Completed Projects
Teacher Housing
We completed teacher housing for 10 teachers. We are so thankful to give our teachers good living conditions close to the school. Running showers in each room to give them a nice space to call home. Quality living conditions is a way we can ENCOURAGE our teachers to be a part of the community. Some teachers stay Monday - Friday and go home on weekends and holidays. Others make it their home building lasting relationships with families and friends. The teachers love their new homes!
Sunbeams Fashion & Design - May 2024
The women of Kijjude have exceeded all of our expectations from the beginning. From the time we provided a teacher and a few machines, they have been working hard learning and designing. Our humble beginning began in the home of a woman in the village named Nasuuna. She offered to open her home to us if we would supply sewing machines so the women in the village could learn to sew. We renovated the space in her home, hired a teacher and provided 6 machines. From there the women soared. They understand the value of learning a skill that can help them provide for their families.
After outgrowing Nasuna’s home and our school exploding in numbers, we were blessed beyond measure when gorgeous land became available just up from Sunbeams Nursery & Primary Christian School. Within 3 days the generosity of our supporters afforded us the opportunity to purchase the land and begin renovating Sunbeams Fashion & Design. Within 4 months our women are delighted to have their own space with gorgeous views. They love their new space and their creative designing is flourishing. Over 60 women are sewing. We currently are selling Dresses, Skirts, and Handbags. Each one is uniquely made by one of the ladies in our sewing class. Truly it is Encouraging, Equipping, and Empowering at its finest.
Solar Power - May 2024
Through an incredible partnership with Immanuel Lutheran School in Crystal Lake Illinois, we were able to raise the resources to put a high quality solar system onto our property lighting up the school, the kitchen, and the pavilion. We had so much fun working with the students at Immanuel through video technology to build bridges from one culture to another. The students at Immanuel were able to see and meet some of the student in Kijjude. Through video calls the students asked Mark questions about culture and life in Kijjude and in turn became committed and passionate to “turn on the lights” in Kijjude. They did and we are beyond thankful! It’s beginning to look like a city on a hill.
Pavilion - Shade - April 2024
When after our first week of school we had over 275 children attending, we new we needed space - and quickly. Thanks to a grant from Fellowship of Faith in McHenry Illinois, we were able to put up a pavilion, or as they call it in Uganda….A Shade. Our youngest students were bursting the seams with 80 in our baby class. We are now able to redistribute our children and hold a classroom in the shade until we are able to get our 2nd phase completed. We will continue to use this fantastic space to hold chapel and fellowship time, enjoy meals, and host leadership development seminars. We are excited about this space that wears our core values.
Kitchen – January 2024
For year-end 2023 we had a generous, encouraging family donate for Sunbeams to have a kitchen built. We have completed our kitchen with 5 stoves that is daily feeding breakfast and lunch to over 275 children. We are so thankful to be able to provide our students and teachers with nourishing meals each day.
6 Classrooms – January 2024
Phase 1 of Sunbeams Nursery Primary School is completed! It’s like the “Field of Dreams ~ Build it and they will come”. We have over 275 students excited to go to a school that seeks to provide quality education. We enjoyed a fun and festive ribbon cutting ceremony with dancing, drums, speeches and a lot of gratitude. We thank God for the numerous people and collaborative efforts to make this dream for the village a reality. God has provided the right teachers who are so eager to encourage | equip | empower the students to become everything God has created them to be.
Playground – June 2023
We had a wonderful young family, with a heart for kids to have fun, donate the resources for a playground to be built for the children. They were confident we would get what we needed for the school and wanted to make sure the playground didn’t get overlooked in view of things that seemed more pressing. This was a wise investment and a joy. The children had never seen a playground like this before and daily enjoy gathering with their friends to swing, climb, and slide.
Fencing & Gate House
In Uganda, schools have a gate house and fencing so that they can know who is coming and going on the property. You will even find a guest book to sign in. We are very excited to have Vincent, our gateman, keeping watch over the school, the staff and the children. Our fence has beautiful paintings to encourage learning and artistry.
Toilets
7 Toilet Stalls we built to accommodate our teachers and students. Since Kijjude does not have running water our spacious toilet stalls are built over a large 40 feet deep hole that will accommodate us for many years.
The First Sewing Class – November 2022
When Nasuna came to us and asked if we would help the village to get sewing machines and she would offer a space in her home to keep them we said YES! It was the most amazing yes for Sunbeams Uganda. With a little bit of renovation and a handful of people eager to provide the funding for machines, Sunbeams Uganda Sewing School Began. We hired a teacher and Madam Teddy has not only taught over 50 women to sew, but she has also shown them the love of Christ. They have learned skills that will help them to support themselves and their families. It is incredible to see the impact a ½ dozen sewings machines and a qualified sewing teacher who loves Jesus can make. Lives are being transformed. We have since moved into a school classroom until we have our permanent location renovated. (See current projects).
Well (Bore Hole) - June 2021
In June 2021 Kijjude Village began to enjoy clean water on our land! Before digging the well, children were walking down to a small creek to fetch filthy water. That all changed when through generous donations we were able to put in a bore hole for fresh clean water! Now the children have access to clean water and a cement splash pad to make it a little more fun! The water will continue to bless the village as we will also now have clean water for the school.
Land Purchase - August 2021
After looking at different options for land, in January 2021 we purchased 2 acres of land in Kijjude Village. We chose this land because of its location and direct accessibility to the main village road. Later in August of 2021 we purchased an additional adjacent piece of land giving us 2.5 acres for the school project and necessary farming to provide a meal for the students each day.
Bibles - November 2020
In November 2020 we brought bibles to the struggling church in Kijjude Village. These bibles are in the native Lugandan Language and will allow many to study the Word of God for themselves. We are looking forward to further partnering with this church to encourage them to be a radiant light upon a hill as they faithfully pray for God’s presence and power to come upon their village.
