Who We Are
Our Story
how we began
Divine Care Ministries began in the late 1990s as a committee within Christian Life Church in Kampala, Uganda. Christian Life Church is a large indigenous church in a poor region of Kampala. The committee of Divine Care Ministries was charged by the leadership within the church to care for the sick, the widows, and the orphans. Phoebe Sozi was asked to chair the Divine Care Ministries committee and although the task was overwhelming, she willingly accepted the challenge.
our leaders
Peter and Phoebe's hearts of compassion and willingness to be used by God was very evident. Support for the children was tailored to their specific needs. A common story was for a husband to become infected with AIDS and pass the disease on to his wife. He would normally die first leaving the wife sick and without means of support. When she was no longer able to help the child, then full care would be provided. The children would be placed in boarding schools, they would be provided with uniforms, books, and food and their school fees would be paid.
Additional projects were undertaken as the Divine Care Ministries committee identified other needs and recommended solutions. In 2002, some land was acquired by Divine Care Ministries for the purpose of providing housing and food production. That next year four houses were built and additional children were cared for. The project increased to the point that it felt appropriate to register Divine Care Ministries as a nongovernment organization in Uganda. In the USA the organization was brought under the oversight of Final Command Ministries, a 501(c)(3) organization.
our progress
In 2004, the ministry acquired a primary school in the Rakai District. Rakai District is an area of Uganda where the African AIDS epidemic was first identified and its effects on that district were devastating. A large percentage of the working-age population died. This shattered the economy and left many grandparents with numbers of children to care for—and in some instances, it left children caring for their siblings... Improvements to the facilities were made, new structures were erected and Divine Grace Primary School was established.
In 2007, a medical clinic was built on the school property. The need for a medical clinic was great since children frequently contracted malaria. There were previously no medical clinics in the village or nearby area so our medical clinic was also able to serve adults from the community. We are continually seeing hope brought to this area and seeing a transformation take place in the community.
In 2012, a dental clinic was established on campus. With the use of its modern equipment, this dental clinic is helping service the population of over 100,000 people who previously had only one dentist. At the beginning of 2012, we also opened Divine Hope, a second primary school. This school is located in Jjogo, a small community in the Mokono district on the outskirts of Kampala.
Many of the children have finished the university level of education and some even work in the ministry as staff. The university graduates have formed an organization open to all former beneficiaries of Divine Care Ministries and this organization is dedicated to assisting us in the future. Our slogan is "Together, we make a difference," and we are seeing the fruit of our commitment. We invite all others to join in; there is plenty of opportunity remaining.
As children and communities have been helped, opportunities have developed to plant churches. Churches are thriving at both schools as well as on the farm. We have also been able to assist neighboring churches as well. The witness of loving the children and adults in need has advanced the kingdom of God in many ways.
Since 2010, our staff has reached out to the Karamajong tribe in the northern part of Uganda where the gospel has seldom been heard and never successfully established. Thousands have responded to God's call, and under the guidance of Peter Sozi, leaders are being trained in these remote regions.
Divine Care Ministries is a 501(c)(3) ministry founded upon the Biblical principle that true religion is caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. We currently support over 2,400 children across our 8 centers.