Kerith Ministries was established in 2009 by Pastor Samuel Mwesigwa and his wife Mercy in Pallisa District, Uganda. Approximately 13% of the total population of children living in the rural Pallisa District area are considered to be "vulnerable children". Kerith Ministries was created with a mission to serve and protect the most vulnerable children and to share the love of Christ within the Pallisa community. The ministry strives to carry out this mission by focusing on activities and resources that involve protecting vulnerable children and orphans. These resources include providing quality Christian education, providing food and shelter for needy and orphaned children, and sharing a holistic Gospel message of hope with the local community.
Kerith Ministries is a ministry of River of God Full Gospel Church, which Pastor Sam founded with his wife Mercy, as a church-plant in the district after leaving Jinja, Uganda's second larget city. The couple also started a primary school that currently has over 450 students in attendance each day, including a special needs class. After Pastor Sam and his wife took in 6 orphans and began fostering them at their home they decided to open Kerith Children's Home in 2014. Kerith Children's Home is now a permanent home to over 30 children who were either orphaned, neglected or abandoned. Kerith Children's Home provides these precious children with a nurturing, Christ-centered home, nutritious food, health care, education, clothing, school supplies, and other personal care items.
Kerith Ministries is also involved in numerous agricultural projects that provide a consistent source of food for the children at Kerith Children's Home and Kerith Primary School. Most recently, they launched the Kerith Skills Center, which provides vocational training in carpentry, tailoring, and metalwork, and information technology.
Leader: Pastor Samuel & Mercy Mwesigwa
A few months back Man Up provided a gift to Kerith ministries of $5000 to help us acquire tools to equip the carpentry and fabrication Skills Center department. The goal was to provide men with the skills who can't afford to pay for such training, yet they have the capacity to learn. Since we received the funds, we purchased the needed equipment to start the trainings. We started with 12 men, 8 of them were doing welding and fabrication and 4 were doing carpentry. These men have been dedicated to train and now they are able to make good products like beds, chairs, and stools. Our ministry has also benefited because the men can do maintenance on our furniture at Kerith School & Children’s Home. These men currently are also able to make some little money through repairs or making products from people outside Kerith. This has given them hope for a better living and future. After this success, through the Man Up Country Director, Geofrey Ochari, we are ready for any man graduating from the AMP Program recommended by him to come and get the training. We are also targeting young men who have dropped out of school or who have rehabilitated from drug abuse and domestic abuse from the district of Pallisa and beyond. We want to appreciate the trust and partnership with Man Up that brings transformation in the lives of people. Pastor Samuel Mwesigwa
In March, Man Up took a team of college football players to Uganda where they worked along side some Ugandan men mixing concrete and laying bricks for a new dormitory building at Kerith Children's Home.