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Dear Friends and Family of Promise International,
| We invite you to be inspired by the stories of progress, encouragement and hope for a better future for the children we serve. |
Improved Diet at Gateway Mercy Orphanage
During her 2010 summer internship, Alexa Sendukas of Houston, made Promise International aware of an emergent need for the children at Gateway Mercy Orphanage. (See the story, “Lexie’s Story”) Lexie reported that the children were not getting enough  nutrition in their diet. In fact, the children were suffering from a skin rash brought on by malnutrition. For the most part their diet consisted of Posho (corn product) and beans. The Board of Directors for Promise International requested an accounting of the children’s diet. Gateway Mercy Administrator, Sylivia Nakabuye and Promise International Intern, Lexie Sendukas generated a detailed list of every food item purchased for meals at Gateway Mercy. Once it was made clear what the children were eating it became obvious that the meals were lacking in the daily sources of key vitamins and minerals required by growing children. In fact, it was a diet that consisted of mostly high glycemic index carbohydrates. The children never had eggs, almost never got fresh fruit, fresh greens or meat and milk was not reported. Read More
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Hero in the Dark
Highlight- Peter Mukasa-Magoye
by Weston Baccus
Peter Mukasa-Magoye is a dedicated volunteer with Promise International (PI), who is truly making a difference improving the lives of orphans and other needy children, in Uganda. Two names that describe Peter would be “the facilitator” and the “go to man.” He has several major projects that he is overseeing for Promise International. In an extended 10 week mission trip in Kampala, Uganda in the fall of 2010, Peter assessed and help facilitate some much needed changes at Gateway Mercy Ministries (GMM).One of the biggest problems he encountered was the dire food situation at Gateway Mercy Ministries. The children that live at Gateway Mercy receive porridge for breakfast and dinner. For lunch however, they are all given a meal consisting of beans and Posho. Posho is ground corn meal. This diet routine is repeated every day. The diet is very limited in nutritional value for growing children. Peter was the point man to bring immediate relief to the children by delivering a variety of nutritious foods. Furthermore, he spent several days at the home to train the Cook in the preparation of these foods.
Mr. Magoye spent much time during his 10 weeks in Uganda working on several tasks.
First, he searched for capable people to assess properly the curriculum offered by Promise International affiliated schools. This search is being done with the help of the recently appointed Chairman of the Promise International Ugandan Advisory Board Member, Dr. Gladys Bwanika, professor in the Zoology Department at the Makerere University of Kampala, Uganda. Read More |
Website Improved to Serve Donors and Volunteers
Brandon Heckler is one of the newest people to join Promise International (PI). He is skilled in the management of websites and has a heart for missions. Brandon takes the research and writing from a group of a growing team of Volunteers, and places those elements (whether it be news stories, photos or videos) onto the Promise International website. He started working a few months ago when PI wanted to create an updated website to share better the vision and goals of Promise International.
Brandon works closely with a team of Volunteers to build the webpage and convert it to a wide-screen, user friendly site. The team works hard to make every picture and story share the heart of Promise International.
PI Board Member, Julie Carson said, “The PI website is the public face of Promise International. When we encounter potential Donors and Volunteers, the website is the place where these people will come to begin the “due diligence” process, to determine if Promise International is a credible source for their hard earned “donor dollar” and their precious time as a volunteer.”
The Board of Directors thinks of Brandon Heckler as a God-send in that he is contributing his artistic and editorial skills, as well as contributing the technical side of maintaining a proper website. Brandon provided some insight into his involvement with Promise International and the new and improved website. Read More
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Promise Gets a Boost from African Connection in North Texas
Promise International has been reaching out to the needy children in Uganda since 1994. A small group of concerned Christians from Trinity Episcopal Church in Carrollton, Texas, asked founder, Israel Mwesigwa, to allow them to participate in this charitable work. Ten years later Israel heard about another small group of Christians working to provide help for needy children in his home country of Uganda. He sought this group out and discovered that it was headed by a sweet retired couple in Euless, Texas.
Carol and Wayne Housewright had developed a team of Donors who worked to supply the needs of what was known then as, Mercy Orphanage. Julie Carson, Promise International Board Member said, “Carol and Wayne are wonderful friends! They know how to make friends. And, they know how to be a friend. That simple skill generated deep relationships among quite a number of people. Those people began to bond to the needy children in Uganda.” Most of these Donors are members of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas. Read More |
Lexie’s Story
 When you first see Alexa Sendukas, you might say she looks like your typical “All American Girl.” But, when you begin to hear her speak of her time spent in the summer of 2010 at Gateway Mercy Ministries (GMM) in Uganda, you will soon find that she is anything but typical. Lexie is no stranger to missionary work. As a recent graduate of UT Austin, and now attending Law School at Georgetown University, Lexie has been on numerous mission trips in her young life. She spent time as a summer missionary in such far flung places as Guatemala, Central America and in the Middle East in Amman, Jordan. For the Summer of 2010, Lexie knew that she wanted to immerse herself in Africa. Lexie came to hear about Promise International through her mother, who is a close friend of Promise International Chairman of the Board, Lisa Erwin. Once it was decided that Lexie would make the trip to Uganda, she was tasked with gathering information on each child supported by Promise International. Lisa Erwin said, “I told Lexie that this was her mission trip; and she should only do as much as she felt comfortable doing. Read More
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The Promise International Children’s Development Centre in Uganda
This is a dual purpose project. It is to be the headquarters of Promise International in Uganda; and it is to provide a home for the children and core staff of Gateway Mercy Ministries. This facility will be the center of vocational and leadership training for all children served by Promise International.
Promise International has developed a five phase plan to complete the Development Centre:
Phase I – Acquire Land
A native Ugandan family has donated 1.5 acres of land for the Centre, on the outskirts of a highly desirable area known as Entebbe. This neighborhood is cleaner and far less congested than the inner city of Kampala, while at the same time being convenient to the local markets. It has a good road running along the southern end of the property; and an unpaved but usable road running along the eastern side. While this 1.5 acres is a good start, we realize that to provide residences, school buildings, playground and gardens would require even more land. So, Phase I is to purchase an additional 2 acres adjacent to the donated land. Read More
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Jiggers Prevention
 Jiggers infestation is rampant in Uganda. It is a disease that has sickened tens of thousand Ugandans in just the last several months. Jiggers can be disfiguring and debilitating. It can literally cause body parts, such as hands, toes and feet, to rot away. For children, Jiggers can be deadly.The ravages of Jiggers can be prevented through proper hygiene. Promise International is already upgrading our facilities to provide better hygienic conditions for our children. We have installed flooring at the Kihonge Community Development Center. This floor was provided by a generous and thoughtful Donor with medical training, who recognized that flooring is just as important to developing a sanitary environment as proper cleanliness and medications. Further, Promise International is in the process of building a new orphanage in the country to replace one that was initially established in a slum. Not only that, but it is important that each of the children served by Promise International have enclosed shoes to protect them from injury and disease. All of these seemingly far flung factors are contributors to sanitary conditions that prevent Jiggers and promote healthy children. Read More
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Promise International can care for orphans and other needy children because of YOU!
When we work together, we can lift a child out of poverty and neglect to a life of love and care…a life of expanding potential.
Thank You!!!
Promise International
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Transforming lives through faith, love, and learning
