Friends of Saint Kizito Rubuguri

Kizito Rubuguri Primary School after visiting the school twice within a three month span. We came across the school while gorilla tracking in Uganda in October 2022. After meeting students, teachers and Father Nestorio, we knew that we could help St. Since 2019, God has told us to prepare for a new way of life. Around that time, Sandy and I started talking about doing missionary work. We were maki

ng plans to go to Rwanda to serve, then Covid hit, and everything changed as volunteer opportunities shut down. In early 2022, while volunteering at the Orange County Rescue Mission, Sandy learned of an organization, He Intends Victory, that takes people on missionary trips to different countries. She learned that they were planning a trip to Tanzania and Kenya in October 2022. We did a little research and then signed up for the trip. The organization focuses on individuals impacted by HIV and AIDS. While this is not our focal point, we saw the trip as an opportunity to do missionary work and to see if that is what God is calling us to do. We opened our hearts to see Jesus Christ in people and to be seen as followers of Jesus Christ. During the missionary trip to Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, Sandy and I visited many places and witnessed tremendous needs. We were pleased to see signs of Christianity in all three countries. We drove by many churches and visited several during our outreaches. Our visit to Uganda left us with a lasting impression and a calling to go back and make a difference. Paul’s Catholic Church Rubuguri, we visited the parish and St. Kizito Rubuguri Primary School and had the pleasure of meeting Father Nestorio Niwagaba. He provided a tour of the school and parish grounds, and shared thoughts on expansion including a rendition of a girl’s dormitory. It was easy to see some of the needs of the school including replacing dirt floors in classrooms. The kids would not let Sandy go. They followed us everywhere we went, holding her hand and talking with her. Before leaving the site, Sandy, and I both knew that St. Kizito’s is where we want to contribute. As we drove away, we saw children walking home and playing. We saw them walking to school in the dark at 6:30 am the next morning as we were driving to the airport. St. Kizito’s is located on a mountain road, about twenty minutes from the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Children walk for miles to reach the school; some of them without shoes. The children appear happy and enjoying the learning experience. The school has classrooms with dirt floors and the only classroom with a concrete floor has been converted into a dormitory for boys. The school serves approximately 540 students. It needs dormitories for girls and boys and additional classrooms to enhance the overall learning experience and reduce the pupils per class ratio. There are additional needs as well. There is plenty of land for expansion. Funding is needed to help the children achieve their fullest potential. Sandy and I are both convinced that people who visit holy sites in Uganda will develop a greater sense of community with the people of faith living there. They will also appreciate the blessings that they have received and may be willing to share with those communities in need. It is estimated that over eighty percent of the population is Christian with Catholics leading the way with more than thirty-five percent, followed by Anglican (thirty percent) and Pentecostal (ten percent). These believers need our help to continue spreading the gospel in Uganda and throughout the world.
501(c)(3) Non-profit Organization
Tax ID: 92-2059096