Love in Action: A Summer in Katwe
This summer in Katwe, love showed up as action: a fire response, a rescued child, healing circles for hundreds of women, and food for more than 400 mothers.
In the Buddhist tradition, there are four forms of giving: emotional support, material support, Dharma (wisdom and compassion), and protection. Over the past few months, all four came alive in our work with Karimojong women and children in Kampala's informal settlements. Each one depended on supporters like you.
When 20 families lost their homes
A devastating fire in Katwe destroyed the homes of 20 Nachan families this summer. Mothers and children were suddenly left without shelter or basic necessities.
Because of donations from our community in the United States, our team responded quickly with emergency support. In a crisis like this, material help carries a message beyond the supplies themselves: you are not facing this alone.
A 14-month-old brought home
This summer, a 14-month-old child was taken by a teenager from another settlement who intended to use the baby to beg on the streets. Through an intensive missing-child alert and the persistence of our community and field team, the child was found and returned to their family.
For us, protection is not an abstract idea. It means having relationships, information, and systems in place before a child disappears, and refusing to look away when one does.
That work is now entering a new phase. A small grant from an international human rights organization equipped our field team with secure phones. We have also begun building a Community Protection Network, which documents children and families before a crisis and strengthens our response when families are separated.
Healing in community
Through every crisis, our weekly mindfulness and healing practices continued. At the height of the summer, 207 women and about 96 children gathered with us in Katwe. One of the most moving moments was watching our trainers teach the youngest children a Qi Gong practice that has been passed down from teacher to student for years.
These gatherings are the heart of Nachan. They give women and children a safe place to practice, support one another, and find stability amid extraordinarily hard circumstances. This is emotional support, and it is Dharma: wisdom and compassion made tangible in community.
More than 400 women at one food distribution
This summer we began a formal partnership with an international women's rights organization. Half of their grant went directly to food support.
The need is growing fast. Drought and severe food insecurity in the Karamoja region are driving more women and children to Kampala, and more than 400 women came to our most recent food distribution.
The rest of the grant covers part of the everyday work that makes everything else possible: field outreach, healing practices, staff support, and transportation. Even so, the needs now far exceed the resources we have.
There are bright spots, too. One young boy in our community is now attending school, thanks to the generosity of a donor.
Help us keep showing up
The four forms of giving are deeply connected. A meal gives a woman the stability to join a healing circle. A healing circle builds trust. That trust is what allows us to find a missing child, document a family, or reach a mother searching for her children.
As more families arrive in Kampala, the need grows for food, field outreach, secure documentation, transportation, and staff. Your gift can provide:
A meal for a mother and her children
A healing circle where women find safety and support
A secure phone that helps protect a child
A search that brings a missing child home
Our U.S. team is 100% volunteer, and zero dollars go to U.S. administrative costs. Every gift goes directly to the women and children of Kampala and the local team who serve them.
This is what love looks like in action. If you are able, please give today.
May all beings be cherished. May all children be safe. May all mothers be treated with respect.
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