Dear friends,
I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the background story of how Dawn Fountain of Life Africa came about. I am Mugyenyi Simon, a second born in a family of six children from Bunusya parish in Mbarara District, Uganda.
Growing up, my parents were poor and struggled with alcoholism. As a result, my family did not have a good shelter or access to healthcare. I had to sleep on papyrus mats and my mother would cover us with her clothes. Despite the tough conditions, I managed to grow up by the grace and the mercies of God with the help of kind-hearted people who paid for my schooling and supported me financially.
In 2007, I got saved and accepted Jesus as my personal savior. I became devoted to the church and started ministering there. However, my family did not share my newfound faith and eventually chased me away claiming that we cannot have two religions in the same house.
With nowhere else to go, I started sleeping in the church. I eventually got a job and rented a single room with another brother from the church. It was during this time that I met a woman called Justine who was a widow but nicknamed as Metron in the same church, who had taken in a child named Ainembabazi Caroline whose mother abandoned her with her father then later on Caroline’s father got an accident that led to his death. Justine remained with Caroline struggling to provide for her.
One day, Justine came to me as a leader in the ministry and told me on what she was passing through as a widow with an orphan looking for advice from me. Then I responded by starting to care of the child.
Little did I know that God was calling me to the ministry of supporting children like Caroline?
I was deeply moved by Caroline’s situation, and I started supporting her financially and borrowing money to pay for her schooling. With time, God added more children to my care and I realized that this was my calling.
In September 2016, I decided to start Dawn Fountain of Life Orphanage Africa to help more children like Caroline and support widows in my community.
Starting an orphanage with only three children Ainembabazi Caroline, Katushabe Gift and Katusime Promise was not easy, and I had to borrow money and fundraise in the church to meet their needs. However, with the support of kind-hearted people like yourself, we now have over 64 children and 34 widows under our care.
Our organization has been a beacon of hope to abandoned children and has provided shelter, food, education, and love to those in need. We have been able to remove children from the streets and give them a family.
As we speak now Caroline completed her O level and now she is in the institution and the two girls are in secondary school. That’s how far we have come with the children but still going on with other children who are in nursery and primary levels.
Though we have 64 children and 34 widows under our care, the support is not enough and the community still asks for our support, we would support the children and the widows if we had enough support but because we don’t have, that’s why even the children we have haven’t yet reached where we want them to be
I would like to thank all those who have supported us financially, through volunteering, or through prayers. Without your help, we would not have been able to achieve our mission. We still have a long way to go, but with God’s grace and your continued support, we will continue to make a difference in the lives of those in need.
As you finish reading this story your most welcome to be part of us.
Every child deserves a family.
Thank you and God bless you all.
Yours sincerely,
+256 773 269151
Mugyenyi Simon
Executive Director.