#10YearsOfProgress - Uganda Dorm Completion

Uganda

$10,170

Amount Raised

About this Fundraiser

10 YEARS. It may feel like just a flash in time, like it was just yesterday, but so much can happen in 10 years; so much life that can grow and shift and change. For Help One Now, our story began 10 years ago when our founder, Chris Marlow, visited the country of Zimbabwe. He had no idea what to expect, going with a close friend to visit Pastor John Chinyowa and see the work he was doing to care for orphans in the small town of Marondera. At the time, Help One Now wasn’t even an idea or concept, but that would soon change. While in the capital city of Harare, the team stopped at a small gas station on their way through town, in the middle of the night. At the station was a large group of homeless kids, all huddled together to find a little warmth to get through the night. A few of the boys approached the team and one asked if there was any work they could do to make a little money. The team felt helpless, and Chris had to tell the boy there was nothing he could do to help him. The team returned home, but the weight of the night stayed.

That feeling of helplessness sat heavy and ran through Chris’ mind endlessly. He knew he had to do something. With what he had seen and experienced, he now had a responsibility to act. Thus, the heart and concept behind Help One Now was born. It began with small support of Pastor John and his work, but has now grown to touch the lives of thousands of people across 7 countries. 10 years may seem like a short amount of time in the long run, but there is no limit to what an idea and experience and a community of people behind them can accomplish.

We have some big things planned to celebrate these 10 years, and we want you to be a part of them! We are setting a goal to raise $10,000 TODAY ($1k for each year) to finish out the new girls' dormitory at His Mercy School in Uganda, which will serve as a home and a place of peace, safety and opportunity for up to 56 girls! The fundraiser will start now and run though 6pm EDT tomorrow, May 12th. We believe we can accomplish this goal together, as we have so many others over these great 10 years!

The School

His Mercy Christian School currently provides quality education to almost 400 students, including a hot meal for students and staff every day. It also serves as a hub for community development work including healthcare, micro lending, leadership development, orphan care and more.

Help One Now sustains the operations of this school and the accompanying development work through our vulnerable child sponsorship program and our Help One Classroom campaign.

The Project

Help One Now has almost completed the building of a larger, more suitable dormitory for the girls of His Mercy School! This $50,0000 project is 80% funded, and 80% complete. This portion will fund the final building phase so that the girls can move in to their new space as soon as possible.

Currently, 17 students that are without a family, or whose home environment is unsuitable or unsafe for them to thrive, are sharing one large room at the school. They have very little space for privacy, quiet study, or relaxation. The new building, when it is complete, will provide much needed space for up to 56 girls. This will allow the Primary 6 and Primary 7 grade girls to also live and study at the school for the duration of each term, rather than spending valuable study time walking long distances to and from school.

The finished dormitory will have rooms for the girls and their personal belongings, as well as space for house mothers to help provide a stable, loving environment. There will be a rainwater collection tank to support washing sinks in each room and electricity provided by solar panels will enable the girls to study at night. This dormitory is vital to His Mercy School’s ability to provide a safe and comfortable learning environment for its students to succeed in school. Will you help us complete it?