by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

In August, we reported on the Machias-based charity, Little Hands of Hope, started by Kristen Johnson. The charity feeds and cares for street children in the town of Nyendo, Uganda. 

“Most of them are AIDS orphans,” said Johnson. Right now the organization provides food for anywhere from 40-100 children every night of the week.” In July, the charity completed construction of a building to house the children in the small village of Bulando, located approximately 7 miles from Nyendo. The home sits on 5 acres of land. 

Now, the village council has informed Little Hands that the home must have a source of fresh water before the children can move into the home. The total cost of building a well that will serve the home plus the entire village is estimated at $55,000. So far, Little Hands has raised $37,190.

“[Bulando] is a very poor village, there is no well for clean water in the whole village,” said Johnson.

“The pits for the bathrooms and shower rooms have been completed and the construction for the bathroom and shower room buildings is almost complete!” said Johnson. The beds for the home, paid for in part through the donations of the Larrabee Church Vacation Bible School, are also under construction.

Johnson said she hopes to move children into the home by Christmas. 

Little Hands runs two simultaneous fundraisers that donors may contribute to. One aims to raise the money needed to buy the food given to the children each night. Right now, they are collecting for December’s meals, and donations may be made by visiting: https://donorsee.com/project/1416

Donations for the construction of the well to supply fresh drinking water to the home and community may be made by visiting: https://donorsee.com/project/78.

For more information, visit www.littlehandsofhope.com.

Little Hands is working hard to reach their goal of building a well for the use of the children’s home and the village in which in. Right now, the villagers get their water from this small, muddy watering hole. Photo courtesy Kristen Johnson

Cissy Babirye and Dorothy Nakato are Ugandan four-year-old twins whose mother died. Their father moved, leaving them with an elderly grandmother who could not feed them. One day they found their way to the meal served by Machias-based Little Hands of Hope each evening. Now, Little Hands has done all the social work for the twins to live at the Little Hands of Hope Children’s Home when it opens, hopefully before Christmas.   . Photo courtesy Kristen Johnson