Abaana Uganda Umoja Team 2026

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Abaana Uganda Umoja Team 2026 If you would like to donate, please visit:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/abaana-umoja-team

We are an Abaana team heading out to Uganda in July 2026 to help paint a school in Uganda, along with bringing educational and recreational resources to the school.

We would love to see you there, come and hear our stories from the funny, to serious and downright amazing. Come and hea...
29/09/2026

We would love to see you there, come and hear our stories from the funny, to serious and downright amazing. Come and hear how God has changed our lives.

We are all now safely home with our family and friends in Northern Ireland after a day of travelling. Thank you all agai...
13/08/2026

We are all now safely home with our family and friends in Northern Ireland after a day of travelling. Thank you all again for the support and prayers, you were as much a part of the Umoja team as us. ❤️🇺🇬

Please continue to pray for Chris as he stays in Uganda for another week working alongside Abaana Uganda with all things relating to child sponsorship.

And that’s a wrap on Umoja 2026 team. We had a fantastic final day starting with devotions alongside the Abaana staff le...
12/08/2026

And that’s a wrap on Umoja 2026 team. We had a fantastic final day starting with devotions alongside the Abaana staff led by Matthew McMahon, followed by a debrief session. There were so many different emotions and the team had time to share from their hearts, the impact of the past two weeks.

We rounded off the day with a second visit to the New Life Homes. This was another chance to get to know the former street kids better, share some cake and soda with them, dance a lot, and hear some difficult stories about how they ended up on the streets. It was an emotional way to end our trip, and we will remember the visit for a long time.

We have been incredibly blessed with an amazing team, and everything that was achieved was very much down to them, and of course God who has blessed us amazingly. He has given us good health and energy throughout.

Please continue to pray for the team as we leave for our return journey at 11pm UK time tonight. Chris will be staying behind for a further week, so remember him as he works alongside the Abaana staff in Uganda.

We are so grateful to each and every one of you for your support throughout, which we have very much felt.

Thank you!

Chris & Leanne

We started our travel back to the Guesthouse in Kampala this morning.A roughly 4 hr drive passing through many villages...
11/08/2026

We started our travel back to the Guesthouse in Kampala this morning.
A roughly 4 hr drive passing through many villages along the way. As always chauffeured by our wonderful driver Antonio. He is a man of patience (to put up with our incessant nonsense on the bus!), a man of few words & excellent driving skills.
When we arrived at the Guesthouse we had lunch & a farewell with our Gulu team helpers Winnie & Stephen. We could not have accomplished or experienced what we did at Tek-oo primary school without them. Goodbyes are never easy but we are so thankful for them.
Some much needed chill time with some sunbathing and games before heading out for dinner.
We had lovely evening at Caramel (a ‘posh’ restaurant!) with Auntie Fiona & Joanne who have looked after us so so well at the guesthouse.
One of our team members Janice has to leave early tomorrow so we said our goodbyes to her and are now enjoying team time together.
(Rebecca & Helen)

Today was another day we’ll never forget! It was an early start, leaving at 5am to explore Murchison Falls National Park...
11/08/2026

Today was another day we’ll never forget!

It was an early start, leaving at 5am to explore Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest national park, covering almost 1,500 square miles.

Although for Chris and Leanne, the wildlife experience started a little earlier… with an elephant paying a visit outside their accommodation during the night! 🐘

We started with breakfast on the shores of the River Nile, joined by a few warthogs while enjoying fresh mango and lemon juice and an omelette before heading on safari.

With our guides leading the way, we travelled through the park and were blessed to see antelope, buffalo, hyenas, baboons, giraffes, warthogs and incredible birdlife.

Next, we took to the River Nile for a boat cruise, coming incredibly close to hippos and crocodiles while taking in the amazing wildlife around us.

The cruise brought us towards Murchison Falls, one of the world’s most powerful waterfalls, where the Nile is forced through a gorge just 7 metres wide, with around 300,000 litres of water surging through every second!

After lunch, we had one final stop, the top of Murchison Falls. Standing beside the sheer power of the Nile crashing through the gorge was absolutely breathtaking and an incredible way to finish our time in the park.

After a long but unforgettable day, we travelled back to Masindi Town to settle down for the night before another day of travelling to Kampala tomorrow.

What an experience! 🇺🇬❤️

Memories that will last a lifetime and we’re incredibly grateful to be experiencing this beautiful part of the world together.

God is great and we are so thankful for how He continues to bless and protect our travels 🙏

Written by Matthew & Matthew

Today was another transition day, travelling from Gulu to the safari lodge. It was lovely not having to leave so early i...
09/08/2026

Today was another transition day, travelling from Gulu to the safari lodge. It was lovely not having to leave so early in the morning, which gave us a more relaxed start to the day.

Today we visited Watoto Church in Gulu.
One thing that really stood out to us was the contrast between Gulu centre and Tekoo, just an hour and a half down the road. The difference in living conditions was extremely noticeable. Gulu felt much more modern, whereas Tekoo was much more basic. There doesn’t seem to be much of a middle class here — there is a stark contrast between those who have very little and those who have more.
And yet, despite these differences, the same joy in worship and love for God was so evident. There is such a strong sense of community and a genuine desire to care for others.

One lady shared her incredibe story with us all. She had been attacked in the past and lost her hand, spending two weeks in intensive care. During that extremely difficult time, the church supported her through a two-year programme that supports women when they find themselves in situations of extreme poverty and vulnerability. Alongside practical help, they are introduced to Jesus, and many women have gone on to accept Him as their personal Saviour. Through the help of the church she has now been able to earn an income and provide for her family. Her story is a beautiful example of how practical support can restore hope and independence.
The message today was then about God’s heart for the vulnerable. Psalm 72:12–14 reminds us that God hears the cries of those in need. He cares deeply for the vulnerable and sees their value. Every person is precious to Him. Whatever their circumstances, background or situation, they have worth because they are loved by God.

As we think about the people we have met over the past few days, I am reminded of how many have little or no voice and could so easily be overlooked by the world. Yet God sees them. As Christians, we are called to be their voice, to stand alongside them, to speak up for them, to advocate for them and, most importantly, to show them the love of Christ.
Seeing Abaana how they work has been incredible how they help children and the

Today was our last day of Tek-oo and was a very special day as it included some house visits to sponsor children. The ch...
08/08/2026

Today was our last day of Tek-oo and was a very special day as it included some house visits to sponsor children. The children’s families were gifted; salt, cooking oil, soap, rice, a garden hoe, a solar panel light and a goat. The team was spilt into 4 groups and they walked with the gifts including trying to walk the family’s goat which wasn’t always an easy walk! It was an eye-opening experience of how far some children need to walk to school and the life they live in their family compound.

The team were able to bless their other sponsor children with gifts at Tek-oo school before the community day, run by the local church. This was a great opportunity for the team to meet the families of their sponsor children and talk to them with the support of the Tek-oo teachers and Abaana helpers. The Umoja team were able to pay for two football kits for the school and numerous school equipment that Tek-oo said they were in need of.

The community day involved lots of wonderful dances, thoughtful speeches and thank yous. Chris and Leanne presented the house church flag to Headteacher Patrick and Pastor Jimmy. Afterwards, Lucy was given the opportunity to share some thoughts on 1 Peter 2v5 which was the verse included on the flag. Various members of the community and school gifted the team various gifts during the ceremony, including; a personalised plaque, football trophy, chickens, 2 stools made from palm trees leaves, a clay pot, honey, a cake and various fruit and nuts. The team were blown away by the amount of effort and kindness shown to them. The traditional dancer group, danced them to the bus as a final goodbye.

Written by Anna and Lynsey

Today was our last working day at Tekoo Primary where we finished off the painting, the mural was completed reminding th...
07/08/2026

Today was our last working day at Tekoo Primary where we finished off the painting, the mural was completed reminding the school and passersby to stay strong in God.
We had the pleasure of giving each child handmade bracelets, ribbon twirls, a gift bag filled with a toothbrush, toothpaste, pencil case, lollipop and our Bible verse. Younger girls also received a hair band, boys got a toy car, older girls got a hairband and reusable sanitary pads and some older boys received football tops… a substantial gift due to fundraising efforts, and donations from churches/sponsors back home. The children were delighted with their gifts offered in love and joy.
We later had the opportunity to serve the whole student body with a meal of posha, rice, meat, beans and sauce.
We left Tekoo and went for a short visit to the late Dr. Andrew McAvoy Memorial School, where some team members got to visit their sponsor child. What a joy to see these children welcome us with enthusiasm and joy and show us around their beautiful school.
It has been a day for us to see how grateful these children are with simple things. What a lesson to us!

Today we spent another full day at Tek-oo school! We got a lot more painting done, played some games involving a giant i...
06/08/2026

Today we spent another full day at Tek-oo school!
We got a lot more painting done, played some games involving a giant inflatable ball, taught the story of Daniel to the younger kids and also had some more hygiene lessons.

After lunch, the teachers enjoyed a break from their kids as they recieved some teacher training with some of our team members who are excellent teachers. It was up to us to keep the kids entertained and we did some indoor games involving lots of laughs and some craft with a quick Macarena dance break.

Our mural also started looking more like an Elephant which we found out is the symbol of the region we are in, depicting strength!
We ended the day on the kids terms, finally caving in to their constant requests for the ‘big ball’ game which was an absolute joy to watch how something so simple can bring so much laughter and smiles.
Looking forward to spending another day with them all tomorrow!

(Written by Catherine & Lucy)

Today we headed off for our first visit to Tek-oo primary school. The journey was smooth until we turned off onto a dirt...
05/08/2026

Today we headed off for our first visit to Tek-oo primary school. The journey was smooth until we turned off onto a dirt road that led to the school. The road to begin with had huge pot holes and after the rain last night it they were filled with water making the road muddy....in the end we had to get out and push the bus out of the mud and walk the rest of the way. At that point the school had come to meet us and gave us an unbelievable welcome.
Members of the community joined to greet us and WOW us with a traditional African dance.
We soon had to join in the dancing and confirmed the stereotype of white people (muzungu) ....we can’t dance!
The rest of the day was filled with Bible Stories, Hygiene talk, games and beginning the painting of the school.
It was a joy to meet the team helping us paint led by a guy who was a street kid in Kampala, was taken to new life homes, finished his schooling, started his own painting business and now offers street boys a job with him.
There’s so much from today we couldn’t possibly squeeze it all in but be assured we are full of joy and gratefulness after a wonderful day with the kids.
Were so aware and so thankful for God’s hand on each step of our journey.
(Written by Rebecca & Helen)

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78 High Street
Bangor
BT205AZ

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