How It Started

In February 2023, Karen and Andrew Eustace joined a trip to Uganda with another charity, Projects Delivering Hope. Projects Delivering Hope works with South Sudanese refugees, many of whom have been displaced to Uganda by civil war in South Sudan. Their trip involved giving business training to refugees in the north of Uganda, near Moyo, and visiting an orphanage in the south. The orphanage was started by a clergyman from South Sudan for the benefit of South Sudanese refugee orphans. One of the events at the orphanage was the graduation ceremony of 26 young women who had received training in dressmaking at the Skills Academy attached to the orphanage. One of the graduates gave a personal testimony in which she was on her knees, crying and telling the audience that she had never been to school and never thought she ever would. This was the moment when the full realisation of the importance to these people of education became real

This visit to the orphanage was life changing for Karen and Andrew Eustace and planted the seed in their hearts to help the orphans

In March 2024, Karen and Andrew Eustace visited the orphanage for a week and, from this visit, working alongside Francis Candiga, who started and runs the orphanage, decided to start Smile Child Sponsorship with the goal to help not just a few of the orphans, but all of them

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare, and not for evil, plans to give you a future and a hope”
Jeremiah 29:11