First Week

We're here!

After 16 hours of flying, a 12 hour layover, a 3 hour drive, and some suitcase jenga we got to Jinja, Uganda.

Can 10 bags, 2 girls, and a driver all fit in a station wagon? Of course, this is Uganda!

We spend our first two nights in Uganda with a friend then we rented a car and did some shopping for essentials. With two mattresses, a mini fridge, fan, and shelves we were ready to move into the Abide compound!

It's a bit like camping right now since the plumbing isn't working (and the electricity has been coming and going too), but we're making it work. It also provides more motivation to get the compound up and running. 

On Saturday we had an awesome team from University of Texas come and help us clean all the units. Now we're ready to start painting!

No running water? No problem... we can improvise.

Burning our trash... I (Megan ) am pretty happy Kelsey actually enjoys this #pyromaniac

New fun fact: we have papaya, avocado, jack fruit, and mango trees on our compound. 

Hopefully we will be bringing you new photos of how the compound has progressed next week!

The Facebook message that rocked my world.

I graduated college on Thursday from Temple University in Philadelphia with a degree in Social Work. It was an exciting time. To finally be done school and to begin this next chapter. The BIG MOVE to Uganda on June 10th. While graduation was great, a Facebook message I received today actually ended up being more gratifying than any diploma ever could be. This message meant that what we are saying and how we are saying it is actually effective. While I am proud to have received my degree, I am humbled that God has used a mess like me to be part of something so big in a culture that is not my own. It's mind blowing, honestly, that anything I could say or write would play a role in changing the care vulnerable children and families in Uganda receive across the board. That's the coolest. And I know this is only the beginning, which makes it that much cooler.

I have blocked out the woman's identity and the name of her children's home. Not because she fears people knowing the direction her organization is headed, but because she shared with me sweet words in a private message. Words I asked if I could share with you all, but words that are hers, a shift she should get to decide when and how to share with her supporters.

I don't really know that this message warrants any further explanation beyond, HOW NEAT IS THAT? How encouraging is it to receive a message from someone who runs an orphanage who desires to change the way they  do things because they believe in doing what is BEST for each  child in their care. 

This is what it is about. Having conversations in love and with grace. Being patient with one another.  Not so we can prove we are "right" or that we've developed the "best" model, but because we believe in change bigger than any of our organizations. We recognize the need we have for each other in building partnerships and working together.  

We believe in raising the bar in services provided to vulnerable children and families in Uganda.  If I have learned one thing it is that to do this we can not alienate those who maybe don't see eye to eye. When we do that, we lose our shot at helping encourage them in a different direction. 

We are in this together. Let's act like it.

-Kelsey

Welcome a new member of the Abide team, Elyse!

We want you all to meet Elyse Venturella. Elyse currently practices social work in Philadelphia and is taking 6 months off to join us in Uganda. We think she is great, which is why we asked her to come on board as we launch Abide. Elyse will be traveling to Uganda in August and teaming up with our social work staff to help in implementing effective family strengthening services to families.

We asked Elyse to share a little bit about herself so you all can put a face, name and story to the newest member of the Abide team. 

"During my theatre performance studies at Elizabethtown College, I discovered that theatre is about the human connection through story.  I took my passion for stories to Philadelphia, where I was an English tutor for Arabic speaking immigrants. In the midst of the frustrating and humorous language barrier, the stories and passionate families lead me to Temple University’s Masters in Social Work program. I’m now a therapist for women with prostitution and addiction concerns. I also volunteer for Back on My Feet, where I run three times a week with residents of a homeless shelter. It doesn't matter if it is a classroom, a therapist office, or the Kelly Drive running loop – all of the individual stories I have been blessed to hear are about a place to call home.  And rather then treating the problem, I strive to assist others in preventing the continuation of their struggles. This is why I believe in Abide Family Center. I believe there are alternative solutions to providing families care and support, as they create their home. The solution and tools for prevention are in the story. I am honored to join the center as a social worker in August 2013 and plan to learn and share with the Ugandan culture for 6 months."

Elyse, welcome aboard! We are thrilled to have you along for the ride.

Grand total for our Countdown to Kindness Fundraiser....

$14,581.00

We are so blown away!!! You guys rock!!!

Two Days Left to Give [Make a tax deductible donation before 2012 is officially over!]

This is a glimpse into Gift's story.
Her Mom died when she was a baby. Her family was unable to care for her. She spent the first few years of her life in an orphanage.
Although she is now back at home with her Jjajja (Grandmother), she lost some critical years at home.
We need you to understand that this could have been prevented. That Gift never had to be placed in an orphanage. She could have stayed in her family. Her family just lacked the resources to make this possible.
We share with you Gift's story because we need it to be real to you.
This is not another batch of statistics or a well-written research article on children living in institutional care in Africa.
It is a story of a little girl who should have never been separated from her family.
This family is one of the many reasons we are launching Abide Family Center.
Why we have come to believe so strongly in the strength and resiliency of the African family.
Why we are asking you to consider making an end of the year donation to help us in the construction of our new property in Bugembe, Jinja, Uganda.
The property that will welcome with open arms and serve families like Gift's.
Because we believe children belong in families, not in orphanages.

We have two days left in the month of December and we are only 4 RAK's away from our goal. This means we need just under $2,000 donated in the next 2 days to reach our goal. We invite you to make an end of the year donation to Abide to support the construction underway on our property in Uganda. If you have been abundantly blessed this year and have some extra money to give. You can donate online here: DONATE TO ABIDE [We use PayPal for donations, which is a secure server]

Abide Family Center is a project of The Antioch Group, a 501c3/nonprofit.  This means your donation is tax deductible.  Make your donation and make sure to claim it on your 2012 taxes before the year is over.

We hope you all had an excellent Christmas and we wish you a very safe and blessed new year. We are so excited to see all that God has in store for Abide in 2013. The most exciting year for us yet!

With love,
Kelsey & Megan
(and the rest of the Abide team)

Christmas Giving

Is your Christmas shopping list left with that one person who seems to have everything? Still stumped on what to give them?

How about making a donation to Abide Family Center in their honor?

Donate on our website and in the comments mention that you are donating in someone's honor and which card you would like. We will then send you one of the cards below that you can give to the person on Christmas morning!

Here in the link to donate via paypal (all donations are tax deductible) 

http://www.abidefamilycenter.org/donate0.aspx 

For a donation of any kind

For a donation of $50

For a donation of $100

For a donation of $25

All donation will be included in our Countdown to Kindness! Keep following on Facebook or the blog

Check out where your donations are going for the Countdown to Kindness

This is where your donations are going. Our new home in Uganda. Complete with a (NEW) wall and gate around the property thanks to your generous donations. Next phase: construction on the actual structure already standing and the building of a brand new structure that will serve as emergency housing for families at Abide !! We can't say thank you enough! God is good.





This is the actual building where Abide's services will be run out of, it's what the photo of the wall above is enclosing. As you can see, the last three units at the far end are not complete. The money from the the Countdown to Kindness is going toward the completion of these units & the building of transitional housing for families without anywhere to stay.