First Pres has a longstanding and fruitful relationship with Partners in Mission (PIM) that has been instrumental in building the Kamwenge Secondary and Vocational School (KSVS) and the Good Shepherd Kindergarten and Primary School (GSK) in Kamwenge, Uganda. The schools sit among many small villages in the rural Kamwenge District.
At KSVS, students receive Christian discipleship and mentorship, alongside a strong education. Today, KSVS graduates are attending university, holding vocational jobs, starting their own businesses; they are young adults who are building families, businesses, and are advancing and revitalizing the entire Kamwenge community.
On March 13, the government of Uganda shut down the country in response to the coronavirus threat. The Ugandan economy came to a sudden halt. Families with little to spare are unable to sell goods at markets and are without resources to feed their families.
Then on Friday, May 1, flooding leveled the homes of 70 families. Two children died. One child remains in critical condition. More than 100 families, many with children who attend KSVS and GSK, have been affected. Water, rock, and boulders rushed through the community destroying homes, crops, chickens and goats; even the fertile topsoil of farms was washed away. Almost every item in the homes were destroyed, from mattresses to plates and cooking utensils.
This community of 100 flooded families is suffering enormously with little hope of relief. With help from PIM, KSVS intends to stand in the gap for them in this emergency with food, water, mattresses and other household items. They hope to begin helping with housing.
