Stories

Transformation among the Ik In the photo, from right to left is Amos Epau (a teacher), Dan Ezama (a Nurse), Bosco Ocan (social worker) and James Nahate (Administrator). These are the four young missionaries who have been sent by Global Link Afrika to serve in a HARD TO REACH place; IK community in Timu sub-county, Kaabong District, North Eastern Part of Uganda. The IK community is the smallestethnic group in Uganda, they are highly marginalized due to their location (the horn of the Uganda). They are a bit unique and live a different lifestyle from real Karamojongs. Addressing Key Needs Although there are many needs in this community, the GLA team has identified four priority areas to focus their efforts: education, health, community development, and gospel transformation. These initiatives aim to uplift the Ik people and create lasting change. 1. Transforming Education The Ik community has long struggled with access to quality education. With only two primary schools in the area, and both ending at Primary Four, many children would finish their education prematurely. Recognizing this need, GLA has taken significant steps to change the narrative. The missionaries have partnered with Timu Primary School, which now has an enrollment of 764 students. In 2023, GLA introduced a Primary Five class, and the dream is to have the school offer up to Primary Seven by 2025—a milestone that will be a first in Timu’s history. However, challenges remain. Classrooms for upper primary students are non-existent, and temporary structures are urgently needed. GLA is working to mobilize 100 iron sheets for roofing and has tasked the local community with providing poles for construction. The cost of each sheet is UGX 50,000, and the total budget for this project is UGX 5,000,000. Additionally, some classes, such as Primary One B, are held under trees, leaving students vulnerable to weather disruptions. Temporary shelters are essential to ensure uninterrupted learning. 2. Improving Healthcare Healthcare in Timu Sub-county is scarce, with only one Health Center II located far from many households. Residents in remote areas like Tul-Tul Parish must walk 11 kilometers and climb hills to access medical services. GLA missionaries have stepped in to bridge this gap. Using a motorbike as an ambulance, they transport patients in emergencies to the health facilities and sometimes when referred, they ride to Either Kamion Health Center III or Kaabong Referral Hospital. However, maintaining this service is costly, with monthly expenses for fuel and servicing amounting to UGX 160,000. The team’s professional nurse also provides valuable community health education, covering topics such as hygiene, malaria prevention, and clean water practices. During a 2023 medical camp, the nurse treated schoolchildren using a basic first aid kit provided by GLA. 03. Spreading the Gospel Spiritual transformation is at the core of GLA’s mission. The team conducts Bible studies with local churches that is Kapalu PAG church and Tul-tul Anglican, door-to-door evangelism, and discipleship programs for youth and children at Tul-tul, Kapalu, compassion Children Timu and Kaabong Archdeaconry compassion Children in Kaabong town. Morning devotions at Timu Primary School inspire both students and staff, while guidance and counseling sessions support teenagers in navigating life’s challenges. Through the Compassion project, GLA is discipling 30 children and leading Bible studies for 230 others. The impact is clear: these efforts are sowing seeds of faith that will shape the community for generations. 04. Encouraging Community Development The missionaries lead by example, practicing agriculture to inspire the Ik people to embrace farming as a path to self-sufficiency. Since 2021, their efforts have motivated the community to engage in agriculture, and by 2023, noticeable improvements were evident. A Vision for Holistic Transformation GLA’s work among the Ik people is not merely about addressing immediate needs. It is a journey of holistic transformation, touching both the spiritual and physical aspects of life. The missionaries believe that by nurturing the younger generation, the Timu Sub-county will be a different place a decade from now. Through dedication and collaboration, GLA and the Ik people are proving that even in the remotest corners of Uganda, change is possible. Written by Bosco OcanMissionary among the Ik, Kaabong District

Hope to the People of Ik Through Education Nahate James is my name,  born from Sironko district, Eastern Uganda, and has been a missionary with Global Link Afrika since February 2022. I am currently serving alongside 3 other GLA missionaries among the Ik people group in Ik county, Kaabong district, Karamoja region. The beauty of Ik The Ik community is a small group of people who are at the border with Kenya and South Sudan, they speak Ik language. I had known Karamoja region to be a very dry place and hot as I earlier on read and heard to my surprise, Ik is quite different, God has blessed it with cool weather, green scenery and the Rift Valley which makes Ik very beautiful and amazing. From business administration to missionary teacher Much as my background is in Business Administration, I am currently serving as a missionary teacher at Timu primary school teaching mathematics and CRE in primary 3 and 4. Ik community has only two community primary schools expected to serve the community of over 4,000 children and both schools stop in primary 4. By the grace of God, He enabled us to start primary five, we pray that God may graciously help the school to go up to primary seven, and provide for classroom blocks, more teachers, and scholastic materials in the school for sustainability. As we use education as our entry point for mission, we pray for the gospel to transform the lives of these Ik Children to the glory of God. The needs: The security situation among the Ik remains uncertain because of their geographical location between two pastoralists communities of Turkanas in Kenya and Dodos in Uganda making the land unsecured sometimes because of cattle raiders from both sides. Pray that God would protect us amidst these situations to continue to serve the Ik people holistically with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The community especially Timu where we live needs a health facility to respond to the health needs in the community. On our team, we have a nurse who does community health and referral of patients to the health Centre 2 which is aver 10 kilometers from Timu village and this distance makes it hard for patients and expectant mothers to easily access health services on time making us lose lives of some people with emergency situations.   As missionaries from other cultures and languagesserving among the Ik people, language barrier has been a hindrance to our ministry since we depend on the few interpreters who stopped in primary 4 and knows little English for proper interpretations. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our interpreters to get critical message we communicate for the gospel to be easily understood by the people as we proclaim the gospel to the IK people. Pray for boldness to proclaim this gospel among the Ik people and for us to be able to learn the Ik language where possible God being our helper Testimony of God’s sovereign hand at work: Besides Ik being a challenging mission placement, God is sovereign and the Ik people are getting the gospel. I was amazed by one of the children when I asked him why he believes in Christ, he told me “Because Christ will receive him one day when he dies”. The children I teach at school used to bath after a week or more but now through our sanitation and hygiene teachings at school, most of them are now smart and we are happy and for those who come to school dirty, we bring them in front of others to laugh at them, then the following day they come when they are clean and now their parents have started to adopt to the culture cleanliness from their children. When we introduced leadership in the school they voted for their leaders for the first time since their school started and this is now helping them to practice leadership skills. Our school head boy can now conduct an assembly alone without our help, we are so proud of him. This leadership development has started impacting the church because we have started seeing our children taking on leadership positions in their churches. We thank God for all the great work He is doing and He is calling us to participate in His mission among the Ik people.

Called to Deliver Babies in Kwania I am Never Jacqueline Gracious a midwife by profession and currently serving alongside 1 other GLA missionary at St. Peter’s Church of Uganda under the diocese of West Lango and St. Luke Health Centre Aduku in Kwania district, Northern region of Uganda. The call to serve I responded to the call to serve as a missionary last year December 2022 immediately I completed my training as a midwife. After reaching home back from School, I had drawn a lot of strategy for my targeted goals which all of them needed önancial support by this year and next year, but in Janjanuary 2023, I received a call from my best friends Rev. Catherine whom I call my mum requesting me to join my friend Charlotte in Kampala at GLA’s office for a missionary internship opportunity. Knowing very well that the school requires us to do 3 weeks internship before we pick our results so I thought it was only a medical internship of which I thought of participating for 3-6weeks, so I reported only to experience more of Biblical teachings throughout which I didn’t mind because I am a born-again Christian. Then I began to battle with the Lord on how to decide for me whether to quit or to continue even if it was going to take the whole year and interrupt my plans, so I kept praying to God then one day during a session of PARTNERSHIP ” I made up my mind to quit as I was praying, I then heard a voice telling me to Read “Isaiah: 6:1-8, the voice spoke 3 times I knew it was God so read it and I learned that God was looking for someone to send to deliver his word then Isaiah had to respond that he could go. I am grateful to God for speaking to me and I have dedicated this year to thanking God for this far he has brought me. My role in serving the community are both spiritual and physical. Having prayer session with clients most especially during Antenatal care service, Immunization of babies and even when treating the sick one so that God can guide me as well as heal them. I also participate in leading the Church activities with my colleague. At the church, I and my colleague have organized outreach activities to nearby schools for evangelism. We need supportive prayers to bring more people to the churches especially the youths. I thank God for the grace to carryout guidance and counseling sessions with ANC mothers and married couples, and to offer safe delivery services by the help of the Almighty God who is the author of life. have experienced God a lot mostly during the GLA training sessions and even in the öeld when leading the congregation on how to live there life and more during counseling of married couples basing on the fact that I always point them to God in all their problems. One outstanding story is during an open air prayer outside the market square where the community turned up and we hard great moments of worship and praying for the sick who experienced healing and deliverance.   “I thank God for the grace to carry out guidance and counseling sessions with ANC mothers and married couples, and to offer safe delivery services by the help of the Almighty God who is the author of life”