Though Doors is changing, we remain committed to
the vision of discipleship and building up the leaders of the next generation
in Uganda. Throughout the past 6 years, this has continued to evolve at
Doors…What does it look like today??
Currently, we are focused on building disciples in
5 ministry arms: Doors Primary School, Secondary School Scholarships,
Vocational Training Scholarships, Street Outreach, and Street Child
Rehabilitation & Resettlement. How is discipleship carried out in each of
these? Read more below to find out…
Doors Primary School:
Over 100 impoverished children from the Namuwongo
slum of Kampala attend Doors Primary School (DPS). The school opened in 2012 as
a means to care for families and children living in extreme poverty, and
prevent such at-risk children from running to dangerous street life, a
temptation many children in these circumstances face. DPS is unique from other
schools in that we focus on the child’s holistic well-being, not solely their
academic success. Each child is cared for spiritually through Christian
teaching, daily chapels, Bible studies and Christ-focused materials; physically
through a well-balanced menu targeted at the research-based nutritional needs
of the children, PE classes, and an on-site nurse’s office that treats basic
medical problems with the ability to refer out for more complex cases;
emotionally through weekly counseling sessions available to all students and an
on-site social worker who regularly follows up with families at the school in
distress; and academically by providing top-notch education proven by our 100%
pass rate of the Primary Leaving Exam (a national exam) and tutoring for
students who have fallen behind or are struggling to keep up in class.
We are looking for 100 monthly sponsors at
$37/month to partner with each of these individual students to keep Doors
Primary School open and allow these children’s education to continue.
Secondary School Scholarships:
Doors Primary School has had 18 students graduate
since its formation. Each of these students scored high enough on the national
Primary Leaving Exam, qualifying them for entrance into secondary school. The
challenge faced by these students upon their graduation from primary school is
affording the expensive school fees of quality secondary schools. For each of
these teenagers, opportunity to attend secondary school would be life changing and
grant them opportunity to break the cycle of extreme poverty in their families.
Offering these students a scholarship to secondary school is like offering them
a chance to fight for a better future for their families and equipping them to
stand up for the injustices of poverty in Uganda.
We are looking for 18 monthly sponsors at $80/month
to partner with each of these individual students to allow them to remain in
school. Currently we are unable to offer any scholarships to any of these young
men and women.
Vocational Training Scholarships:
More than 50% of Ugandans are unemployed, many of
these holding a college degree. The percentage of unemployment among Ugandans
with Vocational Training Certificates is much lower. Many of our young adults
who have graduated out of other Doors programs (Doors Primary School, partially
of Secondary School Scholarship, and other former programs including Doors
Mission School) have opted to pursue vocational school certificates opposed to
other forms of higher education. These programs equip young adults to start
their own businesses or apply for jobs as electricians, car mechanics, tailors,
nurse assistants, and more.
We are looking for 3 monthly sponsors at $80/month
to partner with three young men and women desiring to pursue these degrees.
Currently we are unable to offer any scholarships to these young men and women.
Street Outreach:
Thousands of children run to the streets of Kampala
every year in Uganda to escape the hardships of home life. For some, they have
been abandoned or orphaned, others faced abusive situations at home, even
others see the lacking at home due to poverty and are tempted by the illusion
of city life…regardless of reason, any child who runs to Kampala finds life on
the streets to be harsh and dangerous. Temptations of drugs and alcohol to
escape the realities of the hard life are strong, succumbing too many children
to the power of these vices. Many suffer from depression and commit suicide,
others are trafficked due to their vulnerability, and all feel the pains of
hunger and abuse. Two times a month, our team of staff and volunteers head to
the slums of Kampala to spend time with just a handful of these children to
offer them the words of hope and comfort found in the Gospel. We couple this
with fresh food, games, and other activities to help these children escape the
harshness of their situation if even for a couple of hours. This program also
offers an open door for God to lead us to specific children that
He would have us enroll in the Street Child Rehabilitation & Resettlement
program, or connect to other ministries working with street children throughout
Kampala.
We are looking for 3 monthly sponsors at $40/month
to allow the continuation and potential growth of this program.
Street Child Rehabilitation & Resettlement:
Doors sees the needs of each individual child.
Whenever God leads us to a particular child living on the streets through
Street Outreach or referrals of other organizations, our team of social workers
prayerfully work with the child to see the best way forward for the child. For
some children, resettlement into their biological family is the best option. In
other cases, the child’s home situation is unsafe or nonexistent, thus Doors
partners with families in Kampala who have a desire to foster children in need
of a Christian family. Children formerly living on the streets undergo
counseling and a time of rehabilitation, and are then placed either back in
their biological family after reconciliation, or in a loving foster home. In
both scenarios, we ensure that the child will be able to experience the love of
God, healing from their pasts, and freedom to grow in their gifts, talents and
passions. Families are then given assistance to keep these children in school
and pursuing dreams and a better future.
We praise God for placement of 5 children in
families thanks to the support of monthly sponsors. We are looking for 4 more
monthly sponsors at $80/month to assist other children on our immediate needs
lists to find a loving home environment and get back in school.
