A New Roof and a New Approach

We are pleased to announce that the roof of the Daystar main building is now complete! We are grateful that the integrity of the structure will now be protected during the rainy season.

It's exciting to see this building taking shape! We initially planned for this structure to serve as a children's home for orphans and other vulnerable children. As we've settled into Namalemba, however, we've sensed God calling us to change our ministry approach. We are still committed to caring for and empowering vulnerable children, but rather than bringing children from a number of different communities to a new home, we want to use this building to invest deeply in the community of Namalemba, empowering the impoverished widows and grandparents here to care for their children and grandchildren, and providing quality healthcare and a gospel witness to the whole village.

We believe we can be most effective by serving and walking alongside the community God has placed us in. Namalemba village is a small, remote village in a majority Muslim area of Eastern Uganda. (There are two Namalembas in Iganga. The bigger village is near Bugweri, and the smaller village, where Daystar is located, is near Budweghe). There are roughly 500 people in the village, most of whom live in poverty. Many households are headed by elderly and/or widowed grandparents who are looking after multiple grandchildren without consistent income and without connection to the children's parents. The primary way residents support themselves is through subsistence farming, and malnutrition and early childhood deaths are common. Instead of a children's home, the Daystar Building will now be used as a community center and medical clinic. For now, we will provide health education, job training, and Bible Study, and when we have sufficient funding, we will open a local medical clinic. We sense God's anointing on this new plan. As we've built relationships with Namalemba families, the number one need they've expressed is for affordable and accessible healthcare. And it just so happens that Pastor Irene's professional expertise as a clinical officer is running community clinics! Our heart is to care for the physical, as well as spiritual, needs of the people around us, and this seems like the perfect way to do that. Right now, the nearest medical center is roughly 10 km away, and the transportation cost alone keeps many Namalemba residents from obtaining care.

In addition to those who will benefit from the community center and medical clinic, we will also provide more intensive support to some of the most vulnerable children in the village. We have currently identified 8 families (24 kids) to walk alongside. Each of these families are headed by widows looking after multiple children or grandchildren without sources of income, and all welcome Daystar support and home visits. All of these children lack sufficient access to food and are not able to attend school. Right now, support consists of food from the Daystar farm (primarily beans, potatoes, and cassava). As Daystar Australia's community sponsorship program grows, we will provide school fees, hygiene products, and case management, and eventually subsidized medical care through the Daystar clinic. (Join our newsletter for updates as this sponsorship program develops!)

We've already seen God opening doors and hearts in the short time we've been in Namalemba (Open Hearts in Namalemba). We're excited to put down roots here and come alongside these beautiful children and their families.