Update from Thomas Lubari 

Recent Events

Background

Life Gospel Ministries has been experiencing a steady partnership with Bright Hope World since 2009 impacting communities in Uganda and South Sudan. The existence of the partnership was based on a humanitarian and development response to the church members and the communities of people living in dire poverty.

The church to this day has continued to consist of members who have no jobs or unstable daily pay jobs, a people who deserve sustainable livelihood projects to improve on their lives. The church hardly consists of five members who are in stable employment yet with payments that are meager. Hence the local church in this setting cannot sustain the pastors since the most that they can give the pastor is between $15-$25 per month.

Personally, we could not survive and the fact that we are surviving is because of the support from  BHW. This situation has developed the character of compassion to reach the hurting by providing  sustainable livelihood projects that BHW had been supporting to improve and develop the affected community. Despite the microloan programme, and the Foundations for Farming and scholarship  programmes that run both in Uganda and South Sudan, the needs continue to increase due to the unbroken cycle of poverty due to failures in crops, businesses, increased dropouts among secondary school students, and refugees in both Uganda and South Sudan.

In all we appreciate BHW for steadly maintaining always standing by our side in the difficult times to meet humanitarian and development goals that favour the suffering and poorest of the poor. 

Activities

Microloans  in Uganda and South Sudan (UGA04b and SUD01)
The microloan programme in Uganda was greatly affected by a lack of strategic business planning among the beneficiaries coupled with use of the loaned capital to meet domestic needs such as food and school fees for children hence they could not improve their business resulting in failure to repay loans. Some people also changed location and shifted way. Practically recovery of the loans would require legal actions however this places the church in a situation of being in court every now and then thus betraying its testimony and can result in failure of ministry as victims are the poor who deserve mercy. The few existing beneficiaries have not been making any repayments since the outbreak of COVID-19.

The South Sudan microloan programme was affected by the outbreak of the war in 2015 that resulted in higher inflation affecting the capital. The dollar which was at 4 South Sudan Pounds (SSP) rose as high as close to 500 SSP which affected the capital of the beneficiaries. Due to lack of market information they are unable to quickly change their market prices to cope up with the changes. 

Vocational Scholarships (UGA04c)
The scholarships have been a great blessing to the beneficiaries that comprise of at least ten Ugandans and seven South Sudanese who benefit from the scholarships annually. However, there have been some instances when some courses charge twice which affects the budget. For instance, Nile Vocational Institute had been charging students twice in their second year as with accounts, catering, secretarial studies, electrical installations, building and plumbing. (Note: This may refer to the fact that last year the programs were not delivered due to COVID but the fees were not refunded and have to be paid again. This situation is the same through all Uganda).

Currently there are students in their final term and second last terms that may complete by the first term in 2021. 

Foundations for Farming / Urban Farming (UGA08)
The major Foundations for Farming conference intended for Bright Hope partners in Uganda (scheduled for May 2020) remains suspended until the lifting of the travel bans since it involves the presence of Bright Hope World representatives. The funds deposited for the conference centre hire were unable to be refunded but will be held for a new conference date.

Responding to the COVID-19 epidemic, we were able to conduct a training with the help of BHW that benefited the community in Bukiike Village about seven kilometers from Jinja along Buikwe road in Buikwe district. Beneficiaries included youths, widows, and the poor of the community. This was to enable them to get involved in the production of high value crops that can improve on their family income. 

Food Relief
Life Gospel Ministries was able to provide food to 100 families after receiving a COVID relief support payment from Bright hope world (US$1,000). This has strengthened our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and our mission of “Reaching Communities with the Word and Deeds”. 

Bible School Institute
We are faced with many challenges with the bible school. Though it is purposed for church leadership development, we are unable to fund our first offer of partnership with Oral Roberts University. In other words, we are unable to substantiate our claim of having a bible institute fit to partner with ORU Bible institute. Oral Roberts University demands US$40 per student covering reduced registration and curriculum fee since books are to be shipped from the USA for the semester’s courses. 

Current Issues and Challenges

Microloan programme
The microloan programme was affected grossly due to its involvement with the poorest as beneficiaries. It is true to say that you can expect nothing from a poor person. They lack security. Their only security cannot be confiscated to recover a loan. We feel that here it is needful to work among those who have rather than those who do not have thus demanding more capital with a reduced number of beneficiaries. 

Scholarships
There has not been any administrative budget for the scholarships and we have been using our own funds to visit students or accommodate them whenever they have a short holiday or pay for their treatment when they fall sick. There is a need for some medical allowances for the students since most of them are the poorest of the poor.

Relief Food
The need is so great and the relief we could provide not enough leaving other members complaining. 

Personal

I am currently in the last year of my 3 years of study for a Doctor of Ministry degree. I have studied for about 6 terms (two years). This study is to glorify God to enable me to fully execute my calling more extensively without limitation. I intend to graduate early next year waiting for approval of my thesis entitled “Church and Holistic Ministry: A Contribution of Life Gospel Ministries to School Dropouts in Jinja Distict".

This paper finally intends to propose a model for churches to adapt in addressing the problem of school dropouts in Jinja. It argues indepth the failure of churches to approach the bible from a wider spectrum considering the socio-cultural, economic and political aspects (realities) of life in terms of a response to human needs especially the poor, in this context school dropouts.

BHW's Uganda Partnership Facilitator's Comments

BHW has supported Thomas and Joyce since approximately 2009 after having first met them in 2006. They have been very reliable and consistent partners. Among the many things that they have done are the following: 

1)  Established a microloan programme in Jinja. Unfortunately this programme is not working very well at present as it has suffered significantly from the negative effects of COVID-19 and in fact was struggling even before that. The programme is still continuing but with a very small core of people. Joyce administers it. Bright Hope World is unlikely to continue to support this in its present form. We are very keen on future microloans programmes being modelled on a table banking programme which is presently operating in Kenya. 

 2) Establishment and maintenance of a vocational training scholarship programme with South Sudanese and Ugandan students in Jinja. The South Sudanese students are largely refugees, or their families have been victims of violence and civil war in their country. The Ugandan students largely come from around the Jinja area. They have achieved very good outcomes with the students we have interviewed - many of them over the years. Thomas and Joyce have often supported these students sacrificially. They’ve utilised their own resources to ensure that they have had their medical needs met, and also often had them to stay in their own home at their expense. 

3) Thomas is passionate about Foundations for Farming training and has done a number of trainings in various parts of Uganda. In particular he has recently connected into the refugee camps and has significant connections there. Bright Hope World has just approved him carrying out up to 8 trainings in the various camps, and among the refugees near the Jinja area. 

4) Bright Hope World sent some COVID-19 relief funds to Thomas and Joyce in 2020. The US$1,000 was all utilised to provide food for around 100 families. Each family received some staple food items and up to 5 kg of maize flour. This is a real credit to them and a testimony of their faithfulness. 

During this time Joyce has been working (and receiving a salary) for a Christian organisation which runs a Bible school and theological institute in Jinja but which is based in the United States. This changed last year and we understand that due to COVID-19 and the absence of students her role has significantly reduced. Thomas indicated that she was still being paid $60 per month. In a recent message she did tell me that she had started a very very small shop in one of the areas of Jinja. It is hard to see how a shop of the size that is typical for that area will make much of a profit. Thomas does not receive any salary from the church, as it is simply too poor. We have been there on lots of occasions and it is easy to see that there is very little resource available to meet a pastor's salary.

Bright Hope World has been supporting Thomas and Joyce for many years and the current level of support is US$2,400 a year. They are very faithful people, even if sometimes the broad vision means that Thomas particularly lacks focus. We are excited that Thomas has initiated a number of proposals during the COVID-19 season. In particular he is now seeking to do a lot more Foundations for Farming training in various parts of the country, particularly in the seven or eight refugee camps.