Purpose for the TripThe purpose for this trip was to view firsthand the situation in Kiryandongo Refugee Camp in the Bweyale region of western Uganda, where some 53,000 South Sudanese refugees are living. These people have fled the warfare resulting from the incursion of Muslim militia fighters from Sudan in the north, but they are also running away from intertribal warfare within South Sudan itself. The y have found their way over the border into Uganda, where the United Nations and the Ugandan government have set up 13 camps like Kiryandongo, which is the largest one.When I began organizing Africa Sunrise Communities and trying to decide what my focus should be in working with my own people, I had thought that my mission was to return to Uganda to work within this refugee camp in setting up an elementary school, teaching the children, and, through them, begin to reach their parents with Christ’s message of peace and reconciliation. However, this trip showed me that there are already educational opportunities available for children in the camp.
Conditions Within the Camp Several organizations are working within the camp. These include the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, International Rescue Committee, Windle Trust International, and several others.This Kiryandongo refugee settlement is on 27 square miles and contains a total of 18 “clusters.” Clusters are structured and designed to ease management of people and are basically smaller groups of people, families living together with an elected leader and supportive community structures.There is now much more tribal diversification in the camp than what I found when I was there last in 2014, though the Dinka and the Nuer tribes are still the largest groups.Living conditions are very primitive, with no running water or electricity. Homes are mostly mud huts. There are many water wells available, so water does not seem to be in short supply.There are schools, all of which charge at least a minimal tuition fee, even if they are called “free” schools. All children must purchase uniforms to attend school. School fees for children are typically about $12 tuition per child per month. One uniform costs around $9.School materials, such as chalkboards, textbooks, exercise books, etc., are procured by the United Nations. Because of all the variety of dialects spoken within the camp, the schools are taught in English. Most of the orphan children are out of school, as they have no one to pay their tuition and fees and to buy them uniforms.
Orphans Will Become My New FocusI learned that the one group that is not being served well in the camp is that of young orphans. These boys and girls have lost their families to war and have fled alone to the refugee camp, much as I did at the age of 7 when war first broke out between Sudan and South Sudan. While they may be assigned in the camp to other families in which to be raised, the truth is that many of these children end up abandoned and having to fend for themselves. I am beginning to see that my focus should be on these children.From what I could find out, the official number of orphan children is 1,800 within the camp, but the chances are good that there are many more not included in this official count.These children are in need of a place of their own – a safe place to sleep, where they can be taken care of, with food available, with the means to go to school, and a place to come back to after school. Group homes seem to me to be the best way to care for the children. A group home would house 10-12 young children, ages about 4-10. Setting up such a group home will involve renting a dwelling within the camp and hiring a woman or a couple to be houseparents to see to the needs of the children.Where Do I Go From Here?It is necessary for me to set up a local non-government organization (NGO) with a different name, as my American-based Africa Sunrise Communities will not be recognized in Uganda. My local Ugandan organization’s name will be “Rising Hope Africa.” One of the reasons for my trip to Uganda was to begin the process of setting up this organization and registering it with the Ugandan authorities. The registration process is complicated by the fact that I am not a Ugandan citizen. I am in the process of filling out the registration forms and sending them back to Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Each step in this process calls for the payment of fees, such as the $150 registration fee, which I must send back with the papers.When Rising Hope Africa is registered in Uganda, I will have to set up a physical office in Kampala, which is about 3 hours away from the camp. This means renting office space there. The office will need to be staffed, at last minimally. This demonstrates to the Ugandan government that my intentions are to stay in Uganda and to work with government and other officials within the refugee camp. I will be partnering in every way possible with the Ugandan government and the United Nations and other NGOs working there.How You Can Help 
I am currently raising support to enable my family and myself to relocate to East Africa. As my family will not be living within the refugee camp themselves, I must set up a home for them, in Uganda or in Kenya, and send my children to school. I myself will also not be living in the refugee camp, but must find lodging nearby.It will cost $100,000 for the first year. This amount includes travel to Uganda, renting and setting up a home there, getting the children settled in school, finding a place for me to live, setting up an office in Kampala, renting and setting up an orphan group home in the refugee camp, hiring houseparents, in-country transportation costs, my salary, and ministry expenses. After that, my personal expenses will be $50,000 per year (including salary, living expenses, transportation, fees, etc.,) and the cost for running one group home will be $30,000 per year. Africa Sunrise Communities needs partners who will come alongside and commit to this ministry. We need you to pledge to give regularly (monthly, quarterly, or yearly) at a level that you can give to sustain this work. If one hundred supporters would pledge to give $100 a month, that would provide funds for me to go back to East Africa and to begin the ministry to which God has called me. Will you partner with me to help the orphan South Sudanese refugee children in Kiryandongo Camp? Will you support me in my mission to bring hope, education, and the Good News of Jesus Christ to my people? May God bless you as you consider partnering with me in this work.Jacob Guot, Executive Director and Founder
My trip to Uganda is now underway. I am going to Bweyale Refugee Camp to make a general assessment of the situation there. I will meet with leaders of the refugees to talk about their needs and to assess the children’s educational needs from pre-school to 12th grade. I need to know which agencies are working in education in the camp, what they are doing, and how I can partner with them. I will meet with three groups of leaders: Sudanese refugees (Dinka, Nuer, and others); local Ugandan civil authorities in the camp; and officials from the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR).I am going to Kampala to register as a local organization in Uganda. I will register as Living Hope Africa, which will function as the local arm of Africa Sunrise Communities. Fundraising in the U.S. will continue to flow through Africa Sunrise Communities. A local organization gives me freedom to do work in Uganda as a US-based one will not allow me to work there.In Nairobi I will be visiting the family of refugees whom I am supporting.I will go to Juba, South Sudan, to learn about four orphaned Dinka children from my village of Bor. Their parents were killed during a conflict in Bor; they were abducted by the Murle tribe but handed back to the UNHCR during negotiations. The UN contacted me to see if I could support these children, who are in a UN refugee camp in Juba: one 5-year old, two 6-year-olds, and one 7-year-old.I will be helped by Lual, who is my cousin. He lives in Juba and knows how help me negotiate the various officials and departments I must meet with.Please pray for me during this trip, that I might be able to meet with the right people and make the right contacts, and that the next steps for Africa Sunrise Communities/Living Hope Africa will become clear.My trip to Uganda will cost approximately $7,500. This will take care of airfare, food, lodging, and ground transportation, visas, organization registration fees, etc. If you can help me meet these financial obligations, please send a check to Africa Sunrise Communities, PO Box 82, Wilmore, KY 40390 or visit our website at 
The Lost is Found: A “Lost Boy’s” Story of Faith, Hope, Charity, and Love is now available in paperback from Amazon. My book tells my story of running for my life at age 7 as radical Muslims attacked my village in Sudan, and spending the next 14 years either on the run or living in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. I came to the United States as a “Lost Boy” of Sudan in 2001 and since then have learned a new language, become an American citizen, and obtained an education. Now that I have graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary, I am turning my attention to raising funds through Africa Sunrise Communities to fulfill my mission to help bring education, peace, and reconciliation to South Sudanese refugees in Bweyale Refugee Camp in Uganda. My people of South Sudan need the opportunity to obtain an education and to find a better way to live together if my country is to grow and prosper.A portion of proceeds from the purchase of this book will go to support the mission of Africa Sunrise Communities. An EBook will be available soon and you can 
Several other Asbury Seminary students and I went to Costa Rica for a week-long workshop in June. My experience to Costa Rica was wonderful and I loved it. One of the strong points of Costa Rica is that it an extremely peaceful country. They even did away with their army in 1949 and all of their crime problems are handled by their police force. Everywhere you go the people are very welcoming as they greet you with smiles and seem happy to see you. It has become known as an unchanged tropical paradise due to its quiet history as a backwoods area, which protected it from early historical colonial turmoil and exploitation. Today’s Costa Rica cashes in on its purity and cleanliness. It has a famous jungle awning and they have constructed an “awning walk” tour that lets you travel through the jungle like a monkey. It’s also known for its zip-lining tours. There are world-famous surfing waves on the beaches on both sides of the country and they are known as one of the top three surfing destinations in the world. In addition to all of the exciting and adventurous things to do in Costa Rica, it is also a great place for those who just need a break in between adventures or who want a time of rest and relaxation. The rainy season can be the best time to go since it is not so crowded.
to support them and then later backing out because the ministry had not been what they expected. “I am not saying that this is what you will do, amigo,” Alex said. “I am praying for your mission. I have a lot of sympathy for what you have been through and I know that God is on His throne. At the same time I worry about your family. I know you have already paid a heavy price and that God has given you a mission, but be careful in your journey and with the people who come alongside to help you.”