Sponsor A Child....Change two lives!
For less than 50 cents a day, you can make a huge difference in the life and opportunities of a child in Uganda through the Sponsor-A-Child program. It can also change your life in wonderful ways. In looking through this page learn how we support kids in a economical way but provide comprehensive care that results in a much better life.
Click here to DONATE NOW...
Click here to DONATE NOW...
How Sponsor A Child (SAC) works
Hanah, who is 4 years old, is hoping for a U.S. sponsor
A yearly sponsorship for one child is $180. The money provides school fees for Mustard Seed Academy, daily meals, uniforms, periodic health care, and a Saturday Program for older children. It is amazing how much can be done with so little--about half of the typical dollar-a-day sponsorships of other programs. We can do this because we keep most of the children living in the community with parents, relatives or guardians, and because our overhead is low. Our Board members and the Executive Director for RPU here in the US donate their time, and pay for trips to Uganda. Over 95% of the money donated goes directly to work in Uganda.
Over 240 Ugandan children, most of whom are orphans or vulnerable kids living with one parent, are sponsored by individuals, families, schools, and churches in the United States. Tree of Life Ministries, working with RPU, helps to establish and maintain individual relationships between children and their sponsors through photos, gift-giving, letters from the kids, and annual reports from teachers. Tree of Life Ministries' Saturday Program for older primary children is unique in Lukaya.
Over 240 Ugandan children, most of whom are orphans or vulnerable kids living with one parent, are sponsored by individuals, families, schools, and churches in the United States. Tree of Life Ministries, working with RPU, helps to establish and maintain individual relationships between children and their sponsors through photos, gift-giving, letters from the kids, and annual reports from teachers. Tree of Life Ministries' Saturday Program for older primary children is unique in Lukaya.
A unique Saturday Program enables MSA to provide more opportunities for organized sports, music, drama and dance and to share Bible stories and songs, tutor children that need academic help, and promote the fellowship and fun of a more informal program. To sponsor a child, use the PayPal "donate" button to the right.
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The Special SAC Family Children
 These SAC Family children pose with new shoes provided by RPU Board Members Kathryn and Dana Hiscock
When the child's family no longer functions. Tree of Life Ministries and our school, Mustard Seed Academy, currently have no traditional boarding section for children. Our approach to supporting children is to provide food, clothing and education while they live with parents or relatives in the community. It is one way we respect the culture of the people.
However, in a few cases like that of Frank who is described above, there is no family or the family breaks up and is no longer able to care for one of our students. That is the situation also for children shown here like Edinah and Miriam. So, for about 25 especially needy children, we have developed the "SAC Family". These children need very special sponsors or teams of sponsors who are willing to provide and extra $32 per month or $370 per year, in addition to the regular $180 to support their children in the SAC Family. In one case, for example, the child has an HIV positive mother although she is not showing outward symptoms. ---> |  Jackson (lf), Philip, and William have a special friendship within the SAC Family. Here they celebrate together after getting new shoes from RPU Board Members Kathryn and Dana Hiscock Use the PayPal button above
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Impact of Sponsorship
Mustard Seed Academy logo 'We can move mountains.'
"We can move mountains!"...... Sponsoring a child has a broad impact, well beyond that on the child. It is true that many MSA children could not attend our model school without the generous support of their sponsors. Over 90% of these children are either orphans or vulnerable because of poverty at home. Vulnerable children barely have the resources to stay alive each day, and their only food may be the meals at school. Since for them there is no money at home for health care, treatable illnesses can become deadly. For such children, sponsor- ship turns a grim future into a promising one. The money from sponsorships helps pay salaries for 18 teaching and support staff members. It buys food sold by local merchants and farmers, purchases uniforms that come from a clothing manufacturer in the area, and enables us to provide the teaching and learning materials that are so vital to effective education. We have seen dramatic changes in the health and behavior of our students after a year of schooling with the help of sponsorships. The January 2009 newsletter, Partners' Progress, tells the story of one child, Frank Kiggundu, who was deserted by his parents, and turned over to us three years ago as a sick, malnourished toddler. Look at him now (below, right). And there are many similar stories. With your help, a child can move the mountain of poverty that blocks the way to a better life. The school motto, "We can move mountains!", alludes directly to the great poverty we "move" each day at Mustard Seed Academy.
What to Expect with Your Sponsorship
Student take home mattresses that are gifts from their sponsors..
Contacts and a personal connection. You will receive a thank-you letter from our SAC coordinator with the name and basic information about the child assigned to you, and often, his or her picture. If we need to get the picture from Uganda, it may take a few weeks longer. Thereafter, we send you our periodic newsletters (3 per year) and other announcements. Also you can expect a letter and photo with a progress report from the child's teacher once per year. Many of our sponsors make extra donations to provide bedding, mosquito nets, or clothing for their children. This personal connection is part of the blessing both for the child and the sponsor.
Letter from Sophia to sponsor in the US indicates appreciation and progress in school.
Why Sponsor A Child?
Sponsors' help ensures student have 'smart' uniforms
Orphans and vulnerable children who attend Mustard Seed Academy desperately need a chance. Children in Lukaya, a truckstop town along the "AIDS Highway", come from families that lack the means to afford even the modest fees charged by public ("free") schools in town. In addition to the services described above, there is a huge psychological boost for a child who learns that a person in America cares enough to provide the support. Our sponsorship program connects a specific child with each donor in the USA. When you donate, you can be sure that you have made a real difference in the life of a child --your child! When we are with them, they proudly refer to "my sponsor."
Surprising results of the giving--reported by many of our sponsors--are the blessings that come in the other direction. Making a difference in the life of one particular child, and contributing to the fight against forces of poverty are two specific outcomes that link the sponsor personally to the work in Uganda. See how it feels yourself!
Surprising results of the giving--reported by many of our sponsors--are the blessings that come in the other direction. Making a difference in the life of one particular child, and contributing to the fight against forces of poverty are two specific outcomes that link the sponsor personally to the work in Uganda. See how it feels yourself!
Starting a New Relationship
How to begin a Sponsorship: You can make your donation/sponsorship by check or through PayPal (where you can use a credit card). Mail a check made out to Real Partners Uganda, noting in the memo line "sponsor a child" and mail it to: Real Partners Uganda, 523 Lafayette Blvd., Brigantine, NJ 08203. Be sure your name and address are on the check so that we may send you a acknowledgment that allows you to take a tax deduction for your contribution, and so we may give you information about your child. OR Use the "donate" buttons above for PayPal payment method. More contact information at Contact Us.....
