Fonelisco is an orphanage founded by Joseph Mabinga in 1997, pictured here with his fiancée Maria. He was a Catholic seminary student with a heart to help children.
Without waiting, he began to minister to street kids while he was still in school. He also worked part-time as an interpreter for some exchange students while they were here. It would be those students who gave Joseph his first real shot at his vision by loaning him $600.
Fonelisco is almost an acronym and stands for the FOundation of NEw LIfe for Street Children and Orphans.
Since 1997, they have moved from their first location and now lease a five bedroom house with plenty of classroom space on the first floor. It also has a guest house with three additional bedrooms. They house the children, feed them, teach them basic skills such as reading and writing, and give them chores that keep up the grounds. The older children are provided a bicycle so they can ride to secondary school.
They are currently working on the purchase of 13 acres by the lake (Victoria) to develop crops and animals to sustain the orphanage and teach the children life-skills.
Joseph allows for both Christian and Islamic services to be held at the orphanage as many of the kids come from either background.
I have thought a lot about Joseph's story and how it might be duplicated, only with an emphasis on reaching those children with the gospel. Lord willing, tomorrow I will tell you of another approach to reaching homeless children being done by a group of churches on the west side of Lake Victoria.
For the Harvest,
Phil
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