The Uganda Program focuses on refugees, pastors and church leaders attending the 100-day International Leadership Training Program (ILTP) in Kampala. Upon completion of class studies, students participate in a six-week field placement in rural churches throughout Uganda.
Background: Uganda
The International Leadership Training Program (ILTP) is led by Kenyan-born Anne Mwangi, who has operated the school in a poor neighbourhood in Kampala for 6 years. ILTP funnels 20-30 students through its course every 16 weeks at a cost of $250 each. Students pay with what they have: beans, corn, flour or cassava. Most have no money but are asked to contribute in some way. Currently, some students are Kenyan refugees who arrived after the recent political uprising in that country. Most have been involved in ministry before they fled their countries and have been pastoring fellow refugees.
Training and Discipleship - Anne Mwangi developed the leadership training and discipleship focused curriculum with the help of a team of indigenous pastors from Kenya, the Congo, and Uganda. Classes are taught in English from March to June and September to December each year. After the coursework is completed, the students participate in a six-week field placement in rural churches throughout Uganda. Hundreds of people have come to know the love of God and churches have been planted as a result of Impact Uganda.
Serving Kampala Street Children - Motivated to serve their community, the leadership and trainees established a children's program for about 60 neighbourhood children between the ages of 5 and 13, most of whom do not attend school because tuition is out of reach. Many of the children are IDPs from the north. They arrive at the ILTP gate hungry. Some are HIV positive. ILTP provides clothing and food when they have it to share. These children need shoes, books, and school supplies.
Ministries Outside of Kampala - ILTP students often travel to the north of Uganda to serve widows and orphans and to teach leadership skills. Widows are among the most vulnerable people in Ugandan society. The loss of a spouse often results in severe economic hardship. The family of the husband may lay claim to all jointly owned possessions and the widow is often left with nothing and little or no marketable skills. Worse, many of these widows have been the victims of rape in the recent war and are accused of having "bad blood" and shunned by their community. ILTP students serve widows with donations of food and clothing and much needed encouragement. Anne Mwangi plans to establish a new tailoring school for these widows. In addition, as many as 50 children, who were born as a result of rape have been abandoned in Apac and Anne would like to support these children as funds become available.
A Network of Training Centres - Anne Mwangi is a leader of leaders who has recently set in place a network of training centres across eastern Africa. New ILTP sites include Eiford, Congo; Edj, Congo; Arua, north-western Uganda; Apac, northern Uganda; Kiboga, central Uganda; Nimule, Southern Sudan; Juba, Southern Sudan; Sironko, eastern Uganda; and Kajo Keji, Southern Sudan.
International Teams' Involvement
International Teams contributes with tuition assistance, rent for the ILTP building and some funding for food and supplies (including first aid kits), for the school and for the weekly children's program. Short-term teaching teams have passed through Kampala and contributed to the quality of education at ILTP. International Teams hopes to further support ILTP with interns in future. International Teams plans to purchase property to construct a new training facility for ILTP in Kampala.
Impact Uganda
