2024

A Stepping Stone Year

Valued Global Family:

As we reflect on 2024, our hearts are filled with gratitude for your unwavering support of our growing family. This year has brought both challenges and triumphs, and your generosity has made all the difference in the lives of our children. To see photos of the amazing progress your support has helped achieve, find us on Facebook and other social media. Subscribe for regular updates!

In 2024 we successfully ELIMINATED typhoid in our family!

Amazzi means water. JOIN OUR Amazzi-NG! Clean Water Campaign. $35 buys 1 full month of clean water.

Three Desire Kids have chronic illnesses which require constant attention and costly hospital stays. Sponsor them for $100/month each.

Early Challenges and Community Response

The year began with significant challenges. In January, we faced a housing crisis with an eviction threat, but through your kindness, we secured four months of rent payments. February brought concerns about school enrollment, as many of our children still needed sponsorship. Thanks to your support, we ensured every child could return to school.

In March, we were touched by the extraordinary effort of a young girl in the UK who completed 1,000 flips on her trampoline in a fundraising campaign, generating enough support for three of our girls to attend school for five terms!

Health and Wellness Achievements

Our Amazzi (Water) Campaign has been transformative. After struggling with typhoid outbreaks for two years due to contaminated water, we implemented a monthly clean drinking water program. The results have been remarkable: we've had ZERO typhoid cases this year, significantly reducing our medical expenses and, most importantly, keeping our children healthy.

Our sweet Goloba lost his life collecting water in 2023.

You can contribute to The Goloba Amazzi Fund, which continues his Memorial Water Tank Fund. This will fund a fresh water well in his name once we achieve our goal or purchasing land. Clean water is an essential human right. No child should have to risk their lives for it...

Rest in Power.

Like clean water, food, healthcare, and safe shelter, education is also an essential human right.

Your sponsorship covers all of the above, including education fees and supplies for each child. Without this support we risk losing our NGO status as it is required that every Ugandan child attend school.

Please sponsor today!

Educational and Personal Growth

This year has been exceptional for our children's development. Our students have assumed impressive leadership roles:

• Bugingo Fesire was elected Head Girl
• Kwagala Moreen serves as Sanitary Prefect
• Fridaus leads Games and Sports
• Kyaka Sam continues as School Captain
• Matovu Payasi leads as School Football Captain
• Nankya Eron serves as School Netball Captain

Their achievements extended beyond leadership, culminating in winning the sub-county Kids Trophy. All the Desire Kids have excelled academically this year. We are so proud of each of them.

Global Connections and Sponsorships

Our international network has grown significantly this year, with children corresponding with friends worldwide. Penpals send many cards, letters, and even gifts! This cultural exchange has boosted their confidence and exposed them to new languages and customs. We welcomed seven new sponsorships this year, transforming lives through consistent support for daily meals, housing, and essential needs.

Every Desire Kid has a story. Every Desire Kid has a dream.

The Power of Collaborative Sponsorship

We believe that every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, and we've made sponsorship accessible to everyone through our collaborative sponsorship program. Here's how it works:

A full sponsorship of $50* per month provides a child with:

• Three nutritious meals daily
• School fees and supplies
• Safe housing
• Healthcare
• Essential sanitary products

*$100 per month is needed for our three kids who live with chronic illness. This includes all of the above plus the extra medical care and medicines they require.

Through collaborative sponsorship, you can join forces with friends, family, or colleagues to make a lasting impact:

• A group of five friends contributing just $10 each monthly can fully sponsor one child
• Workplace teams can pool resources to transform a child's life
• Family members can share the joy of sponsorship together
• Kids can learn about philanthropy and sponsor with classmates

Every sponsored child:

• Receives consistent care and support
• Maintains regular communication with their sponsor group
• Shares their progress and achievements
• Benefits from the stability of reliable monthly support.

Sustainable Living Initiatives

Our livestock program has shown remarkable growth:

• Rabbits: From 3 to over 40
• Chickens: From 3 to over 30, providing eggs and meat
• Goats: From 1 to 6
• Our cow is expecting in early January, promising fresh milk for our children!

Lwanga's Journey

Our boy Lwanga Sillaje, now 16, continues his struggle with chronic sickle cell disease, having had several serious setbacks this year. We are eternally grateful for the $1,870 raised for his emergencies. Lwanga is staying strong. We are still desperately seeking a committed monthly sponsor to care for his needs on a consistent basis. It would be so helpful in the coming year.

Healthcare and Child Welfare

Despite perennial challenges including malaria cases, chronic illnesses, and general emergencies such as a snake bite incident, your generosity has enabled us to provide comprehensive medical care to our kids in need. We're proud to report that officials recognized Desire Child Care Organization as one of the best organizations in Mukono and Kampala District, noting our children's excellent health and care.

Financial Milestone

We received a generous $5,000 donation from one of our dedicated supporters, which we've designated as the foundational seed money for our 2025 land purchase fund. Please contact us if you would like to support this fund. It will allow us to fulfill our vision of self-sufficiency through agriculture, and build a residential school for our current and future Desire Kids.

Here is a vision of what the grounds light look like:

a) Girls Dormitory, b) Main Hall (with library, prayer/meditation chapel & common room), c) Classrooms, d) Classrooms, e) Toilets, f) Administration Block, g) Teachers Housing, h) Boys Dormitory, i) Sick Bay, j) Dining Hall/Kitchen/chicken coop

Also: Sports area, pool, playground, open central courtyard, orchard, about 3 acres of agricultural food-growing areas, flower gardens, and shady trees for climbing and sitting under.

As we close the chapter on 2024, our hearts overflow with both gratitude for your unwavering support and excitement for the possibilities that lie ahead in 2025.