Our Story

Our Father’s House Ministries traces its name from John 14:2… ‘In my Father’s house there are many rooms…I go and prepare a place for you.’

“God cares about all of His children. He is a Father to the fatherless and has a place for all of us to belong. Not one is forgotten.”

Martin Duhimbaze

It was founded by a group of friends in South Western Uganda who were moved by the poverty experienced in the area and by kindness experienced in their own lives. Martin Duhimbaze, his wife Caroline Kyasiimire, and good friends Jennifer Schroeder, Emily Collins, Emily Braybrook and Dickens Mugabe prayed together for God’s guidance for a way to serve the poor on their hearts.

“Martin had on his heart compassion for the poor, the vulnerable and in particular a calling to serve the orphaned children in his community.”

God’s answer was the birth of the children’s charity Our Father’s House Ministries. He gave the name of our charity to Jennifer Schroeder and answered Emily Collins’ prayers with a gift of our first child sponsor. Emily Braybrook had the privileged of writing our first newsletter.

Our Father’s House Ministries was registered with the government of Uganda in 2013 as a Community Based Organisation and now we are registered as a Non Government Organization (NGO). At the moment we are serving over 140 children from 62 families.

Responding to the Needs Around Us

It is hard to describe the great physical and emotional poverty that surrounds South Western Uganda. We have tried to paint a picture for you here to give you an impression of the web of needs, relating to unemployment, food shortage, health and specifically the effects of HIV, life expectancy, and social constructs, that together trap people in poverty.

Our Father’s House Ministries cares deeply about each child we meet; every child is precious and we look to serve each one according to their needs. However, we believe that by supporting these vulnerable children we are not just changing the lives of individuals, we are feeding into a much larger vision that will have lasting positive impact on our nation. By working to improve levels of literacy, education, healthcare, well-being and skill-sharing for individuals, we are facilitating social and economic empowerment for Uganda. We outline our vision further in our vision statement.

Our Current Focus

At the moment our activities are concentrated in Rukungiri, Kisoro, Kabale and Kanungu Districts, of Kigezi highlands in South West Uganda. We focus on child sponsorship as well as individual projects to support the families and communities with whom we work.

The children we support are mainly orphaned, vulnerable such as those living under the care of their grandmothers, or from child-headed households.

It is heart-breaking to visit and find a 10 year old child as the head of a poverty stricken family without essential facilities.

Children in child-headed homes live in holistic deprivation, they are alone in the dark of the night gripped in fear and deadening memories of their departed parents. It is even more disturbing to find that the people around these children start encroaching on the little land belonging to them.

We find children in need through the local church leaders, community leaders and any other person who gives their time to speak for a vulnerable child. God has continued to be faithful in meeting some of our needs by providing sponsors, donors and many prayer partners.

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