Exclusive Updates for Members of the Friends of Hope of Peace Christian School
January 29, 2026
Hope of Peace Returning from Winter Holiday
Schools in Uganda have three terms during each school year. Unlike in the United States where the school year begins in the fall, the new school year begins in late January in Uganda. This term, Hope of Peace will welcome 47 students (up from about 35) in the nursery, primary, and upper sections combined. The new students are children who had previously left the village to attend school elsewhere.
Pastor Justine Namatovu (founder, headmaster, and teacher of Hope of Peace), Christine (teacher’s aide), and your prayers and financial support have built the school into an institution to which local parents now feel confident sending their kids. Some of the new students will even be paying school fees. Previously, all Hope of Peace students have attended without cost because they are either orphans who live with Pastor Justine or are children from impoverished families. This is a small, yet extremely important, step toward diversifying the school’s revenue streams.
Friends of Hope of Peace has provided funds to Pastor Justine to purchase many of the school supplies needed for the school’s upcoming term. The supplies include folders, paper, markers, and crayons.
December M-Pox Outbreak Among HoP Kids
Twelve Hope of Peace students are orphans whose parents are deceased or abandoned them. Pastor Justine and her husband took in all 12 of these children. In mid-December, one of the kids broke out in blisters all over his body and experienced flu-like symptoms. Within days, it had spread to other children. Pastor Justine reached out to Friends of Hope of Peace for financial assistance to take the children to the medical clinic and to purchase prescription medication. They were diagnosed with mpox, which used to be called monkey pox. Mpox is a highly contagious viral infection that can make people, especially young kids, extremely sick.
Friends of Hope of Peace has also paid medical costs in the recent past for one of the children who contracted typhoid (who was near death) and another child who lives with HIV. Without your support, Pastor Justine would have no way to pay for their medical care, which would result in their suffering or even deaths.
5,000 Liter (1,321 Gallons) Rain Barrel Finally Full!
In Uganda, the year is broken into dry seasons and rainy seasons. One of the rainy seasons takes place in the fall. During the rainy season, Pastor Justine informed Friends of Hope of Peace that their only access to water at her house is a well, which is a very long distance away. After walking three miles home from school through marshland, the children then have to walk to fill jerry cans with water. Could we help her get a large rain collection barrel? After pricing 10,000 and 5,000 liter tanks and learning about the cost of delivery and installation, we found that we could purchase the 5,000 liter tank. This contributed to the local economy by giving a sale to a local dealer and providing jobs for delivery drivers and installation crew.
The children celebrated the new tank. Pastor Justine expected it to fill quickly because it had rained every day for over a month. Unfortunately, after the tank installation, not a drop of rain fell for nearly a month. Then, finally I got a text from Pastor Justine saying, “It is raining and the tank is filling. We are safe now! Glory to God!”
Ugandan Presidential Election Brings More of the Same
We did not hear from Pastor Justine for several days, which has never happened since she connected with FLS. When she resurfaced, she told me that the government had shut down all internet within the country “for security reasons.”
The international community has criticized the Ugandan government for making it nearly impossible for Ugandans to communicate with each other or with people outside of Uganda (including journalists and human rights organizations) during the election. Also, international election observers were denied access to the process. Not surprisingly, the election ended with President Yoweri Museveni (age 81), who has been president since 1986, being declared the winner once again by receiving over 70% of the votes. The results are being contested by several parties. The most popular opposition candidate, former pop singer Bobi Wine, has gone into hiding, his family is under house arrest, and protesters have been violently opposed by government forces.
The United Nations describes the situation in Uganda as, “deeply worrying.” The US Embassy has issued a Level 3 Travel Advisory for Americans planning to visit Uganda. Level 3 is “Reconsider Travel” because of terrorism, crime, and unrest. This is the everyday reality for Hope of Peace students and their families.
Friends of Hope of Peace Provides Maize Flour and Bars of Soap
On New Year’s Eve, Pastor Justine communicated a desperate need for maize (corn) flour and bars of soap for the 12 children at her home. The bars of soap are used to wash clothes by hand. The flour is used to make posho, a staple of the Ugandan diet which is similar to mashed potatoes or grits. Pastor Justine receives no pay for her work at the school and very little as pastor of Zion Victory Church. Her husband’s income is minimal as employment opportunities are hard to come by. Supporting their own teenage son and the 12 orphans is a tremendous financial burden. There have been many days when they all would have gone hungry had it not been for your financial support.
New Living Situation for the Littlest of the Littles
Pastor Justine lives about three miles from the village where Hope of Peace Christian School is located. She does not have a vehicle. So, every morning she and the twelve orphaned children who live with her walk those three miles on a dirt track through marshland. Because some of the children are as young as two years old, Justine will often send the older children ahead while she carries or helps the toddlers. This results in her being late for school every day. After a long day at school, they make the same walk back, racing against sunset as she often ends up carrying multiple sleeping children.
Just before the first term is set to begin, Pastor Justine made the difficult decision to ask Friends of Hope of Peace to help her hire a mother of one of her students to care for the youngest of the children in the village rather than having them live with her three miles away. This mother, Juliet, would also cook for the school children during the day. Previously, Justine had to do that, which took her away from teaching. This opportunity would more than double Juliet’s current income.
Pastor Justine did not have the money to hire her. Once I found out that her requested monthly pay is 200,000 Uganda shillings (a whopping $56), I committed to Hope of Peace paying Juliet’s salary (in addition to already paying for Christine’s salary as a teacher’s aide). This situation will be better for the kids, for Justine, and for Juliet.
You are Improving and Even Saving the Lives of the Most Vulnerable of the Vulnerable in Christ’s Church
Thank you for your past support and thank you to those of you who have set up recurring monthly contributions. Pastor Justine’s quality of life and the scale of her impact for the Kingdom of God have grown exponentially through your support. You have saved a child’s life, relieved terrible suffering, filled bellies with warm food, made clean water available, provided a quality education for over 30 children, and provided quality employment to two single mothers. Please consider adding to your impact by making an additional donation or setting up a recurring contribution.