Easter weekend is sacred for many reasons. We believe that the resurrection of Jesus Christ should be celebrated and our high school students in Nakaseke did just that.

The special weekend began on Thursday with a community outreach project. Over thirty students gave their time to construct a new pit latrine (toilet system structure) for an elderly woman in the community who was financially and physically unable to do so. They carried bricks, mixed cement, cleared the inside and outside of the lady’s home, and some of our vocational students even helped with the foundation and bricklaying.

While some were building, other students participated in a door-to-door ministry share the good news of Jesus Christ and spread His love from home to home. The students then put on a crusade in the middle of the town. We enjoyed several hours of praising, worshipping, preaching, and praying for all of Nakeseke in the service which was open for all to attend.

One very memorable part of the outreach was when a 94-year-old woman testified from the stage. She shared about how good the Lord has been in her life and the importance of relying on Him. She even led a praise song!

The same schedule went on for three more days, ending on Easter evening with a celebration of the Risen King. The pit latrine was finished, and lives were saved. It was a beautiful weekend of ministering together on behalf of Simone’s Kids and God’s Hope High School. We are proud of our students who so cheerfully and eagerly sacrificed their Easter weekend to magnify our Lord and Savior, serving in their communities to make Easter extra special.

“A Classroom for Christmas” campaign season is always one of my favorite times of the year. The giving catalog that we send out gives donors a chance to get directly involved in making an impact, and I love hearing testimonies from our donors about how they enjoy going through the catalog and picking out how they want to bless our Simone’s Kids community in Uganda.

Living full time in Uganda is so neat because I get to go out and make these purchases and see their impact on the ground. There are so many great ways to give in this year’s catalog, and building projects are extremely important for many reasons. While not every person can make a financial commitment to something as substantial as a building project, there are several other items to donate towards.

I want to share five items from our catalog that I personally feel will make a significant impact at our school and in the lives of our students. One of the first items that would make an impact is the backpack with school supplies ($30). At God’s Hope Schools, every student uses notebooks to write their notes in, and depending on the grade level, they either use pens or pencils to write those notes. Can you imagine keeping up with notebooks and pens/pencils without a bag to put them in?? While it may seem impossible, many of our students have this challenge. The gift of a school bag will help a student tremendously in keeping up with his/her materials, and will also give the child his/her needed school supplies at the same time! For only $30, it is very affordable to make a big impact.

The second item on my list is a bicycle ($100). Some students that we have at both the high school and primary level walk from distances that are over 5 kilometers each way. In the States, a 5K is a popular running distance, but not a popular distance to walk to school. After doing some simple math, you can see that students walk over 10 kilometers each day. That means they have to leave home before the sun comes up and they get back home after the sun has set. Having a bicycle would not only help them get to school quicker but will also greatly improve their safety on the long journey to and from home.

The third item is a hair-washing station ($160). While this may seem like an odd request, our vocational program at the school is growing incredibly fast, and the hair-dressing course is a popular choice among our students. When students do their exams for hairdressing, they take parents from the community and show the instructors what they have learned by styling the customers’ hair. In these practical exams, the students really get to prove their skills, and having a hair washing station would help them better their skills and the care that they are giving their clients.

The fourth item that I feel is important is the fence ($2,000). This fence will go between the high school and the primary school so that the borders are clearly defined and students stay where they are supposed to be. This will help with security as well as privacy for each of our schools.

The fifth item that would make a big difference is the 21 medical beds with attached drip stands ($5,000). This is a pricey item, but this purchase will provide proper beds for our entire clinic. Currently, the beds that are used in the clinic are short wooden beds that are creating problems for our nurses’ backs because of the constant bending down to treat patients. The new beds will sit at the correct height for our nurses to treat patients efficiently. The attached IV stands will make administering IV fluids easier as well. This is a much-needed purchase that would significantly improve our medical clinic.

While all the needs are in our giving catalog are there for a reason, and all purchases make a difference in our schools, these are some of the needs that I feel could really make an impact on the ground. We are praying for all needs to be met, and that through “A Classroom for Christmas 2018”, both Simone’s Kids and our incredible support system will be blessed beyond measure. If you haven’t already, check out our giving catalog and see how you can make a difference this holiday season.

Mason Satterfield, Director of Programs

A few of my favorite things…

A Classroom for Christmas was born in the beginning years of Simone’s Kids… I love the idea of giving children literally classrooms in their village for Christmas! What an amazing Christmas present education can be. In the first year of the “Classroom for Christmas” campaign, people donated bricks and roofs to provide the dream of a school building. The campaign has grown tremendously since 2011, and we have helped thousands of orphan and needy children get an education. One new resource that we provide is a Christmas Giving Catalog. I am sharing a few of my favorite things from the catalog and why…

The first favorite catalog item is the 100kg(220lb) sack of beans which costs $80. Each day the primary school uses only 17 kgs of beans, which means this bags of beans serves 420 students lunch for six days! That is 2,520 meals! Wow. What an impact a sack of beans can have. Also, the beans are my favorite food in Uganda- they are cooked in vegetables and taste so good!

My second favorite catalog item is the soccer ball, which costs $20. Let’s face the facts, the children live really difficult lives, but I have seen one soccer ball bring so much joy during breaks and provide an outlet for the children to be free. I have joined in on a couple of games and stood no chance against these kids, they are some serious soccer players. A soccer ball isn’t food or education, but it creates joyful memories the kids will treasure once grown. It gives them a chance to be a kid. We have soccer teams at both the primary school and high school and are always in need of more soccer balls.

My 3rd favorite catalog item is the book set for a classroom, which is $100. The book set creates an opportunity for both teachers and students to receive a higher quality education. Reading can truly open up a child’s mind and expand their critical thinking skills. Children are so excited when they are given a book to read.  Books are so valuable in the area we serve that we have to keep them locked up or they are likely to be stolen.

My 4th favorite catalog item is in the campus development section, and that is the boy’s bathroom. Currently, the boys’ bathroom at the high school is in such bad shape, it is one of the projects we weren’t able to take care of when we first renovated the school two years ago. I love everything clean and organized, and this bathroom is currently the opposite. The project cost $10,000 but is a must-have for the campus.

All the items in the catalog tremendously impact the school campus, and I hope you can find something in the catalog that fits your personality! Have a blessed holiday season!

Written By: Simone Puccinelli, Founder & President

As my young, wanna-be-independent self embarked on this ‘once in a lifetime’ trip to Uganda with Simone’s Kids, I had many expectations and fears arouse and somewhat take over my excitement before heading out on this life-altering trip. Of course the physical expectations and fears of going to another country were prominent in my mind since I am what most consider a ‘high maintenance female’ (I would beg to differ). I vividly imagined HUGE spiders, blood-sucking mosquitos carrying all sorts of diseases, terrible living conditions, dying animals, sad individuals who are scared of mzungus (white people), and all the other things many Americans imagine when Africa is mentioned.

As I boarded the flight that would take me to my final destination, I remember asking God to calm my thoughts; to give me his eyes, heart, mouth, and hands; to allow me to do and experience what he wanted; and to help me put all my trust and faith in his hands (which is difficult for me because I am a control freak). The first night in Uganda was overwhelming, and I remember talking with my younger sister who was also experiencing some anxiety and maybe some doubt regarding our decision to partake in this trip. I tried to ease her thoughts while also trying to ease mine. Before I went to bed, I repeatedly prayed to God to calm our minds and to allow us to be open and ready to receive what he has in store for us.

As the next few days passed, all I was sure about was that this was the place God wanted me to be. We interacted with the students of God’s Hope School and with the people who populated Nakaseke for the next 2 weeks as we worked on projects for Simone’s Kids and as we shared Jesus’ love. The Lord continuously revealed himself to me through his creations (those sunsets were magnificent), but most importantly by the people of Nakaseke. The love shown to me by the students was more than my heart could ever imagine. When talking with the secondary students, joy was poured out upon me and I became in awe of how much faith and love for Jesus these students have.

I met so many whose stories were heartbreaking and had every reason to be upset with God; however, they were the ones who were the strongest in their relationships with the Lord and subsequently pushed me to grow in my relationship with him. To say those two weeks spent in Nakaseke taking cold showers and having no cellphone service were the best weeks of my life is an understatement. I gained a new perspective on life, I learned how to love more. I grew closer to Jesus. I made great friendships. I experienced joy that can only come from God. I could go on and on. This trip with Simone’s Kids filled me with so much love for Jesus and so much love for others.

BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE!

p.s. You are probably wondering why I have titled this blog as “Never Enough.” There are several reasons for that.

1. Some of the students were obsessed with the soundtrack from “The Greatest Showman” and the lyrics from the song ‘Never Enough’ were sung repeatedly over those amazing two weeks. So now every time I hear that song, my mind and heart immediately go back to Nakaseke.

2. I mentioned earlier that due to this trip, I gained a new perspective on life. To elaborate some for you, I tend to get caught up in the ways of this world and the things in it which can lead to a broken heart, hurt feelings, unmet expectations, etc. This trip helped remind me that this world and the things of it will NEVER BE ENOUGH for God’s people. We do not receive true joy from the things of the earth. Our joy comes from Christ alone.

3. Last but not least, this trip has taught me that you can NEVER get ENOUGH of Jesus. We need Him so much and we need to seek after him constantly. I’m preaching to the choir here, because I am guilty of not always keeping Jesus as my main priority. I am reminded by this experience that I have to keep after my relationship with God. ‘Good enough’ doesn’t cut it. I can never get enough of Jesus Christ!

By: Mariah Longshore

Simone’s Kids Volunteer

Date: August 21st, 2018

Each year about 66 million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the developing world. About 23 million of these children go to school in African countries. We are determined to change these statistics for our children. For students in Uganda, eating breakfast in the morning is often a difficult task. Most students wake up at 5am and walk an hour or more to reach school in time. Many families struggle to provide food at all and see breakfast as a luxury for those who can afford it. This means there are hundreds of children sitting in class at God’s Hope schools with grumbling bellies as they strive to pay attention to their teachers. Providing breakfast for our students at school can change this. Currently, we serve our youngest students porridge and bread most mornings, adding bananas, eggs, or pastries on certain days. Our vision is to be able to provide breakfast for all of our students every day.

How can we do this you ask? Buy building a chicken house! Presently, our school farm contains a few cows for milk and a lot of empty land. Our hope is to use some of this space to build a chicken house for 400 egg laying chickens. This would enable us to give an egg not only to our nursery section, but to all of our students each morning. A huge step towards improving the nutrition of our students! Adding an egg to our students’ mornings may seem small, but it’s a big step towards providing our students with nutritious diets. Adequate nutrition is vital, especially in early childhood, to ensure healthy growth, a strong immune system, and proper cognitive development. As we continue making improvements to our students’ nutrition, we can see increased focus in class, better performance, and decrease in illnesses. Not to mention, nothing beats the smile of a child with a full belly.

Of course we cannot accomplish this task alone. We need your help! We need about $10,000 in order to complete this project. Will you consider giving towards our chicken house and changing the statistics of hungry children around the world today? You can give at https://simoneskids.givingfuel.com/special. Don’t forget to add an additional note requesting your money to be used towards the chicken house!

Or you can give through our Facebook fundraiser at https://www.facebook.com/donat…

Since becoming a mother a couple years ago, I have come to appreciate the value of providing for my child a proper education.  I watch my little boy play and interact with others and realize the importance of a solid foundation. The beginning of his childhood can make a huge impact on his future. So many mothers around the world cannot afford to send their children to school because not even public education is without cost. There are many moms working side jobs only to keep the family fed. In their culture, paying for an education is a luxury, not a necessity such as food and shelter.

Simone’s Kids recognizes these needs in Uganda and comes along side these women. Women who want the best for their children, and we offer and provide them with hope. We take their children and start them in school so that they can have a solid foundation. The children in the Simone’s Kids program have a hope that they can one day provide for their own future families. One day every one of these children are going to be mothers and fathers themselves. We are expecting that with the help of our programs our kids will grow up to be leaders in their country. These students will be making a bigger impact in their communities and changing the world around them.

Please help us change the future for a child, a family, and an entire country.

Sponsor a child or share with a friend about the opportunity. It WILL make a difference.

The Sleep First campaign has been going strong for the past 6 weeks, and we are so thankful to all those who have already showed their support by donating to this cause so dear to our hearts. Simone’s Kids is passionate about providing quality education within a Christ-centered environment to each of our students, in turn saving them from the vicious cycle of poverty. We realize that education extends far beyond the walls of the classroom and seek to transform all aspects of our students’ lives. Our students work hard at school and deserve to go home to sleep in a clean, warm bed.

Unfortunately, this is not the reality for so many of the students at God’s Hope schools. One such student is sweet Joseph in our primary 1 class. Joseph is 7 years old and lives across the street from God’s Hope Primary School with his grandmother. He has never seen his father and his mother was forced to leave him here when she traveled to another country to look for work. His grandmother, Jjaja Josephine, was the only relative he had left to look after him. This is not an easy feat, as Jjaja Josephine suffers from many of the ailments that come along with old age. Being too sick to work, the only skill she has left to help provide for herself and Joseph is digging in their small garden for food. Even still, there are many days she fails to dig because of immense back and leg pain.

As you can imagine, this predicament leaves Joseph and Jjaja Josephine with almost no money to live on. They live in a house made of tin sheets bolted together and the majority of their belongings are decades old. The mattresses they sleep on have long been spoiled, filled with stains from years of use with no bed sheets and so worn down that it would almost be better to sleep on the ground. Without a reliable mattress to sleep on, Jjaja Josephine’s back pain can only worsen, and Joseph must attend class sleep deprived. Without a mosquito net to sleep under, Joseph is a chronic sufferer of malaria, which causes him to miss class often.

Because of your generous donations, we were able to change this predicament for Joseph and Jjaja Josephine. The day they were brought a new mattress, bedsheets, blanket, and mosquito net was a happy day indeed. Jjaja Josephine met us with a beautiful smile and arms spread wide ready to give a hug of thanks. Joseph ran to jump on us and then ran to tell his friends. He couldn’t wait to show them his brand-new mattress or to try it out himself. It sure is humbling to see an item I take so for granted spread so much joy and excitement to those living without it.

There is still time to assist us in transforming the home lives of other students and families just like Joseph and Jjaja Josephine. The Sleep First campaign will continue until we have reached our goal. If you would like to place a donation and help us reach this goal, please follow the link here: https://simoneskids.givingfuel…. Our students could not have the opportunities and blessings they do without your generosity. Thank you for your faithfulness in supporting our cause to transform the lives of the impoverished, hurting, and broken through education and the love of our sweet Savior. God bless you all!