Stensaas Family

HELPING ORPHANS PREPARE FOR ETERNITY

H.O.P.E.

After digging out the site we began making bricks for the walls. We will be able to make enough bricks to build both the Ruti building and the Kyahi buildings. We can not use the earth type brick on our building in Mbarara because it is a two story and they require clay bricks.

Proposal for Project HOPE in Mbarara

Introduction: Dear friends in Christ, thank you very much for your interest in the orphans of Uganda. “Where there is no vision the people perish:” Proverbs 29:18 We truly believe that verse of Scripture. Please read the following proposal and catch the vision.  Also understand that many boarding schools in Uganda are function in a similar manner to what we would call an orphanage.  The difference we us is that ours is only for orphans and not just boarders so there will only be orphans kept in our boarding schools.

Section 1: HOPE “Helping Orphans Prepare for Eternity”

Proposal: Our proposal it to construct orphan boarding schools that will house and take care of fifty orphan children in each one. In conjunction with the main building we will also construct a Christian school where the orphans will be educated throughout the week. Each orphan boarding school will be located at one of our established local churches so they will be faithfully involved in the Sunday School and other ministries of the Church. Christian personnel from our local churches will be employed as room monitors, supervisors, cooks, teachers etc.

Location: Mbarara District is 4 hours southwest of Kampala, the capital of Uganda. The land for the primary HOPE building is located in the town of Mbarara, which is in the heart of the Mbarara District. Mbarara district has approximately 1,093,388 people as per the 2002 census and has grown at a tremendous rate since then. Mbarara town has a population of well over 100,000.

The exact number of orphans in Uganda and Mbarara district is uncertain but according to the AIDS Commission in 2000 approximately 20% of the child population or 1.7 million children in Uganda were orphaned by AIDS alone. Others have calculated the figure could be as high as 2.35 million. Mbarara has had one of the largest concentrations of AIDS cases in Uganda. Adding the orphans from other diseases you can see the staggering problem we face.

The general ministry plan for PROJECT HOPE:

1. It is our plan to assist orphans to know the Lord Jesus Christ and prepare for eternity, by providing a clean, safe Christian home atmosphere where they can be shown and taught the love of God. Through this and other means, we would preach the gospel to each orphan so they may put their faith in Jesus as their Saviour. Once saved it is our purpose to continue to teach them the Word of God by giving them a quality Christian education so they may serve the Lord and lead productive lives.

2. It is our plan to establish the other orphan boarding schools surrounding Mbarara where we have existing established churches in order to reach the orphans there (Ruti & Kyahi). In future years our projection would be to see orphan boarding schools established at even other sites where other churches have been started, are well founded, and are able to handle this type of ministry.

A. The main boarding schools will be providing financial accountability for the purchase of food, supplies, personnel, and other accounting and operation of the satellite orphanages.

B. Land for the satellite projects will be located at or near the local church in order to keep transportation problems to a minimum, and accountability and Biblical teaching at a maximum. We have the land for both the Kyahi and Ruti areas.

3. It is our plan to establish a Christian school at each site for the purpose of ensuring a proper quality education for each orphan. An elementary school will be built and is planned to begin in concurrence with the start of each project.

It is our plan to establish a Secondary School (High School) in the future and also a technical school teaching carpentry, masonry, and metal workshops for the purposes of training the orphans and establishing work opportunities after becoming adults. These schools would be located at the different main sites in either Masaka or Mbarara and receiving students from Mbarara, Soroti and Masaka. This would also cause the children to be a benefit to the society of Uganda. Each branch also has a plan to develop a garden (shamba) for the purpose of growing its own food and teaching the children good work ethics and learn how to plant and harvest food to sustain them later on in life.

When each project in Masaka, Mbarara and Soroti is fully functional we would be graduating and placing back into Uganda Christian young people each year with good educations, Christian character and a burden to win their families and communities to Christ. What an impact this would make in Uganda.

Land: The land for the project has already been purchased and developed with a church, and Bible college at present. The Christian School and housing building will be constructed at this same site as soon as funds are available.

Personnel: We have several qualified personnel ready and in place within our church to begin the project as soon as possible.

One of the leading men of our church Brother Edgar seen here with his wife Mary, has already been a headmaster and has experience in operating a school. He and his wife would head up the school and project and live on the property as the house parents. Mary presently works at the University in Mbarara and would assist in organization.

We have several trained multilingual teachers in our church who are excited about teaching in the school.

We have also selected some of our best men and women who will be living in the dorms as “Dorm Supervisors.”

Proposed Building:

The Orphanage Building is a 79′ x 25′ two story building with a 4′ walkway on second floor; This will house 50 Orphans.

Each dorm room is 25′X20′ with 25 in each room and the room monitor. The building includes the supervisors living quarters, kitchen, dining room, toilets, bathing rooms and storage.

Proposed Building Expenses

A detailed list of building supplies will be supplied if needed; we are trying to keep the costs to a minimum and maintaining the culture aspect so the children will have no problems adjusting back into the Ugandan communities. Bricks have been made for both the Ruti and Kyahi buildings.

Proposed Monthly Orphan Expenses

This would be relatively the same for each project:

(full complement of 50 orphans)

Food: 30.00*

Caretakers: 16.36**

Personal/General 11.18***

Education: 10.00****

Total: $67.54/per orphan per month

Cost Total a month is $3,377.00 or a Year is $40,524.00

* We can feed one child for about $1.00 a day or $30.00 a month.

** Salaries in the Mbarara area are a little bit higher than in the village areas. With 50 orphans the entire staff salaries would be $817.94/mo or 16.36/mo/orphan.

***Included in Personal/General are monthly averages of: bathing soap ($.30), shampoo ($.25), toothpaste ($.25), clothes (repair/replacement) ($3), laundry soap ($.50), electricity ($3), water$1.75), medical ($1), misc. ($.13) As you can see the average normal cost here is a bit over $10 a month and this does not include anything for security, transportation etc. Transportation would be about $1/mo per orphan.

**** The monthly cost for a government school in the Mbarara area is $17.64 for a government school and $44.11 for a private school. However, I believe we can operate our own school for $10/month/orphan.

None of the salaries will allow our workers to upgrade their lifestyles to a higher position. They will be working for less in this ministry than they could possibly make at other jobs. They will be sacrificing for the ministry and the children they help. The children will obviously be living somewhat better than normal. They will have a bed, clean living conditions, and biblical instruction from people who love them and care about them. The food they will be eating will be the normal Ugandan food and their clothes will be like the normal family in Uganda. However, food will be there each meal and their clothes will be clean and in repair. We want to help the orphans to be prepared for eternity and have a burden to reach their fellow countrymen. The education they will receive will be a first class Christian education.

We have a tremendous opportunity and we must maintain a Christ honoring testimony in this country. Many places cram kids into roach infested rooms, feed them little, treat them as step children, and for the most part do not care about their spiritual welfare. Their primary motivation is to get more money from supporters so they (not the orphans) can live well. We want to not only fulfill your goals of helping orphans, but provide a ministry that will honor Christ, and meet the needs of this project in the best but most inexpensive manner possible. We know this ministry costs money but the results far outweigh the costs. Please know that we are trying to be very careful as to how that money would be spent and would provide accountability for whatever money is given to Project H.O.P.E.. We are asking you to partner with us to reach these children for Christ and prepare them for eternity.

Please give them H.O.P.E. - Helping Orphans Prepare for Eternity

Outfitting Expenses for Project HOPE:

1. Bunk Beds 25 Pcs 83.00 ea 2,075.00

2. Mattresses 50 Pcs 17.65 ea 882.50

3. Sheets 50 Pcs 5.89 ea 294.50

4. Basins 24 Pcs .99 ea 23.76

5. Towels 50 Pcs 1.48 ea 74.00

6. Cooking Supplies 1 Set 250.00 ea 250.00

7. Dining Tables 3 Pcs 90.00 ea 270.00

8. Dining Chairs 50 Pcs 11.20 ea 560.00

9. Cups, Plates, Utensils 50 Sets 1.25 ea 62.50

10. Lanterns 3 Pcs 17.60 ea 52.80

11. Mosquito Netting 50 Pcs 6.00 ea 300.00

12. Clothing 3 Sets 20.00 ea 1,000.00

Total: $5,845.06

Section 2: The Future of Project HOPE

3 Properties Already Purchased:

Mbarara District:

1. Kyahi - The proposed site for the second HOPE project. Two acres of mountainside real estate which already contains a church, Bible Institute, and nursery school of 100 children.

2. Ruti - Opportunity for a third project. Ruti is a flat area containing an established church. Land has been purchased next to the church.

HELP US GIVE THEM HOPE

If you would like to invest in the future of children and help us build Project HOPE, you can do so in many ways.

1.  You could support the building project.

2.  You could purchase items to help equip the orphan project.  All or part of the $5845.06

3.  You could support Project on a monthly basis.  All or part of the $67.54 it takes per orphan.

Send all gifts to;

Project HOPE Account #1383

% BIMI,

PO Box 9215,

Chattanooga TN 37412

100% of your donation will go into the Project HOPE account.  Ear mark your gift for what you want the gift to go for (building, equipment, or orphan support).  You will be sent a receipt for your gift and we will keep you updated on the website with pictures and regular updates.  Give them HOPE