The Cross Healing Ministries is a Christian non-governmental organization (NGO) operating in Uganda.  Its founder, Pastor Odong George, began Cross Healing Ministries to extend hope and care to people affected by HIV/AIDS, poverty, drug abuse, domestic violence, and divorce. Pastor George leads The Cross Healing Ministries Church in Kampala, The Cross Healing Primary School in Lamwo, and the Lawmo Cross Healing Church.  

Engage Hope’s affiliation with Cross Healing Ministries began in 2013.  Since then, Engage Hope has focused on assisting the Cross Healing Primary School and the surrounding community.

In 2014, Engage Hope funded the construction of the first classroom blocks for The Cross Healing Primary School.  The school is in the district of Lamwo in far northern Uganda, just south of the South Sudanese border.  This area was devastated by the war with Joseph Koni and the Lord’s Resistance Army.  Hundreds of families were displaced, and the region left poverty-stricken. There are currently over 200 students receiving a Christian education in the primary school.  Engage Hope has assisted in the following:

• purchased and Installed a water collection system 
• purchased and installed solar panels and lights in the classrooms 
• provided mosquito nets for all sponsored children to help combat the spread of malaria
• drilled a water well for the school and community
• built an additional classroom block
• built the teacher’s quarters
• built the kitchen for the primary school 
• purchased and installed windows and doors in the Cross Healing Church in Kampala

Engage Hope also offers assistance through the following initiatives: 

Sponsor-a-Child – Through Engage Hope, generous individuals from the United States sponsor children in the Cross Healing program to provide them with a Christian education, minor medical care, a daily meal, and the teaching of life skills to enable self-sufficiency.

Short-Term Mission Trips – Engage Hope sponsors one to two short-term mission trips to Cross Healing Primary School annually.  The January trip is with First Baptist Church Covington out of Louisiana.  On each trip, team members share the gospel with students through Bible stories and arts and crafts.  Teams also provide medical and dental clinics, teacher training, men’s and women’s conferences, and door-to-door evangelism.  The goal of each Engage Hope trip is to share the gospel of Christ and make disciples by meeting physical needs, which opens the door to meeting spiritual needs.

Medical Outreaches – Malaria is a massive problem in the Lamwo area.  There is no medical clinic in the area, and it is not uncommon for adults and children to die of malaria – a disease easily treated with drugs that they cannot obtain.  On several occasions, Engage Hope has mobilized a medical team of doctors and nurses and sent them on the 8-hour drive from Kampala to Lamwo.  On one trip, 90% of those tested were positive for malaria!  The medical team treated them on the spot, and not one life was lost.  Engage Hope covered all the expenses of these trips, including the purchase of test kits, medicine, doctor’s fees, and transport.  

Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) – ACSI is an international accreditation organization that sets high standards and offers quality training and support for teachers in academics and biblical integration to increase the quality of Christian education.  Engage Hope paid for the Cross Healing Primary School’s membership in ASCI and for the headmaster and all teachers to attend the ACSI Transformational Teacher Training.

COVID Relief Fund – To prevent the spread of COVID, the Ugandan government locked down the country, including closing schools and prohibiting public and private transportation.  Engage Hope raised funds to send to Ministry Partners to help them purchase food for families of sponsored children and other families in their ministries who were going hungry.  Also, Engage Hope partnered with Prestonwood Baptist Church to send monetary gifts to the teachers in our ministries’ schools to help the teachers who were not getting full pay during the COVID lockdown.  

Yearly Meet the Need Campaign – Every summer, Engage Hope raises funds for our ministry partners that allow them to meet the greatest needs of the students in their programs.  Ministry Partners have distributed mosquito nets, mattresses, blankets, shoes, school supplies, soap, and many other necessities from funding provided by our Meet the Need Campaign.

Yearly Christmas Party – For years, Engage Hope has raised funds to give to each of our ministry partners to allow them to provide a Christmas party for the children in their programs.  The parties include a meal for the children, fun activities, and sharing the Christmas story of Jesus’ birth.  Children look forward to these parties all year long!

If you want to sponsor a child from The Cross Healing Primary School, please click here to be redirected to The Cross Healing Ministries’ sponsor page.