Current Be A HERO Project: Building an elementary school for grades 1-7 for children in Gulu, Uganda in partnership with Hope for the Nations and Action International.
Summary of the situation in Gulu: The situation is desperate in this part of Africa. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has been terrorizing Northern Uganda for 20 years, led by Joseph Kony (see sidebar for further info). In a recent article in Christianity Today, J. Carter Johnson describes him in this manner: “Kony, 41, envisions an Acholiland (the territory of northern Uganda) ruled by a warped interpretation of the Ten Commandments. He uses passages from the Pentateuch to justify mutilation and murder. He promotes a demonic spirituality crafted from an eclectic mix of Christianity, Islam, and African witchcraft.”
Thanks to people like Jerry and Candis Bingham, who spearhead our work in Gulu, many of these children are receiving help for all of the urgent care that they need.
Each night 20,000 “night commuter” children, who come to Gulu fearful of being kidnapped by the Kony terrorists, travel for hours to sleep in the city (see sidebar for further information). When captured, the girls are made child wives for the rebel army and both boys and girls, through horrible atrocities, are made into killing machines in the rebel children’s army. The Binghams also founded a trauma center for children who have been rescued. Many have been terribly mutilated, assaulted and abused.
Village of Hope provides a home and a start to a new life for the “Child-mothers” of Gulu. These mothers are teenagers who, while still little girls, were abducted from their beds at gunpoint, and forced to “serve” the Lord’s Resistance Army rebel forces soldiers. They have been rescued, or escaped with their children, and are in desperate need of a safe place to live and raise their children, obtain healing, become educated, and learn a trade.
Along with the Village of Hope, our projects in Gulu will include homes for 50 of these families, a medical clinic, a school, a training facility and equipment, and farm animals.
The Project: an Elementary School for grades 1-7 will include:
- Four classrooms, an office and a staff room.
- We will start with grades 1-4. Our goal is to offer through grade 7 eventually, adding one room every year for 3 years after which a child is admitted to a secondary school.
- Each classroom will hold 65 students, with a total school capacity of 260 children.
- A minimum school fee will be charged for children joining the school from around the community, and we will maintain sponsorship for children of Child Mothers.
Be A HERO Gulu, Elementary School Uganda Project
Based on 4 classrooms, 260 children |
All figures USD |
| Site Clearance |
$1700.00 |
| Footings and Foundation |
$8800.00 |
| Walls |
$7700.00 |
| Roofing |
$8500.00 |
| Windows, Doors, Finishes |
$4600.00 |
| Labour |
$9400.00 |
| Transport |
$3100.00 |
| Overhead |
$1600.00 |
| Total |
$45,400.00 |
100% of all funds donated for this project will be applied directly to the project. Be A HERO does not keep anything for administration. Be A HERO is able to do this because the Hero Partnership and Pillar Program participants designate their donations specifically for administration. If you would like to invest in this project, we accept donations by cheque or by credit card. Click here to donate.
You will be sent a receipt for income tax purposes early in the following year.
To view more photos of the Village of Hope
click here
