Epikos helps support a Christian school and orphanage in Ntandi, Uganda. Ntandi is a village in western Uganda in a zero-income area near the Congo border and in the shadow of the Ruwenzori mountains.

An Epikos family built the orphanage from the ground up. It provides a home for 50 children whose parents died from war, malaria, or AIDS. The orphanage is led locally by Christian staffers who provide safe shelter, healthy meals, parental love, and Christian teaching. Some of the students attend the Ntandi Christian School.

In 2010, Epikos partnered with a new congregation in western Uganda to purchase land and build a new church that accommodates 60 people. When we decided to provide the funding, the new church excitedly chose to adopt our name and call themselves Epikos Africa. (They weren’t sure what Epikos meant, but they were pretty sure they like the name!)

In the summer of 2010, Epikos held a series of Shoeless Saturdays, shoes-optional days to raise awareness and funds for shoes for Ntandi. We were able to provide shoes for all 750 students and orphans.

In 2011, we created the Uganda Learning Library by sending literacy kits to Ntandi school. Each kit consists of a Teacher Resource Binder and six sets of 95 Leveled Readers, featuring Bible stories, nature, values, and more!

Our JoyStory classes sponsor children at the Ntandi Christian School. Sponsorships provide shoes, a uniform (which is often the only clothes the children have), a warm meal each day, and enrollment fees to the school.

The children sponsored by JoyStory:

• Sarah Mbambu - She is a nine-year-old girl whose father died from malaria in 2007. Her mother is a struggling farmer. Sarah is from a Muslim home.
• Joyline Biira - She is an eight-year-old girl whose father died from malaria. Her mother tries to care for six children. Joyline is from a Christian home.
• Brian Muhindo - He is a nine-year-old orphan who lives with his grandmother.