Empowering the Oppressed

Uganda is a beautiful country with a difficult history of oppression and tribal division through British Colonization, the horrific reign of President Idi Amin, and the over 20-year terror of the rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army. Ugandans are resilient, strong, forgiving, and kind people, and they desire to thrive.

This is where we are stepping in, into a people who are finally free of war-time life and are seeking to find themselves, their value, their authority all over again. They are such a strong people but a people who have been oppressed by governments, rebellions, and even aid groups. The repeated message to Ugandans has been, “You are helpless. You cannot do this yourself.” They have been made to feel like victims with no authority. They have been exploited and stereotyped as “poor helpless Africans”.

We want to be different. We want to empower. We don’t want to “fix” Africans, because they are not broken. We take our foreign perspectives out of the picture, as much as possible, to allow space for God to work through Ugandans. Through reading the bible and hearing the Holy Spirit, we know that Ugandans are able to grow in their confidence of discipling one another. We know that God has called each of us (not just Westerners) a chosen people, that all who know God to declare His praises.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. -1 Peter 2:9

We love working with Ugandans, and our calling is to provide them the resources and discipleship they need in their process of becoming more confident leaders and disciplers of others around them. Ugandans have a unique understanding of who God is, that they bring to their conversations with other Ugandans. When they are able to share God’s love in their lives with others, that is the beginning of a ripple effect that can transform all of Africa.