Orphans: Bethany Village/Father Jerry Academy

Makonge Village was hell on earth when we first arrived on scene in 2011, an intensely dark place. They still remind us we were the first white folks to ever stay there overnight. They honestly didn't know what to do with us!

We discovered a region of hopelessness, devastation, and the most grinding poverty we've ever encountered. All of the young men from late teens to middle age were killed in a tribal genocide fueled by national elections. The widows were prostituting themselves for kerosene so their children could have light at night to study in their huts.

With your love and support, we started right to work. Orphans were taken in, clothed, and loved. Widows were supported and empowered.  Solar lights and water filters killed the prostitution overnight. The Gospel of the Kingdom was proclaimed. The widows have taken the Gospel of the Kingdom of Christ to the surrounding villages! To God be the glory!

We started out as a "school under a tree" for orphans and vulnerable children with volunteer, unaccredited teachers. From there, we moved into mud huts where the children sat on the ground in the dirt to learn. Today, we have 370 children pursuing their dreams at a fully accredited campus and the county's number one-ranked school!