Hope Institute of Uganda - Global Horizons Inc.

Hope Institute of Uganda

Raising up Leaders and Businesses to Alleviate Poverty

Our Story

Hope Institute of Uganda was founded in 2005 by Dr. Joy Ngobi.

The vision was born out of personal tragedy when my sister, Dr. Rebecca Isiko, passed away from Lou Gehrig’s Disease at age 36. She appealed to me to fight for a better life for the children in Uganda, where we grew up. During that difficult season, God impressed on me to focus not on my pain but on those who have no one to fight for them.

Our early work began through mission trips with the Free Methodist Church of Janesville, where we helped build a church and parsonage in a Jinja ghetto in 2006. Later, with support from fellow doctors, we organized free surgical camps, treating over 100 patients in a week. The hospital serves a community of refugees and war-affected families from Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, and Northern Uganda. Though operations paused during COVID, we continue to develop sustainable ways to serve those in need.

Our Impact

Mission: Bring hope to the hopeless.

Vision: Be at the forefront of fighting poverty, illiteracy, and hopelessness by boldly sharing Christ and equipping communities with the skills necessary for the African challenges.

Our core areas of focus include:

Leadership Development
Education
Health
Business and Job Creation

Changing Generations:

Raising Up Leaders and Businesses

Leadership Development and Advocacy

The future of Uganda, Africa, lies in training of ethical leaders today. We stress accountability, as this is lacking in our leaders, when people are not held accountable. A good leader can run a successful institution.

Our participants come from all walks of life, different tribes and religions. In July, 120 people attended our 2 day Leadership Conference in Uganda.

Leadership development programs:

Leadership Conferences – focus on strengthening families, marriages, businesses and nurturing youth
Sports – reaching youth through chess, soccer, basketball
Encouraging Advocacy and Lobbying
Bible Studies – teaching the word of God
Radio Ministry – this is a future goal to reach more people

Education

Only 30% of Ugandan children in our community complete 7th grade.

Since 2005, we have provided scholarships to over 100 students. Many of those children are now grown and actively working and serving in Uganda. They even come back and serve in our programs to help other children receive the support they were given.

In addition to providing scholarships, we opened two schools with a total of 160 students in 2025. We expanded our educational services to include a craft center and vocational scholarships, and partnerships with local universities.

Meet our students - Dancing to "I'm so blessed...I'm a child of God"

Schools, Education Programs and Partners:

Joy Learning Center - K-6th grade
Hope Academy Nsube - K-5th grade
Kwekiri Craft Center - 9 students learning sewing and knitting
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Batambogwe Primary School (Partner) - we provide scholarships for children to attend this public school of 1200 students
Ernest Cook University (Partner) - offers 50% scholarships to our students
Hillsdale College (Partner)- offered 2 scholarships
Kabale University (Partner) - 2 of our students attend medical school

Health Initiatives

Our goal is to improve access to basic health services. In Uganda, it's uncommon for people to receive preventive care. People typically do not go to see a doctor or healthcare worker unless they have visible symptoms. This is a setup for disaster and preventable deaths.

We encourage annual checkups and created a Wellness Program of home visits for elderly in an effort to prevent crises.

Our surgical camps that were stopped during COVID were replaced with 2 alumni surgeons working regularly.

Healthcare Programs:

Wellness Program - home visits for elderly in Uganda
Medical Equipment and Supplies - donations
Opportunities for Visitors
- Short-term Missions - 2-6 weeks
- Semester Exchange Program - for college and medical students on clinical rotations
- Supporting Healthcare Programs - for example: Surgical Technology, Nurse Anesthesia, Anesthesiology Residency Training in later years.

Small Business & Job Creation

Unemployment runs rampant in Uganda. More than 50% of young people aged 15-40 are unemployed.

We focus on creating jobs and supporting small business owners. Within our school operations, we work hard to pay people in a timely fashion. We have 10-12 part-time and full-time employees.

As we start businesses, we intend to become self-sustaining.

Current Businesses:

Kwekiri Craft Center— creating products for our shop in Kampala, Jinja Crafts, and our fundraisers here in America
Library— we just opened a community library, with the future goal of offering services to the community
Shipping of Containers to Uganda— in the process of monetizing
Publishing business together with missionaries Debbie and Steve Nutzmann in Jinja – expecting a profit after 1-2 years
Musita Women Events — plans of becoming a community bank in 5 years
Batambuze and Mwaya Farms — providing employment
Wellness Clinic– Providing employment and care to the most needy

Future Opportunities:

Carpentry workshop – this would allow us to specifically engage boys
Leadership initiatives - Speakers' Bureau, Radio Ministry, Fundraiser Run/Walk Events
Coaching/ Mentoring and Academic Advising business– invite partners to offer this service to students and the community for a small fee

Jinja Fair Trade Gift Shop

Helping Ugandan Small Businesses:

Hope Institute of Uganda works with 25 artists to build independent and thriving businesses.

FAIR TRADE: We host a non-profit fair trade shop dedicated to helping families in Uganda earn a sustainable living by selling their unique and extraordinary works of art. Together, we help create an income and a better lifestyle for the artisans, their families, and their communities in Uganda.

ENVIRONMENT: All items are produced with a consciousness towards the environment. Our artists use a variety of recycled or sustainably sourced materials such as paper, wood, seeds, fabrics, glass, wire scraps, and bull horns.

LOCAL IMPACT: Locally, our gift shop offers volunteer opportunities and cross-cultural education to area schools and the public about Africa. When you make a purchase, you know you’re making a local impact with a global reach.

Visit the full Hope Institute of Uganda website to learn more and purchase gifts: HOPE INSTITUTE OF UGANDA