In the early 90s, my sister passed away and as our family mourned I was given the opportunity to adopt her children. At this time Uganda was experiencing many deaths from the AIDS epidemic that left many children without parents. Sadly, with debt our country was in no position to respond to this crisis or support all of its many children.

Finding purpose through loss and building from the ashes is the foundation of El Roi Ministries. After raising my sisters children with mine, we made a commitment as a family to take the resources we were given and share those blessings with the children of Uganda. Soon we were brought into fellowship with many people who shared our conviction. One person in particular was a woman with a large heart named Stacy Humphrey, who after the tragic death of her daughter Nancy, decided to provide the initial financial support for our school.

After this donation, we received 15 acres of land for our school from Mr. Edmund Kafanka an attorney in Uganda. This generous donation made it possible for us to begin building Stacy Humphrey Elementary Memorial and Vocational Academy. After the opening of the school we received donations from friends, family members, church members and support from New Vision Christian Ministries Int’l.

While Uganda has left the era of the AIDS epidemic, new challenges have formed serious barriers to the potential of Uganda’s children. Our students are dealing with generational poverty and often the loss of loved ones through sickness and the current global COVID-19 pandemic. Inflation and the global recession has made food prices, gas prices and basic necessities a challenge for many. Children often drop out and have to work to support their families. Many of our children had recently dropped out of other schools and have experienced deep poverty.

Stacy Humphrey Elementary Memorial and Vocational Academy was founded on family commitment. With years of training in the U.S., I became a social worker and a counselor with decades of experience supporting families and children in California. Currently, we are taking our training and career journey to lay down the foundation of a school that draws out the brilliance, creativity, strength, and intellect each child posses that walks through our doors.

Our work in Kabuweri is led by Pastor Edward Munabi and his wife Nurse Juliet Munabi. These two leaders are the foundation of our administration leading our staff, programming and community engagement. While we focus on children we have a heart for families . We see our school as an extension of each child’s support network. It is our sincere belief that quality education and vocational training is the foundation of creative and self sufficient communities.