I believe God has yet to do great things, and I encourage all who feel called to help improve the lives of individual families through this ministry.Eddie Miró (born 1936 in Humacao, Puerto Rico), is a television show host in Puerto Rico of Sephardic origin. I also believe that God has called me to support the organization as a representative and advocate from America. I firmly believed then and believe now that God has called Eddie and I to begin this organization and ministry. It is through the family that we all develop our first and most formative image of God as a loving Father. It is through family life that children know they are secure and loved. God wants to pour out his love through families. Being in Uganda seeing the work he wanted to build in the organization was very powerful for me, to say the least.
This was the vision he expressed to me in the organization of which we have recently founded. Eddie wanted to give to others in pain what these children already experienced though his intervention: a loving family. In the case of the children, the answer wasn’t necessarily an orphanage, but it was a loving family who gave each one of them room to express themselves and know they are loved. To go to the root meant to start with individuals, hear their story, and bring them healing through the Gospel. Every social problem starts with an individual. By helping these children, Eddie had a desire to help them “at the root.” The reason these children were abandoned extended beyond what could be identified in social trends or geographical analysis. Every suffering person has a story and a deeper reason behind their pain. It was these children’s story that compelled Eddie to begin construction of the orphanage. Their own mother abandoned them by fleeing to Sudan shortly before. She was accustomed to walking over 10 miles one way every day to beg on the streets of Kampala to get enough to cover the basic necessities for her siblings. When Eddie found them, it was Margaret, the oldest at 12 years, who was providing for her two younger siblings. Before pursuing a University education in the States, Eddie and his mother were moved to take care of these desperate poor and lonely children: Margaret, Andrew, Joan. I was struck keenly by this when I had the chance to meet three children under Eddie’s care. Understandably, not all of these decisions are the best. Because of the harsh conditions, many people feel forced to make difficult decisions by looking to the most readily available and seemingly easiest way to solve them. I began to see first-hand the needs Eddie really wanted to address. As an American, I was immediately shocked by the lack of material goods people had, and the difficult way of life that resulted. The summer following graduation from Franciscan, Eddie led myself and four other classmates to Uganda to finish building the orphanage and ministering to the people of his village. As I said, all these things impacted me, but it wasn’t until visiting his home on a mission trip that my life changed. Eddie told me about the orphanage building he began constructing back home and how he had plans to minister to families and children through it. I was especially impressed by how God’s hand was present in his life. Hearing him share his life from his humble beginnings in Uganda, his unlikely opportunities to travel globally and study in the United States, and finally his earnest desire to return home and serve deeply inspired my faith. I remember what impressed me about him was his trust in God. We were classmates at Franciscan University of Steubenville and became fast friends shortly after meeting.
My initial involvement with Bugumiro Foundation Uganda began with my friendship with Eddie. My friend and fellow co-founder Eddie Wamala and I have discerned, worked, and waited patiently to formally establish this organization. As I write this, I am filled with a sense of thanksgiving to God in allowing this moment to come about. Hello, my name is Brendan Avila, I am the co-founder and manager of Bugumiro Foundation Uganda.
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