We are so excited to be starting 2019 off with the addition of a brand new Forward Edge ministry location.
Our newest Child Sponsorship program, Light A Candle, serves 400 children in some of the most difficult areas of Kampala, Uganda. Kampala comprises 3.5 million people within the city limits, including 57 slum areas where the poorest of the poor reside. Of those living within these slums, 50% are children under the age of 15.
Slum life is one of abject poverty, poor sanitation and exposure to high crime. Most families have little to no income and have to try and sell any trash they can find on the street for something to eat. Prostitution and drug use are common and law enforcement is very poor. Most children have only one parent, or none at all, due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic; they are not in school and are left alone a lot which puts them at very high risk of abuse, assault, and sexual exploitation.
Just like most African countries, Uganda has experienced a lot of political instability which has affected its social and economic growth. As a result, the rate of orphaned children and poverty continues to increase annually.
By providing meals, education, and mentoring, we are giving these precious children opportunities that brighten their futures, protect them from disease, crime, drugs, sexual abuse, and help them reach their full, God-given potential.
You can offer these children hope through becoming a child sponsor. Please visit our Uganda Child Sponsorship page to meet our new kids! If you have any questions or would like more information about Uganda or any of our other ministry locations please contact us at children@forwardedge.org. We look forward to hearing from you!
You can also serve these children, their families, and community personally by taking a team of 10 or more on a short-term mission trip to uganda!
The past two years have been particularly hard for children in Uganda. Schools remained shut through most of the pandemic. Light a Candle, our program there, worked tirelessly to help these children succeed in their education despite the seemingly impossible situation. Despite school closures, children have remained committed to pursuing
2025 was filled with moments that reminded us why every story matters. From clean water in Uganda to a young woman’s graduation in Mexico, each glimpse reflects the hope God is building through our Forward Edge Family. Read on for just a few of the lives changed this year—thanks to your faithful support and partnership.
By Melanie Kruse Off On a Mission Trip I’ve never been on a mission trip like this. This was the first time we served with Forward Edge and the first time our two daughters had joined us, but that’s not what made it different. On this trip I didn’t cry.
Berenice was used to seeing the same narrative play out around her growing up: a life marked by poverty, wealth inequality, and barriers to education. Most families in her area in Oaxaca, Mexico have traditionally come from smaller villages in search of a better life and are facing severe unemployment
10 yrs. old
Entered the program: March 2025
Jamesly lives with his father and two brothers in a rented room of a house with a sheet metal roof. They share one bed. Cooking and toilet facilities are outdoors and shared with other neighbors. They have no electricity and collect water from a public spigot that they boil to drink.
Jamesly’s parents are not together. His father works as a casual laborer who looks for odd jobs to provide for his children. The family usually has only one meal a day.
Plus bonus group fundraising ideas!
