Building a Brighter Future Together
Join us in our mission to create lasting social change in Wider Hearts and beyond.
Building a Brighter Future Together
Join us in our mission to create lasting social change in Wider Hearts and beyond.
About Wider Hearts
Our Mission
Volunteer Opportunities
Our Programs
At Wider Hearts, our mission is to provide schooling, medical missions and village projects in Uganda. Projects in the USA are assistance to families struggling, a hand up to those in women and children's shelters, and assistance to those with addictions.
Our Programs
Volunteer Opportunities
Our Programs
In Uganda, our programs include a school, Children Of Faith Mission Education Centre in Jinja Uganda. Medical missions to assist those poverty, and village projects with use of goats, chickens, and pigs to give a hand up.
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteers are the backbone of our organization. We offer a variety of opportunities for individuals and groups to get involved and make a difference in the lives of those we serve.
Wider Hearts: Empowering Communities
Join Wider Hearts in Changing Lives
A Uganda Mission 2023
By: Bonnie Ziegler
First, being grateful for this opportunity, I would like to thank you for taking a
few minutes to read, reflect, and join with us this year. My name is Bonnie Ziegler, I am an MSN RN, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, who has worked in medicine for fifty years. I was able to purchase my mother's, Ada Robinson-Gilmour, family home here in Beaver, Utah thirty five years ago, then became a permanent resident, with my husband after retirement in 2020. This article is a story of abject poverty, entrepreneurial gifts, and a practice of giving a hand-up to a more sustainable future.
The first trip to Uganda took me by surprise. The year was 2011. How did I end up in Uganda? During a sermon in a Christian church, the minister said that we were called as individuals to pray and find our own mission. A few days later, another nurse at work invited me to Uganda. Really, I thought God had a wonderful sense of humor.
Stepping into the first Ugandan village, the poverty is startling and unimaginable, small, clay huts with dirt floors, no electricity, no plumbing. A cooking shack outside that is just a fireplace with a pot. No closets, no furniture, no wardrobe, no books, no toys, nothing. Little babies playing on the dirt outside with sticks. Outside the cities, slums built out of whatever is thrown away, covered with tin roofs stand, again no plumbing, and no electricity. In Uganda there are no free schools, and the hospitals and clinics have pay booths outside. If any person comes for medical care and does not have funds, they are turned away, no matter the circumstances. The kind of poverty that steals hope exists. This article shares how Wider Hearts was able to give hope by way of the village projects, the medical missions, and our school.
The village projects were started on the first visit using goats as a self-reliance incentive because animals are self-propagating. Uganda is a place where the natural grasses are four feet tall, and rain is plentiful. The goal was to sustain the usual one meal a day, and to pay for healthcare and education. After the second village was started, a woman and her baby son were introduced to me. She stated her c-section and transport to the hospital was paid for by the sale of her goats, this saved
two lives. This approach was able to impact people in dire poverty by use of farming and raising animals, leaving self-respect intact.
In 2011, the first medical mission also came about after a meeting with a local physician, Dr Moses Batwala. Our first team medical clinic cost was $100 USD, that covered a couple Ugandan nurses, medicine, and supplies, as well as aftercare. Once a year, Dr Moses goes to prisons in Uganda to treat inmates with medical care, and gifts of Bibles. We teamed up that first year and for all the years since, we have been blessed to work with him and his wife, Elenore.
That brings us to the largest project, a school in Jinja, Uganda. Education can give choices to children while bringing about change. The drop-out rate is close to 50%, worse for girls at 53%, according to Uganda National Board Examination.
Dropout rates in primary school are attributed to teen pregnancy, unaffordable school fees, and peer influence. Due to increased donations, Wider Hearts purchased land in Jinja, Uganda and we broke ground on what is now Children of Faith Mission Education Centre in 2018. This school is headed by Dr Moses and his wife, Elenore, who has thirty-six years in education and administration. My husband Mark and I are pleased to serve on the Board of Directors.
This year, we have 300 students attending. The fundraiser last year paid to add a kindergarten to the school. There is a large garden, a farm that is used to teach children animal husbandary. The pigs, chickens, goats, and alfalfa, along with a banana plantation, are all for ongoing self-sufficiency of the school. Teachers at the school are chosen carefully to impart all the necessary education, living skills, and Biblical knowledge that form a solid foundation for an improved life in Uganda.
Wider Hearts Foundation was created in 2013, as a non-profit, to fund the projects in Uganda, and here in the US. The U. S. projects have included families sponsored at Christmas, women with children in shelters, and sober living. Our fundraiser this year will focus on increased land, dorm rooms, and medical clinics, giving more children access to education, and healthcare. Wider Hearts Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non profit.The invitation is to come on out and join us in supporting a great cause.
Wider Hearts Foundation Fundraiser
100% of all proceeds go to: Children of Faith Mission Education Centre Admission Free -Donations accepted
Food and Beverages available for purchase September 30, 2023, at the Beaver City Center Gym
Address: 30 West 300 North Beaver, Utah 84713 Time: 4-8 PM
Band: Muddy Boots
Food: Jen Rubio
AuctionOur organization is dedicated to providing hope and support to those who need it the most. We believe that everyone deserves a chance to live a fulfilling life, and that through our efforts, we can make a real difference in the world. Join us in our mission to change lives and make a lasting impact on the world.
Volunteer Today
We are always looking for passionate and dedicated volunteers to help us carry out our mission. Whether you have a few hours to spare or want to make a long-term commitment, there are many ways to get involved and make a difference. Contact us today to learn more about volunteering with Wider Hearts.
Join Us
Help Our Cause
Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and fund our mission.