Interns participating in the Uganda Mission will have the unique experience of being part of a Joni and Friends fully indigenous team. Students from African Renewal University (ARU) will be trained on the biblical view of disability and a theology of suffering through our Beyond Suffering (BYS) curriculum, and in practical application of serving people affected by disability. Interns will serve at a Joni and Friends Family Retreat with Gaba Community Church and Africa Renewal Ministries in Kampala, where they will be able to help families by sharing God’s love and offering hope to those who have been impacted by disability.

Many of these families are facing extraordinary challenges as well as exclusion from local community life. Interns will model inclusion as they serve as buddies to these campers, while their caregivers receive much needed respite. Camp programs consist of small group discussions, arts and crafts, recreation and games, bible stories, a talent show, a bonfire worship night, and more! The team will serve at the Kampala School for the Physically Handicapped in Kampala where they will provide resources for teachers and staff at the school and serve in classrooms, rehabilitation departments, and vocational programs. The team will run a Vacation Bible School for the children, sharing the Gospel, and provide specialized training on an as needed basis.

The team will have the opportunity to serve at a Joni & Friends Wheels for the World event with Gaba Community Church and Africa Renewal Ministries in Kampala in their final week of the internship program. Wheels for the World is a 5-day event, where individuals with disabilities are seated and fitted for mobility devices by specialists, mobility devices are customized by technicians, the Gospel is shared with hundreds of people, and a Bible provided to recipients in their local language. Interns will learn how to be the hands and feet of Jesus as they learn alongside specialists, technicians, and servants of God at this extraordinary event.

“This internship has been an experience I will never forget. I have learned a lot, my attitude towards people with disability has been fine-tuned and I have received so much passion to help and serve people with disability because of Joni and Friends. Thank you so much for opening my mind through this experience about people with disabilities; you have made me understand that in my lifetime I have an assignment to advocate for, defend, serve, and deeply love people with disabilities just the way they are.” Intern – Maketi Ben