the problem:
Over 22 million children under the age of 17 combined with a staggering 50% unemployment rate is the backdrop for one of the poorest countries in the world.Students completing high school have no access to jobs outside of subsistence farming and menial labor.
what we do:
we: work
Providing an opportunity for students to contribute to their education.
we: educate
Providing scholarships for students to attend trade school or university
we: disciple
Providing resources and mentorship to foster holistic growth and transformation
sponsor a student today:
the problem:
Seeing education as a way to break free from crushing poverty, Ugandan families work incredibly hard to get their students through high school. Some receive sponsorships but others have to borrow large amounts of money to pay for school fees. Upon completing high school, however, scholarships are awarded to just a few students in each class and most sponsored students are aged out of their organizations. The cost of attending trade school or university is far more than Ugandan families can pay, so graduates often return to work in subsistence farming.
we: work
Desiring to create a culture of dignity and growth, Launch Uganda requires students to contribute to their education through the 1-year work phase. During the work phase, students engage in various projects learning valuable skills in sustainable agriculture, advanced animal husbandry, and basic construction. They also attend business classes learning to run a small business and to have a Biblical perspective on money. The work phase encourages students to evaluate their need for scholastic support while providing an opportunity for growth, dignity, resilience, and camaraderie to students who commit to it.
we: educate
Completing the work phase qualifies students for a scholarship for higher education. Working with the Ugandan academic advisor, students determine the best educational path forward and then are sent off to a qualified trade school or university to complete their education. Living in hostels with other Launch Uganda participants during their 3 years of coursework creates an atmosphere of mutual encouragement, support, and accountability.
we: disciple
Throughout the work phase and the education phase, students are regularly mentored and discipled. Students engage in memorizing Scriptures, learning to study the Bible, and reading books for spiritual growth. Launch Uganda facilitates older Ugandan Christ followers to mentor and guide students in their spiritual journeys, giving students an opportunity to grow as well as to build lifelong mentoring relationships.
Information about the funding of projects:
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Interviews, pictures of the campus etc etc..
Mark and Kerry Kellond are seasoned ministers having served the Lord in a variety of locations and capacities over the past 37 years. They served as youth pastors in local churches in the United States before moving overseas to provide youth ministry to American military dependents. For almost 20 years they served military dependents on bases in Germany, Japan and Okinawa.The Lord later guided them to work with vulnerable children in Cambodia for several years. Most recently, they served in Uganda at a Christian boarding high school, collaborating closely with Ugandan pastors to revamp the school’s discipleship program.While in Uganda, Mark and Kerry witnessed the severe impact of extreme poverty in the lives of the students around them. Many students asked for help to pay school fees prompting the Kellonds to initiate a “Work 4 Fees” program. This program provided opportunities for students to work at various projects to earn money for their education.They also observed that students graduating from high school often returned to subsistence farming due to lack of scholarships for trade schools or universities. Even students sponsored by organizations to complete high school were most often aged out of programs and left without means to complete the education needed to break the poverty cycle. Compelled by God’s love for the orphan and the vulnerable, Mark and Kerry founded Launch Uganda. This initiative aims to provide students with the education necessary to break the cycle of extreme poverty and become Christ-honoring, self-supporting adults.
CONTACT:Mark Kellond:
[email protected]Kerry Kellond:
[email protected]Address: (for sending checks)
PO Box 2336
Grants Pass, Or 97528