Hi everyone!

I am so excited to share with you that I will be traveling to Kampala, Uganda this summer! I will be working with a non-profit organization called Hope Speaks. The mission of Hope Speaks is to inspire hope and raise voices of people with disabilities through speech therapy, education, and advocacy.

During my time studying speech therapy in college, I became aware of this amazing ministry. It has long been a dream of mine to contribute my time and talents to their efforts, but until recently this had not been a reality. This past fall, while attending the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association conference in Boston, I had the privilege of meeting Hope Speaks’ founders Ben and Kari. Listening to the two of them tell their story and talk about all of the amazing things that they are accomplishing, I just knew that I needed to find a way to get involved.

Over the course of our conversation, Ben and Kari shared with me that there are currently 1 in 7 children in Uganda who are living with a disability. Many of these children’s families do not have the financial resources to get them the therapy that they so desperately need. Hope Speaks’ main ministry is providing speech therapy to hundreds of these children. Their therapists teach the children to swallow, to chew and to understand and express language. Beyond therapy, Hope Speaks is involved with several other ministerial endeavors, which include: hosting short-term missions groups, providing food for families, hosting day camps for children and serving in the slums of the city.

Hope Speaks is not only empowering the people of Uganda and advocating for social change, they are also embracing Ugandans and showing them the love of God, by teaching that hope is found in Christ. How awesome is that?!

This summer, I will be spending three weeks in Uganda, which will provide me with the opportunities to use my passion for speech therapy to help those in need and to allow God to work in and through me, using me for His will. With this in mind, I humbly ask you to join me on this journey, in whatever capacity you feel called. There are three main ways you can get involved:

1. Prayer- First and foremost, I ask for your prayers. Please ask God to lend me His protection and to guide me on this journey.

2. Words of Encouragement- Both now and while I am on the trip, would you consider writing me a letter or giving me a call. It feels good to be doing what I think is right, but it feels great to know that I have the support of friends and family along the way!

3. Financial Support- There is no hiding the fact that this is an expensive trip. All together I will be looking to raise over $3,500 by June 8. I cannot do this alone, I need your help! Please consider partnering with me in this way, it would be appreciated in ways that I cannot express.

I want to thank you for being a part of my life and helping me create a link in the chain of hope for the people of Uganda. I am forever indebted to your gratitude, both financially and prayerfully. If you would like to learn more about Hope Speaks, you can go to joinhopespeaks.org.

In Christian Love,

McKenzie Ward