Update from July 4th, 2024 : 
It is a great misfortune that our orphanage building caught fire on the night of July 3rd, 2024. All the few possessions the orphans owned along with their home were lost in the flames. We are incredibly grateful that every child made it out of the fire and is safe. However, everyone is very shaken up and frightened by what has happened. The children are scared and devastated.

 

Not much survived the fire. We do not know the extent of the damage to the building yet and will have an estimate for repairs after the investigation into the cause of the fire is complete and we have had professionals evaluate the damage. The police department is conducting the investigation now and we expect some news from them on Monday. We have attached some photos of the orphanage’s interior following the fire. Some of the metal bed frames remain standing. All of the children’s clothes, school supplies and possessions are gone.

Thanks to your support we have been able to obtain those things that we most urgently needed. We now have bedding, pots, pans and other cooking supplies, and some food. Thank you so very much for your prayers and your readiness to send aid. We have felt your encouragement and love and are very grateful. The children are temporarily sheltered in other buildings at Gonza House including our small office building and the chicken coop. All of our buildings are surrounded by a perimeter wall and are well protected. The only building to catch fire was the orphanage building. The school building (now operating as a church), the bathrooms, the water tower, the office building and the chicken coop are all still standing.

 

Right now our greatest need is clean water. While our well and water tower were unaffected by the fire, our well’s water pump is solar powered and our solar panels were located on the roof of the orphanage building. They are beyond repair and we will need a new water pump to have our well working again. We are choosing to replace the well’s water pump with an electric pump because we now have electricity at Gonza House and these are much cheaper than solar powered pumps. The cost is about $500 for the new water pump. While there are other needs, this is our highest priority at the moment and we thank everyone who prays and otherwise helps us with this goal.

The children are being strong and are all well. It was a frightening night for them on the night of the fire, but they have been greatly reassured by those around them and by the prayers many are offering up for them. The children who have lost their school uniforms in the fire are still attending school without their uniforms and we are trying to maintain a routine and sense of home for them. Thank you for all the encouragement you have sent.

Update from July 10th, 2024 :

We have good news for you in this update! We have been able to replace the water pump for our well thanks to the speedy generosity shown to us. We were expecting what clean water remained in the well to be gone the very next day when the funds arrived to replace the well pump. We can not be more glad of it!

The old well pump was powered by solar panels that were located on the roof of the orphanage building that caught fire. The panels were completely destroyed in the fire. The pump suffered severe damage in the fire as well due to the electrical connections the fire was able to travel through. You can see photos of the old and new water pumps in the update along with photos of the new water pumps’ installation. The new pump is entirely electrically powered and does not need solar panels. This was a more affordable replacement because of the cost of the solar panels.

 

We do not have professional estimates for the building repairs yet, but we do have news from the investigation about the cause of the fire. The investigation revealed that the fire started in the kitchen area. We cook over wood fires and those fires can remain hot after they are put out. It seems the cook fire reignited in the night from the hot coals. From there the fire traveled to the boys bedroom in the orphanage and spread through the electrical wiring of the building. The roof has been badly damaged and all the possessions inside the building were consumed by the fire. Thankfully, the fire did not spread further than the orphanage building to the other buildings.

Lastly we must inform you that it is currently the rainy season in Uganda. This brings several challenges to Gonza House. The likelihood of rain will be increasing as time progresses and with this increase comes an increase in mosquitoes and the need to shelter inside. In the short term we will need shoes or boots to keep the children’s feet safe in the muddy waters and mosquito nets to prevent the spread of malaria and other diseases through mosquitoes. Looking further ahead, we hope to have the orphanage building restored as soon as possible. The temporary accommodations we have made in our small office building and in the chicken coop are not good for the rainy season when we must shelter together in a small space.

Update from July 18th, 2024 : 

It has already been two weeks since the fire destroyed the orphanage at Gonza House Ministries. We are so grateful for all of the support and love we have seen from everyone in that time. We are pleased to let you know that our immediate needs have been generously covered. It’s now that we have clothes, food, clean water, etc. that we turn our attention to the cost of reconstruction.

We have had a professional give us an estimated cost of the reconstruction of the orphanage. Part of the structure will need to be demolished. The roof and upper portion of the walls and the ceiling will need to be rebuild. Because the fire spread through our electrical wiring, the entire building will need to be rewired also. To cover the cost of materials and labor, we have an estimate of $7,500. We have updated the GoFundMe goal to reflect the amount needed for both the reconstruction and for the immediate needs that have already been covered.

We will work to rebuild the orphanage as funds come in and will give updates along the way. We are anxious to have suitable housing again. The current accommodations we have for the children are not ideal. The other structures we are sheltering in now have window openings without glass, cement floors and too little space for everyone. There is a dampness that is unavoidable in our rainy season that has caused some of the children to have pneumonia. We have used the generous funds provided to us to purchase bedding, mattresses and mosquito nets that add comfort from the cold, the hard ground and the elements. We are doing the best we can to make the chicken coop and the small office building a comfortable and safe temporary shelter.

We do not know how long we will have to have the children stay there and have concerns for their health. We pray that we are quickly able to rebuild and that there are no more illnesses while we work to reconstruct the orphanage. We ask that you please pray for us in this also. If you are able to share our fundraiser with your friends and family, that would be a huge help also.

 

How to Help: 
1.) Pray for Gonza House Ministries, for the children, and for the staff. Pray for strength, for comfort, for encouragement, for good health. Pray so we can make it through the dark times equipped with all the blessings the Lord gives us through your prayer. 

2.) Give to our fundraiser. A donation of $5 or $10 is what we are asking. We have so many who love the children at Gonza House and we know that every contribution helps. The link to our fundraiser is here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-rebuild-gonza-house-orphanage

3.) Share our story and our fundraiser. Tell your friends and family about Gonza House and our needs. It is a beautiful thing when many come together to help. 

4.) Write a letter or draw a picture for the children at Gonza House to let them know that you are praying for them. It is a huge encouragement for the children to know that are not forgotten while they heal from the trauma of loosing their few things and their home. You can send letters to us at our email: gonzahouse52@gmail.com 

5.) Sponsor a child. If you have learned about Gonza House through this fire and wish to make a lasting impact, you can ask to sponsor a child. This provides education and hope for a future outside of poverty. Reach out to us at our email with any questions about sponsorship you may have: gonzahouse52@gmail.com