Faith Life Church, in partnership with Fairfield Charity Organisation and Miss Uganda, has carried out a Christmas donation outreach in Katanga, Busia Zone, Kawempe Division, targeting underprivileged families in the area.
The outreach was organised under Faith Life’s Rewards for Education initiative, led by the church’s chief executive officer, Dr Henry Byamukama.
Beneficiaries received clothes, shoes, sanitary pads and other household essentials, alongside a heavy lunch provided ahead of the festive season.
Speaking during the event, Dr Byamukama said the outreach was primarily organised as a Christmas celebration for children in the community, many of whom walk long distances to attend church services.
“Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. So this is a Christmas party for children. Today we decided to do it with the people. Some of the boys here actually walk from here on Sunday to church,” he said.
He said the initiative was made possible through partnerships with various organisations and individuals, including Pepsi Cola, which sponsored soft drinks for the event.
“So we partnered with Miss Uganda and Fairfield Charity and also Pepsi Cola. Pepsi Cola gave us the drinks. All the drinks are sponsored by Pepsi Cola. We're going to be giving them food, and clothes and shoes and all that kind of stuff,” Dr Byamukama said.
He noted that the outreach demonstrated the impact of collective effort in addressing community needs and also provided an opportunity to promote the Rewards for Education programme.
Dr Byamukama explained that the initiative is designed to encourage school attendance and skills acquisition by rewarding learners and families who support education.
“We have an app that we are launching, the rewards for education. We should be able to transform these kind of communities by giving them rewards for learning, by digitalising documents, by incentivising,” he said.
According to Dr Byamukama, the programme focuses on attendance and participation rather than only academic completion, offering incentives such as data bundles, learning materials and other rewards.
“Reward for education, it rewards attendance, first of all. If you attend two days, five days, you get rewards. You get rewards of data. You can get data for a whole month,” he said.
He added that Uganda’s biggest education challenge lies not in school access, but in keeping children in school and ensuring they transition into productive livelihoods.
“Uganda's problem is not kids going to school. Uganda's biggest problem is kids staying in school. We have one of the biggest dropout rates in the world,” he said.
Shadia Namata Ahabatwa, speaking on behalf of Fairfield Charity Organisation, said the donation drive was inspired by biblical teachings that call on those with more resources to support the less fortunate.
Miss Uganda 2025, Trivia Elle Muhoza, urged more organisations to support vulnerable communities, particularly those living in informal settlements.
“Many communities, especially slums, live at a low standard. It’s where I was raised, and I call upon other organisations to join hands and help such communities,” she said.
Residents who benefited from the outreach expressed gratitude to the organisers, saying the donations would help ease the pressure on families during the Christmas season.