What is our History and story. Updated!!@ 2023

 It was in 2007 that the dream of the Shalom Namutere Project was conceived. What was an idea was shortly turned into a community intervention for so many people.  I couldn't help to see so many children, not in school. Having grown up in this same community, I hoped for something better than I saw. My hope continued to be frustrated by continuous poverty. The community continued to wait for the government to remember them in vain. It didn't matter what party we elected and supported we were still poor. 

Who exactly will bring this change?

I prayed and started by collecting pens and pencils from my house and my friends. Aware that education was free, I knew the kids were kept from school from a lack of scholastic material and uniforms. The first term we were able to provide scholastic material and uniforms for over 4o children 

This intervention was followed by several terms of scholastic and uniform supply for the community. Even then, we realized that the kids were not learning and seemed to just go through school. That started to bother us. We started meeting the kids over the weekend to teach a skill but also offer some coaching for the kids. 

We invited some members of the community to volunteer and help us to facilitate the mids program. Below are the first people that bought the vision and started to volunteer and have been volunteering upto now.

By then were aware that we seemed to be responding to the effects of poverty and needed to develop systems that bring transformation. We believed that the best group to invest in was the youth. So that is how our Youth camps were born. Again this was a foreign idea, but we dared to risk. The first camp attracted 150 youths from the community for 5 residential days.

We have been running these camps for the last 13 years, and out of them, we continue to have the community youth involved in envisioning what they would like to see. 

The children we served existed within social systems that we could not ignore. Their parents and relatives. No matter how much we were involved in eradicating their poverty, it was hard because their parents were sick, poor, and hopeless. The nearest health center from this community is 10 km, and they were losing people to very minor illnesses. 

One of our partners gave a unique gift that helped us start a community clinic that has continued serving the community. We have envisioned a community health center that will not only be involved in preventive but will provide quality primary health for the people in the community. 

This is the dream health centre... 

This is the far we have come. 

Over time and through many interventions, we desired that we could have a home for the project. Around the same time, we received a generous gift of land from one of the community members and my Dad. 

We planted the first tree and believed in God for a home to the project. 

Our community efforts in education have led us to start our own school. The school in 2023 will have over 70 students in four grades. 

Last year we were able to purchase land for the school and are believing God to start the construction soon. The school is using the unfinished healthcare building, and we desire that they can have a home. 

Over time as we have sought interventions that do not only address the effects of poverty but causes that pause as hindrances to the transformation, we have had to do systemic issues that involve leadership development, advocacy, and widows ministry. We also have seen a homogenous church grow in this community. 

Our Core Values

1.       Transformation -Because in God's big story, we find the story of the community we serve. Our part as shalom is to participate with and partner with the loving God in the reconciliation work He is doing in this community and the holistic transformation.

 

2.    Collaboration- Because we believe our efforts are unable to meet the vast needs alone. We join the larger body of Christ and the avenues God provides through the government, networks, and other like-minded agencies.

 

3.    Sustainability- Because our dream is transforming the community, we establish sustainable models that depend on the local community’s support. We also welcome donors that are like-minded in community transformation to bring their resources and partner with the bigger picture.

 

4.    Accountability-we believe that further than Go,d we are to give an account of how we use the resources entrusted to us. We build assessment evaluation and auditing into all our systems. We strive to continually establish systems that help us be accountable and develop capacity for all staff.

 

5.    Accessibility- Because we believe that the people in this community are made in the image of God, we make all our programs accessible to the community as far as we can. We are here to serve the community in a christ-like manner that is incarnational.

 

6.    Excellence- Because we are the hands and feet of God, we believe that we must be like our Lord in excellence. We will do all our programs and systems with excellence. 

Our Partners: 

1. Our hugest support comes from great individuals who believe in our dream and give generously. The list is long. 

2. Global Link Afrika (Uganda)

3. Millard Community Church (USA)

4. Busia district