About HOL UK

Hands of Love Orphanage & School, Uganda is home for nearly 500 children age 3 to 19 years. It was started in 2005 by Pastor Elijah Sebuchu and his wife Ruth when they and their own children had little to eat themselves.

With money that came to them from a legacy they were able to buy five acres of land in the Mayuge district to start the Hands of Love Orphanage and School in Namahdi (100 miles outside of Kampala).

The Mayuge district is very poor: even the poor of Uganda say it is poor!

In the beginning, the children and teachers lived in mud and stick buildings that Elijah and Ruth themselves helped to build. The orphanage started with nothing...no running water, electricity or toilets and little food.

The children slept on dirt floors with scarce bedding, few had clothing.

They were often hungry - some suffered from malnutrition.

There were outbreaks of Malaria, and some of the children suffered from painful boils caused by Jiggers (parasitic worms that burrow under the skin).

Foundation of HOL UK

John and Linda Gray, became UK co-ordinators of Hands of Love UK in 2005 after connecting with Pastor Elijah online. With Helen and Joan Moon they built a wonderful team of fund-raisers in their area and conditions for the children of Namadhi started to improve. Pastor Elijah spent time with HOL supporters in Stockon-on-Tees in 2007, visiting schools and churches in the area and friends in Scotland as well.

Moving Forward

In 2010 administration of the Charity moved to the Portsmouth area and it is now run by a new team with new contact details.

Over a 100 of our nearly 500 children are now sponsored, and some staff (who are all volunteers) receive small sums.

What your giving has achieved so far:

a goat farm;
a generator;
three large water butts (a well proved to be too shallow to produce much water);
a latrine;
an office for the headmistress;
a four classroom/dormitory block;
a wooden secondary school block;
a security fence all round the perimeter of the orphanage at Namadhi is nearly complete.

Children who are sponsored eat daily and have the assurance that someone cares about them.

Others have one meal of maize gruel a day but more when there is enough money.

The education of all of the children is a high priority.

Our Priority Planning List

Improved water supplies
Proper accommodation for teachers;
Fencing for the Goat Herd and a pedigree Billy Goat to improve the herd;
A second toilet to help prevent spread of disease;
A purpose built kitchen as the current cooking facilities are extremely basic.

To be a part of Hands of Love, please sponsor a child or provide a Gift of Love.