Buyamba Uganda is a nonprofit ministry (tax id # 56-2628066) organized to support the orphaned and disadvantaged children of Uganda. Our mission is to provide for the physical care and needs of these children, along with empowering them through ongoing education and spiritual discipleship to become contributing citizens who will impact Uganda for Christ.

Buyamba Uganda supports the vision and work of Pastor Bethuel and Florence Dongo at Buyamba Orphan Outreach in Uganda through God Cares Schools, giving these children an opportunity to learn and grow in their faith. It is through education that these children will, one day, rise above their circumstances. Our sponsors and benefactors are making that possible… one child at a time.

Profile: Uganda

Uganda is one of the world’s least developed and resource-poor countries. It has endured the scourge of civil war and the deadly AIDS epidemic, causing an environment where an estimated 85% of Uganda’s population live in rural areas with 50% of its total population being children. Of those children, it is estimated that at least 20% are orphans. Very few of any of these children have access to an education.

According to www.avert.com, “AIDS has had a devastating impact on Uganda. It has killed approximately one million people, and significantly lowered life expectancy. AIDS has reduced the country’s labor force, reduced agricultural output and food security, and weakened educational and health services. The large number of AIDS related deaths amongst young adults has left behind over a million orphaned children.”

Uganda’s current population is about 32.7 million (last census 2010), with 50% being under the age of 14. The Sub-Saharan African nation has more than 2.3 million children orphaned due to AIDS-related deaths. With a total population of more than 30 million, Uganda has the highest proportion of AIDS orphans of any country in the world.
Though Uganda now has a stable government, it is still crippled by debt, lack of industry, and the AIDS crisis.  Therefore, the government is unable to support services to rescue its children. Churches and international relief agencies are vital to confront this crisis on a daily basis.

Due to rampant malnutrition, thousands of children suffer from stunted growth, disease and the ravages of neglect.  While some children are able to remain with grandparents or other family members, that is not always ideal.  Often these relatives neglect the children or use them as servants for the rest of the household.  At times these abuses are so flagrant children are forced to flee.  They have nowhere to go but into the streets where they often become thieves, prostitutes and drug addicts.  Ultimately, many become infected with AIDS (HIV) … and the cycle of hopelessness continues. Uganda’s children are lost and dying!

The Call to Serve-Our History

After seeing such a great need within their beloved country, God put it on Pastor Bethuel and Florence Dongos’ hearts to reach out to His people, people with Aids (HIV), orphans, and children who are abandoned, destitute and poverty stricken.

Recognizing thousands of children lacked love, education, and simple basic needs, Bethuel and Florence started Buyamba Orphan Outreach to provide love, care and assistance to orphans and needy children whose parents were too sick or destitute to care for them.

Buyamba, when translated to English, simply means “HELP.”

Once the Dongos identified these children and met their critical needs, education was next. They knew that the only way they could help Uganda would be by educating its children. Due to the lack of free public education in Uganda, only 3 in 10 children are privileged enough to attend school. The Dongos had the vision to start a school to give these children the opportunity to rise above their circumstances and become contributing members of society.  They began to share their vision to educate and support these children with as many people as they encountered. In 1999, the first Buyamba Orphan received sponsorship towards his education. The following year, the second child was sponsored , and the Dongos’ dream became a reality.

Buyamba Inc., a non-profit corporation, was founded in the U.S in 1999, to support the Dongos’ efforts with Buyamba Orphan Outreach in Uganda, through its child sponsorship program and provision of needed resources. As a result, God Cares Nursery and Primary School was started in 2002 with 97 children, in the basement of the church where Pastor Dongo continues to serve as senior pastor.  He held tightly to his vision to build a five story building that would be a home to orphans while serving as a school. In 2006, the God Cares building project was completed .  The nursery and primary school has a current enrollment of over 900 children. The church basement housed the first God Cares Secondary School until the new high school opened its doors on January 31, 2011.

God Cares High School now has the first of five floors completed, and the children have moved into their new dorms and school classrooms. There is still much to be done, but again, the dream becomes reality.

Today, through the faithfulness and generosity of our sponsors and benefactors throughout the U.S, and the tireless efforts of our team of volunteers, Buyamba, Inc. currently sponsors the care and education of 1,000 orphans and needy children in Uganda.

We are now dreaming of the day when God provides for the full construction and completion of the new secondary school building and for the Buyamba Children’s Village; a community of homes that would place our orphans in a family setting.

Our Mission

Buyamba, Inc., a non-profit corporation, was founded in the U.S to support Buyamba Orphan Outreach and God Cares Schools. We provide love, care and support to orphaned and disadvantaged children in Uganda, through our child sponsorship program and the faithful donations from benefactors throughout the United States.

We exist … to lovingly care for the physical, spiritual, emotional and educational needs of Uganda’s orphaned and destitute children while empowering them to become contributing citizens who will impact their nation for Christ.

Currently, Buyamba financially supports the education and care of over 900 children through our sponsorship programs. Our God Cares Nursery/Primary and Secondary Schools provide a solid Christian education and is home to over 150 orphan boarders.

This is our commitment to Uganda’s precious children:  To offer them love, hope and a future through education … one orphan at a time.

Our Vision

We have been blessed to see the Lord grow this ministry and fulfill the initial vision He set in the hearts of Bethuel and Florence Dongo.

We, at Buyamba Uganda, continue to dream and look to the future as to how we can further the work to which we have been called as we impact the lives of Uganda’s children.

We know that one day, these children will rise to meet the needs of their generation, empowered by the tools of education and rooted in faith; they will have an impact Uganda.

We have set our sights on growing this ministry as far as we are called. In doing so, we have set goals for the future:

You can make a difference. For more information on how you can help today, go to our current projects page or donate now

Who is Buyamba Uganda?

Pastor Bethuel & Florence Dongo

Pastor Bethuel and Florence Dongo are the founders of the Buyamba Orphan Outreach and God Cares Schools in Uganda.  This labor of love was birthed out of their passion for the orphaned and needy children. They have been married since 1984 and founded the Kabalagala Pentecostal Church in Kampala City, Uganda where they still serve as senior pastors. The Dongos have 4 biological children and 12 adopted children … a total of 16 children living in their home. Their work is said to be a light in Kampala City and they are affectionately called the “Father and Mother of Uganda.”

Board of Directors

Buyamba, Inc. was first organized as a non-profit in New York, USA in 1999.  Kelly Kreps, initially managed the non-profit until her death in October, 2001. She was succeeded by Jerry and Pat Lehman who ran the non-profit’s operations, serving faithfully and wholeheartedly until December 2006.  Buyamba was reorganized as a California 501(C) 3 on January 1st 2007, where is continues to reside today.

Buyamba, Inc. currently has an active board of directors as follows:

Buyamba is pleased to have commissioned Darren Yui as our first Long Term Missionary to Uganda. Contact Darren at daheels23@gmail.com

Financial Information

Buyamba Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)3. Our tax ID # is 56-2628066.

Buyamba operates on an overhead cost of 6% of all donations according to our 2010 end of the year accounting.  Of this, most of the cost is associated with operating the child sponsorship program. This low cost is achievable through the gracious gift of time provided by many volunteers.

Governance

Buyamba Inc is directed by a US Board of Directors composed of lay-people, Christian businessmen, and educators. Many of the board members have been to Uganda and actively support the ministry with time, funding, and experience. The Board meets quarterly.

The mission of the Board is to:

Provide wisdom and support for Pasto Dongo and the Uganda ministry.

Serve as an accountability partner for the appropriate use of funds in Uganda.

Assist in setting the priorities for ministry projects in Uganda.

Develop fundraising and communication strategies for the ministry.

Although there is one paid staff member, Buyamba Uganda functions primarily through a group of volunteers.

Accountability

As an accountability partner with Buyamba Uganda Orphan Outreach, the activities include the ongoing process of ministry review in Uganda. No less than once a year, a board member returns to Uganda to visually inspect the activities of the ministry and review the performance against the initial budgets and goals. As with any new ministry, it is an evolving program. Defining donor expectations and setting the proper processes in place ensure overall expectations are met.

To find out more about Buyamba Uganda, please contact Julie Dimas, Director of Operations at julie@ugandabuyamba.com