Dear friends, prayer partners, and supporters!

At the end of this year, our staff member Prossy Akao is writing the newsletter. As a teenager, she was supported through a sponsorship by Amuka and received medical assistance because of her physical disability. Today, she herself works as a psychologist and coordinator in various programs at Amuka. We wish you much joy while reading and extend our heartfelt thanks for all your faithful support throughout 2025!
We wish you all a blessed Christmas season, Orge & Antje

---

Dear friends!
Warm greetings from the AMUKA team in Uganda! We are very grateful for your support for all the activities here on the ground. The work is going well, and we see many positive changes.

Our “Family Group” (adult education) is developing wonderfully, with growing numbers of participants in our weekly meetings. A key focus of our teaching is on health, marriage, and our relationship with God, as these are areas of life where there is much suffering in the villages here. God bless all supporters of the food aid, which was such a great help during the hunger season. The recipients were so happy and are praying blessings upon you.

The Bible Club is also doing well, with new children joining every week. Many of these children come from broken families and live in harmful environments. For example, they experience domestic violence, or their parents or neighbors run a bar and they are exposed to alcohol consumption day and night. Many experience rejection or neglect or live in constant fear of witchcraft and curses. Too many grow up in the complicated environment of polygamous relationships. Therefore, we make a special effort to create a friendly atmosphere where they can share, make friends, discover their talents, and above all get to know God as their most important friend. Every Saturday we have Bible lessons, skits, dance, counseling, and also train life skills. In addition, we distribute school supplies three times a year at the beginning of each new term. Every Saturday after the Bible Club, there is always football training, which many truly love.
We are constantly planning new activities to make the children and youth as happy as possible.

Our kindergarten children attended classes more regularly this year than before. In addition, thanks to the help of our new assistant Ritah, we were able for the first time to enroll children with disabilities. On November 28, we held the parents’ visiting day. Parents came to watch performances by their children, get to know the facility better, and be informed about new developments. The children did an excellent job and presented poems, plays, songs, and dances. It was truly amazing!

In the case of one child in particular, neither the parents (who had separated shortly beforehand) nor other relatives came. The girl was so disappointed, especially since she was even a lead dancer. We all did our best to make her feel seen and valued.

As a team, we worked this year on improving ourselves so that we can serve the people here better. For example, our teachers and I attended a “Stoplight” training in central Uganda the week before last. It focused on emotional intelligence, especially on how we can help the people around us (e.g., the kindergarten children) feel seen, heard, and valued. The other event took place in Jinja on the Nile and focused on our relationship with God, our Father. All of this is so beneficial for our growth as a team and as servants of God, and we do not take it for granted that we had these opportunities for further training.

Many positive changes can also be seen among our Barikiwa children (children with disabilities). Our physiotherapy, hospital visits, and counseling have greatly impacted the lives of the children and their caregivers. There are still children who are hidden in houses because their relatives are ashamed of them, but we hope that through our program these children will also come to be valued.

Furthermore, we were able to help many sick people this year. Some suffer from epileptic seizures and require continuous medication and monitoring. Our cancer patients are still undergoing treatment. And our two children who had heart surgery are attending follow-up checkups. In addition, we treated some children with bone fractures and two boys who received leg prostheses. We trust God to bring healing to all of them!

I send you warm greetings with my favorite Bible verse, Matthew 25:40:

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these
brothers of mine, you did for me.

Matthew 25:40

For me, this verse means that every person belongs to God and that God has given us the opportunity to treat others with kindness and compassion. Sometimes simply with a smile or a hug, sometimes with our time and money. But we should never forget that we are doing it for Jesus. Warm greetings and a blessed Christmas,

Prossy Akao

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

Psalm 133:1

---

Dear AMUKA friends!

Recently, we experienced how beautiful it can be when “brothers live together in unity” when Christian Dumke and Lars Offe visited Uganda and spent a lot of time with our team there. This was also a great enrichment for our Ugandan colleagues. Below is Lars’ report; Christian’s contribution will follow a little later to avoid too much information at once.

---

Our journey to Uganda to visit the Amuka project was a fascinating adventure full of new experiences and unforgettable encounters.

Arrival and First Impressions

The journey began at the end of May when I (Lars), together with Antje, the children Rosie and Harriet, and Christian Dumke, visited the country to explore the Amuka project. After a long flight via Brussels and Kigali, we landed late in the evening in Entebbe, where the tropical climate greeted us immediately.

Our arrival was marked by the warmth and high humidity. Sam and a friend picked us up with two cars to take us and our luggage to Sam and Monica’s apartment. The many unfiltered exhaust fumes from motorcycles and cars were noticeable.

In Sam’s apartment, we were greeted with a hearty dinner of local delicacies such as avocado and beetroot, prepared by Monica, Sam’s wife. Their little son Genesis also helped to welcome us.

We spent the night under mosquito nets in Sam’s cozy apartment on the upper floor.

The next day, we continued to Mbale in the east of the country. The reckless taxi ride took us through areas where a lot of poverty was visible.

On the way, we crossed the Nile, an impressive experience.

In the Mooni district of Mbale, we moved into a simple apartment that served as our base for the next few days. Near this apartment is also the school of Harriet and Rosie.

Showering was done with a 2-liter vessel, electricity was not always available, and the drinking water had a slight chlorine taste. Nevertheless, I quickly got used to these conditions.
Meanwhile, I had also gotten used to the tropical climate and found it very pleasant as long as I didn’t move too much.

Life in the Amuka Project

After a few days in Mbale, where we explored the city and the surroundings, we continued to the village of Bunamukheya to experience the Amuka project up close. Here we moved into the project house of the Balacks, which was much more spacious than our previous accommodation in Mbale and provided each of us with our own room. During a tour of the site, I got to know the staff and got a first impression of the work on site.

Our daily routine began early, often at 6:30 am with a delicious breakfast.

The daily routine included prayer groups, Bible studies, helping with Harriet and Rosie’s homework, playing football with the school children, and doing manual work, such as floating cement floors, sealing valves, or attempting to repair a toilet seat.

At lunchtime, we shared traditional dishes like Ugali, rice, beans, and avocado. On special occasions, there was even chicken and beef.

What was particularly impressive was the sense of community we experienced there. Everyone helped each other, whether it was preparing meals, looking after the children, or maintaining the grounds.

Community and Culture

An enriching experience was participating in the community life. On Sundays, we attended the Bethel Baptist Church in Mbale. The service was marked by loud, joyful worship – an impressive experience. The music and joyful singing of the congregation left a lasting impression.

In the project itself, I led an initial Bible study group with the staff, which had the character of a home group. I also participated in the weekly “Family Group.” Here, up to an estimated hundred visitors of all ages gathered, almost exclusively women.
The topics directly addressed the problems of the people in Uganda, giving us an interesting insight into the local culture.

Equally fascinating was the mother-child group at the Amuka project, which lovingly cared for the disabled children. At these moments, the warmth and solidarity of the Ugandan community became particularly evident to us.

Especially memorable were the dinners with the project staff. At Agnes, Simon Peter, and Mary’s homes, we were warmly welcomed and treated to traditional dishes. These encounters provided valuable insights into the family life and hospitality of Ugandans.

Overall, I was very impressed with how comprehensively the Amuka project has developed and how much the work areas are oriented to the needs on site.
We can be very grateful for the people who have contributed with donations. Without you donors, none of this would exist!

Everyday Experiences and Challenges

The simple living conditions presented us with minor challenges. Showering with a small water vessel, frequent power outages, and the fact that waste was simply burned in ground pits took some getting used to.
But over time, we learned to adapt to these circumstances. The work in the project was fulfilling, sometimes a little challenging. We helped with various tasks, played with the children, and supported the organization of
events.

Once, I took an adventurous ride on a bodaboda, a motorcycle taxi, to get a SIM card. Without a helmet or protective gear, we sped over bumpy roads at over 50 km/h – an experience I won’t forget anytime soon.

Excursions and Nature Experiences

A highlight of the trip was the excursion to the Sipi Falls, a series of breathtaking waterfalls in the mountains. Accompanied by a teacher of Rosie and Harriet, we drove a good hour from Mbale to this excursion destination. Together with a colourful group, including a high-ranking politician and a Dutch app developer, we explored the impressive waterfalls. We enjoyed a picnic on a meadow and filled our water bottles with fresh spring water.

In many other places, too, Uganda’s nature showed itself at its best: lush vegetation, impressive mountains, and fascinating wildlife. Particularly memorable were the delicious physalis fruits we picked directly from the bush in the garden in front of the Amuka project house.

At the end of our stay in Uganda, the visit to the Mount Elgon Hotel with its pool was a welcome change. After more than two weeks without a warm shower, it was a luxury to swim in the pool and shower under warm water.

Farewell and Return Journey

It was hard to say goodbye to the Amuka project, as we had had many heartfelt encounters and valuable experiences. We spent the last few days playing ball and talking with the project staff. The staff had taken us to their hearts and said they would miss us very much.

The return journey turned out to be more adventurous than planned. On the way from Kampala to the airport in Entebbe, we were stuck in traffic for three hours. Despite the fast drive Sam provided us, we missed our flight and had to book a more expensive flight via Istanbul at short notice. After almost 40 hours of travel without proper sleep, we finally arrived exhausted but full of impressions in Hamburg.

This trip to Uganda was not only an exploration of a foreign country but also a deep encounter with the culture, people, and challenges of everyday life in a development project. The experiences and the warmth of the people on site will remain with us for a long time.

We are very grateful that our heavenly Father protected us all the time and blessed us so richly.

Many greetings,
Lars