Adopting Youth Into Our Spiritual Family as God's Adopted Us
Past wars and poverty have left thousands orphaned throughout Uganda and South Sudan. Child-headed homes are common as older siblings are forced to care for the younger, often living on the streets and struggling to secure a single meal in a day, sometimes left neglected in prison for the crimes they committed in order to survive. In this situation, education is impossible, simple injuries are crippling, and meals are hard to find. Childhood dreams are lost as life’s one goal becomes survival.
God’s Institute for Transformation (GIFT) is a home and family for youth who need Jesus with skin on. GIFT is not just a program, but a 24/7 family. Yet GIFT is not just an orphanage (which the Ugandan government discourages in favor of a foster care system with extended family members in the villages). Rather, GIFT is a holistic solution to a total need: for mentoring, physical needs, education, vocational skills and opportunities, salvation and discipleship, and starting a new life with Jesus in real community.
God’s Institute for Transformation in Uganda provides the following 24/7:
- Food
- Shelter
- Clothing
- Education and supplies
- Mentoring
- Counseling and rehabilitation
- Real family units
- Bibles and study materials
- Vocational skills
- Life skills
- Career opportunities within and beyond the ministry
- Christian community bearing fruit that multiplies
Designed as a solution for children languishing in prison without discipleship and education, the GIFT home and work study program transitions youth leaving prison. But God had bigger plans and in September 2019 started bringing hundreds of youth off the streets and into Favor’s family. We are feeding and educating these orphans as fast as they are coming to Jesus by the multitudes. Favor supports youth in prison, youth coming off the streets, youth we have legally adopted, and youth who have no other option. Our staff are personally leading them in discipleship at all hours, they are living in our homes, and we are renting and building shelters as fast as possible to provide safer places to call home.
House of Hope
Through your sponsorships, our House of Hope foster program supports orphaned children within extended family units where our social workers provide careful oversight and assistance for their ongoing medical needs and spiritual, social, academic and vocational development.
Once a child has been resettled within the community, we continue to follow his or her progress and provide the opportunity through our work study program to learn a skill according to their interests, gifts and talents, while also supplying help to pay the necessary fees to attend Secondary School. Work study opportunities are selected based on skills and interest and have included IT training, farming, professional driving, hospitality and more.
We have trained and supported students and have seen them increase in productivity, innovation, and renewed hope for the future. Education combined with spiritual growth is both a life and nation transforming event.
