New Hope Uganda

   

Geoffrey Britton

NHU Envisioning 2026

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gathered as one

One of my first experiences in Uganda in 2006 was attending New Hope Uganda’s staff Envisioning. I remember being a bit overwhelmed by the experience back then. So many people I did not know, worship that was very different, and heat that had me sweating as I sat and listened.  

But there was also something that was so reassuring about that experience, and 20 years later it has stuck with me. There was a feeling of community that stood out and brought a peace that just set me at ease. The messages all revolved around the Word of God, the testimonies and speakers all demonstrated hearts that were seeking God’s plan and His glory. It captured my heart to say the least. 

Fred Mwesiga leading the service. #leaders #pray #hope

Envisioning is a conference that is intended to connect the staff to the vision for the coming year. It sets the tone and prepares the NHU staff for the task of ministering to the children God has brought to NHU. 

This year, 2026, due to the elections that were taking place in January, the NHU management scheduled it for a different time frame. Rather than six days in January, it was scaled back to four days and held in May. I scheduled my recent trip to Uganda to coincide with Envisioning. The theme for 2026 is “COME LET US REBUILD,” and I was privileged to be the keynote speaker with three sessions to address the staff.  

Our call, to live coram deo

Held at Kasana Children’s Center, it was an exciting time to be with staff from both Kasana and Kobwin Children’s Centers. Worship, the Word, and the same feeling I experienced 20 years ago was present in each and every session. As we shared tea and snacks mid-morning, lunch together with various staff members each day, I came away so encouraged. 

eat together

The staff of NHU have continually demonstrated commitment to the vision and lived it out through their serving. There have been some pretty lean times over the years, not to mention the challenges since COVID. 2020 nearly shut the country down all together and prevented the ministry from happening. And yet, staff have given, sacrificed, modeled the love of God, and labored to build the kingdom in our children.  

I have said this before and this time is no different, the Ugandan staff often challenge my faith and my commitment, and they encourage me on my own journey. May we all experience a fresh vision for what God is calling us to do, put our hands to the plow, and build the Kingdom of God together.  Come let us rebuild – TOGETHER

NHU staff at Envisioning 2026

Jesus is the great example of serving others (Matthew 20:28), but the staff at New Hope Uganda bring a fantastic, real-life example. Living out the Word, putting others, the children, ahead of their own needs, and sacrificing so much for the vision (Philippians 2:3). It is inspiring to see and learn from what they do.  

Geoffrey Britton - President

Geoffrey Britton

President – New Hope Uganda Ministries

Geoff, his wife of 28 years Mary, and his three children, served at Kasana Children’s Center from 2006-2019 before returning to the U.S. In 2019. Their lives have been intimately intertwined with Africa for more than 30 years. Geoff began serving as President in 2025 and deeply desires to see young Ugandans fulfill their God given purposes in life.

    Beyond The Veil: Seeing the image of God in every child living with disability

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    On Sunday, 19th April 2026, our sanctuary was transformed. It wasn’t because of new decor or a special choir, but because of the hands that held the microphones and the voices that led us in prayer. We celebrated “Special Needs Sunday,” a day dedicated not just to inclusion, but to a radical shift in perspective. Our goal was simple yet profound: to remind the world that a person’s disability is not their identity, and it certainly does not define their ability. For too long, society has looked at children with special needs through a lens of limitation. We often see the wheelchair before the worshiper, or the diagnosis before the disciple. However, as we watched these children lead us in worship and pour out their hearts in prayer, it became clear that the Holy Spirit does not require a “perfect” body or a conventional mind to move mightily.

    The Bible tells us in Genesis 1:27 that “God created mankind in his own image.” This divine “Imago Dei” is not reserved for the able-bodied or the neurotypical. It is woven into the very DNA of every child who stood before us on Sunday. When we define a child by their disability, we inadvertently suggest that God’s craftsmanship was somehow flawed. But when we see their ability to praise, to love, and to lead, we witness the truth of Psalm 139:14: they are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

    One of the most impactful moments of the service was seeing the congregation realize that these children were not just recipients of ministry—they were the ministers. This mirrors the biblical truth found in 1 Corinthians 12:22, where Paul reminds the church that “those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.” By stepping back and letting these children lead, the “typical” members of the public were sensitized to a new reality: the “disability” is often in the eyes of the beholder, not the soul of the child.

    As we move forward from this successful Sunday, our challenge is to carry this impact into our daily lives. Sensitization is not a one-day event; it is a commitment to seeing people as God sees them. We must stop asking, “What can’t they do?” and start asking, “How is God speaking through them?”

    Let us be a community that champions the truth that a physical or cognitive challenge is merely a different way of experiencing the world, not a barrier to experiencing God. Their disability is a circumstance, but their ability—their capacity to reflect the glory of the Creator—is limitless. May we continue to build a world where every child is defined by the light of God within them, rather than the labels placed upon them.

    JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE GODS GLORY IN DIVERSITY

    CLICK TO SUPPORT THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

    Pastor Simon Katabazi

    Pastor Kasana Community Church

    Pastor Simon is married to Noelina and the father of 5 children. He has been involved with New Hope Uganda in one capacity or another for more than 25 years. He has served as Teacher, Head Teacher (EEVPS), and Elder of KCC, he has sat on Kansa Children’s Center Management team, and filled many other roles as well. He currently is the lead pastor of KCC and overseer of the KCC family of Churches, holding a Bachelors Degree in Education and a Masters Degree in Theology. He is well known and respected in the community as a father and mentor to many.

      My Sponsorship Journey

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      In 1995, things with New Hope Uganda were very different. Email was still non existent in Uganda, electricity was a rare visitor, sponsorship and all accounting was handled out of a volunteer’s living room in the U.S., and yet God was using people to bring the fatherhood of God to the fatherless.  

      This was when we first began our sponsorship relationship with the then young organization. My wife, Mary, began sponsoring a girl after seeing the needs in the community first-hand. Her time serving with New Hope in 1994 was deeply impacting, and when we married in 1997, I was brought into the relationship. I remember sending our child a wedding picture announcing my entrance into this long-distance relationship. I wish I knew where that young girl is today, she ended up dropping out of the program in 1999 due to morality issues.  

      We were sad to hear the news when the letter came in the mail, but that did not deter us, and we requested to be assigned another child that we could support and do our small part in bringing the fatherhood of God to other fatherless children. I am happy to say that we know exactly where the new child assigned to us is today.   

      Fast forward to 2006

      When we made our first visit to Uganda as potential staff members, we were excited to see New Hope, the work that was happening, and meet the girl we had been sponsoring for the past six years. We had read her letters, seen her picture, but now we were going to meet the real person. It was quite exciting to meet Nabukeera and being able to experience the world that she lived in. Not only did we meet her, but we were able to meet her grandmother, siblings, and visited her home.  

      NABUKEERA, MARY, AND ME IN 2006
      GRANDMA, NABUKEERA, AND LYDIA, THE ELDER SISTER
      NABUKEERA AND SAM, THE YOUNGEST OF THE THREE

      That visit was a part of God solidifying the trajectory that he had for our family. When we moved to Uganda six months later, God joined us at a deeper level to Nabukeera’s family and actually made them our family. As we got to know them better we became more involved in their lives, joining our two families to be one.  

      That little girl brought us her family, and in one way or another we ended up sponsoring each one through various stages of life over the next twenty years. We had the pleasure of the youngest moving into our home and living with us for seven years. We were able to take part in the education of her older sister as she because a licensed educator. We were invited into the grieving process when their grandmother passed away and the birth of the next generation of the family. And a big one, we had to joy of celebrating with Nabukeera when she graduated university.  

      2026 TODAY

      Who would have thought that something as simple as sponsoring a child through New Hope Uganda could have impacted our lives so much. But that is exactly what happened. So, 30 years after entering the New Hope Uganda family as sponsors, my prayer is that more people experience the joy of investing in a life, or three lives, through the sponsorship journey.  

      OUR “FAMILY” IN 2019
      Geoffrey Britton - President

      Geoffrey Britton

      President – New Hope Uganda Ministries

      Geoff, his wife of 28 years Mary, and his three children, served at Kasana Children’s Center from 2006-2019 before returning to the U.S. In 2019. Their lives have been intimately intertwined with Africa for more than 30 years. Geoff began serving as President in 2025 and deeply desires to see young Ugandans fulfill their God given purposes in life.

        Welcome to the NHU/NHUM Blog

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        Ugandan children waving hello

        Hello and welcome to our blog! I am so glad you have taken the time, followed the link, and are visiting us.  

        This space is intended to be a place to connect to what is happening within the ministry of New Hope Uganda but also what is happening with the family abroad. If you have been around New Hope Uganda for long you understand what I mean when I refer to us as family. If you are reading this then you most likely have been impacted by the Ugandan people, the children from Kasana or Kobwin, a experience at Musana Camps or the ministry as a whole. That is what makes you a part of the NHU Family. 

        What is your story? 

        Maybe God used you to become a sponsor or take a short-term trip to NHU and you found that you came away from the experience changed. Think back to that beginning and consider what God has done since then. How has God used NHU to reveal Himself or HIS heart for Uganda? 

        I think back to those early days of being involved, considering all that we have seen and learned. Thinking of the girls and boys that we sponsored over the years and I cannot help but believe I am closer to God because of it all. 

        In this new season of the ministry, A NEW DAY AT NEW HOPE, as we have been calling it, I want to see us reconnect not only from a ministry to donor perspective, but as a family. How do we connect around the common vision that we have for the Fatherless? How do we reconnect with the experiences that brought us into the family? How can we tap into what God desires to do in this season and the next? 

        So many questions… 

        Hopefully, you check back often and feel this serves you and the ministry well. Reach out, give us some feedback and most of all ask how does God want to use NHU in your life and use your life in Uganda? 

        Blessings, 

        Geoffrey Britton - President

        Geoffrey Britton

        President – New Hope Uganda Ministries

        Geoff, his wife of 28 years Mary, and his three children, served at Kasana Children’s Center from 2006-2019 before returning to the U.S. In 2019. Their lives have been intimately intertwined with Africa for more than 30 years. Geoff began serving as President in 2025 and deeply desires to see young Ugandans fulfill their God given purposes in life.