SOS Children’s Villages Entebbe today hosted the Bishop of Namirembe Diocese, Rt. Rev. Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira to breakfast.
SOS Children’s Villages Uganda is a childcare organisation that has provided all-round family care to orphaned and abandoned children in Uganda for the last 25 years. The organisation currently operates in four locations in Uganda – Kakiri, Gulu, Fort Portal and Entebbe. SOS Entebbe Village where the Bishop was hosted, was opened 13 years ago and has supported over 7,000 beneficiaries in the community including schools, a church and families around Entebbe. Today, this Village is home to 152 orphaned and abandoned children.
During his tour of the SOS Village, the Bishop had a chance to visit one of the SOS Homes which hosts 10 children, who are raised by their SOS Mother. The children, who are taken on by SOS from the ages of 0 to 6 years, are given ample care so they can realise their full potential in a caring family environment and grow up to become self-supporting and contributing members of society.
SOS National Director, Olive Lumonya in her speech thanked the Bishop for the opportunity to visit SOS Children’s Villages Uganda. Referring to Mark 10:13, Ms. Lumonya remarked, “Children hold a special place in God’s heart. And children are the reason SOS is here. We are proud of our relationship with Church of Uganda and we thank you for responding to the dire situation of children in Uganda.” Some of the children directly supported by SOS Uganda today were taken on from Sanyu Babies Home, a facility that is fully supported by the church. Ms. Lumonya also noted that in Pakistan, where SOS Children’s Villages also has a presence, all 14 SOS Villages, which have until recently been individually sponsored, are currently fully supported by the Church of Pakistan.
Bishop Kityo Luwalira emphasised that God’s enormous mission can only be accomplished with teamwork; a message that was also echoed in the SOS Kindergarten 3 Children’s performance of the song titled ‘Together we stand.’ In their message, they emphasised unity in a bid to help them achieve their dreams. The Bishop thanked SOS for extending a helping hand of love in fulfilment of God’s commandment to us to love one another. “Children are children no matter their background. We all ought to look at them the way God looks at them. SOS is leading by example,” he said. Expressing his appreciation towards the steering team of SOS Uganda, Rt. Rev. Kityo Luwalira added, “We are here to learn about unconditional love. We need to thank and emulate whoever has a hand in this project to nurture and raise responsible citizens for Uganda and beyond the border.”
Olive Lumonya pledged on behalf of SOS Uganda to strengthen the existing relationship between the childcare organisation and the Church of Uganda.
The Bishop, who was on a humanitarian visit to the Church of Uganda Entebbe Archdeaconry, was joined by the Archdeacon of Entebbe, Rev. Canon Jonathan Kisauzi Salongo; the Priest of Nkumba, Rev. Mubiru and the Lay Reader of Kitala Church of Uganda, Wilson Kibalama. The visiting team was later hosted to a sumptuous breakfast at SOS Entebbe guest house.
