We are often asked, “What exactly does Okoa do?” And the answer is that we don’t do just one thing. We like to think of ourselves as the Disney World of non-profits, but rather than magic and fun, our mission is to spread the gospel throughout Uganda and the unreached nations. Under that one goal, we have several different “parks” or branches that we serve. Today, we’ll explain how all the pieces of Okoa work together towards our mission.
All of the ministries Okoa provides can be broken down into five categories. These services are:
At Okoa, we believe every child deserves to feel safe, cared for, and protected. That’s why we are dedicated to our Rescue Center. We welcome each child that comes our way. We have never and will never turn away a child in need from our doors. We provide these children with food, education, love, spiritual guidance, and everything else that a child needs to thrive.
While they are with us, we work diligently to find a home for the child, whether that’s reuniting them with their biological family or finding a local family to adopt them. Once the child is in a stable home, we continue to check in on the child to ensure that they are flourishing in their new environment.
Our child rescue initiative extends beyond providing shelter and a home to children in need. We also have a Family and Disability Program where families can bring their children with special needs and get the healthcare they need. We provide for the physical needs of the child—covering surgeries, medication, and medical devices—and we also provide counseling and parenting classes for the families to help them best support their children with disabilities.
If you’re interested in helping provide for the children of Uganda, you can donate and become a part of a child’s care team today!
Crime, corruption, human trafficking, and abuse are an all too common reality in Uganda today. To try to combat this and provide a place for survivors to come to, we fund and operate a gender-based violence shelter in this region. We have a survivor-first mentality in running these shelters and work with each individual survivor to fit their needs on their healing journey.
Through our gender-based violence shelters, we provide shelter, counseling, and care to survivors. Just as importantly, we also seek out justice for the crimes committed against them to help in the anti-trafficking endeavor. We are not afraid to stand up to corruption and hard cases. We want Uganda to be a safe place for its people, so we work with law enforcement to ensure that criminals are brought to justice. Join us in the fight for justice by giving to our GBV shelters today.
Okoa believes in building self-sufficient, independent communities and families. In order to achieve this goal, we have a number of community development programs available. Though this is an overarching mission, the core of this endeavor is twofold: to keep children with their families and provide easy access to education in Uganda for children.
Our Community Development Programs work hand-in-hand with our church plants in Africa. All of the programs that fall under community development extend directly from the churches we’ve planted. Our community programs include:
The root of all we do is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe we will only see true transformation in communities through the power of the Word. That is why our Bible Schools are very near and dear to our hearts. These schools serve as a way to teach the Bible to everyone from locals looking to develop their faith to pastors looking to start or grow their church to missionaries preparing to go out in the field.
We have translated our curriculum into four different languages, so our students can learn the Word in their own tongue. Right now, our courses go over:
A Bible School only takes $100 a month to keep it running. Consider donating to one of our many schools to make a large difference with a small contribution!
Our Bible Schools are just the first step to sharing the gospel. After some of our students have graduated, we encourage them to go and be missionaries to their local communities. We believe that the gospel is best received when it is shared by someone who understands you, speaks your language, and knows your culture. This makes Indigenous Missionaries invaluable to our goal to reach the unreached.
We send these missionaries throughout Uganda and East Africa to reach those who have never heard the gospel before. It only takes $500 a month to support these Indigenous Missionaries—what a vast impact they have on the world through your support!
As you can see, we have a lot to keep us busy, but we firmly believe in every initiative we serve. Through all our work combined, we are spreading the gospel of Christ throughout East Africa while also attending to the physical needs of those who come to us. If you want to join our mission of helping the spiritual, mental, and physical needs of those in Uganda, prayerfully consider donating to us today!
