by a volunteer board which oversees governance. All figures are available and tracked in an excel spreadsheet. Commitment and Plans to Achieve Sustainable Results: House of Hope added two orphans this year (one baby, and one child). The orphanage cannot currently support additional children, though it aims to help more in the years going forward. One child will graduate this year giving additional space. Self-sustainability was the key to the success of House of Hope and remains a key goal. Our aim is to find sources of funding and revenue generation that will help the kids become healthy, self-sustaining adults who will contribute to their community. Volunteerism/Recruitment: The board and all fundraising activity are strictly volunteer. Western volunteers also travel to Kasese to volunteer at the orphanage, though foreign volunteerism is somewhat discouraged at the moment. In some cases, local costs can mysteriously jump when a local charity is suddenly swarming with foreigners.
I had the privilege to witness a miracle last night and wanted to share the story with you… Last night, Godfrey and I attended the Brendan Wood International Lazarus Partners Dinner where House of Hope was one of 17 featured charities. The magic began weeks before the event when my friend Stewart was looking for a charity to feature at the event. Naturally, I told him about Edward and the House of Hope. AND NOW FOR THE MIRACLE! Godfrey was the third to last speaker of the evening. He spoke eloquently and brilliantly and, as he was speaking, you could hear a pin drop in the room. Their hearts were touched and they were moved as they heard about the children, Edward and the challenges they face. He spoke for only 5 minutes but something had clearly shifted in the room. When he was done Brendan Wood came to the microphone and said… I want to help these kids. We should make sure they have the truck they need just in case of unrest in the months ahead. I am putting in $5000 tonight… and I want others to join me. Godfrey and I were blown away! The next speaker was Dr. James Orbinski, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient who used to head up Doctors Without Borders. He started his talk in the oddest way. He said, “I have been to Kasese, I know the plight of the children there, if you support one charity tonight, please support the House of Hope”….. Needless to say, we were shocked! After all of the speakers finished, Brendan stood up again and asked for more support for the House of Hope. One by one people raised their hands and offered $1000 or $2000. Within 5 minutes we had between $17000 - $23000 pledged (it was hard to keep track). For some reason, House of Hope captured the room. Thanks to Godfrey for his powerful sharing of the House of Hope story. A huge thanks to Stewart and the Brendan Wood Partners for making this miracle possible
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