Change is always necessary for growth. That's a truth that can be seen every day -- in the changing of seasons, to our relationships, to our work. We believe that at Ekisa, which is why we’re doing things differently. Over the past few months, we’ve been clarifying what we’re about, what we’re really trying to accomplish, and where we’re going. You’ll continue to see and hear more about these changes over the coming weeks.
“Ekisa Ministries supports children with disabilities so they can thrive in families and communities.”
One of those clarifications is our mission. If we can't explain what we do in 10 seconds, we’ve failed to understand the heart of our work at Ekisa. So what does Ekisa do? We think it’s really simple. Ekisa Ministries supports children with disabilities so they can thrive in families and communities. We’re not the hero; we’re a supporting hand. Our focus is children with disabilities. We emphasize the ideas of family and community. That’s it.
In Uganda, children with disabilities often face stigma and are isolated from their communities. At the same time, these children do not have access to the services and support needed to thrive. Parents often feel stuck, and all alone, unable to meet the needs of their child with disability. We work to bring families out of this isolation and into community. We work so that families have a biblical understanding of disability and the value of their child. We provide the support services needed by children with disabilities. We support the needs of a child today, while working to write a new story of disability for their future.
That understanding led us to our new logo. New logos are exciting, but we wanted to be purposeful with this change. Why “rewriting”? The reality for children with disabilities is often dim. They may be isolated, stigmatized, rejected, undervalued, without support services -- the list goes on. We want to change this story. We want to rewrite the negative story of disability, replacing it with one of love, value, worth, and hope. The “E” in our new logo perfectly symbolizes this new story, made from a beautiful textile pattern from Uganda called kitenge. But the story is not finished -- just like the rest of the logo in its regular lettering. There’s work to be done. There’s perspectives to shift. There’s lives to change. And we invite you to be a part of it.
Ekisa is a movement of people who want to tell a better story. We hope you will come along for this journey -- one that is at times difficult, but eternally rewarding. From everyone at Ekisa, thank you for your partnership over the past 10 years -- whether you're a newcomer eager to help, a faithful supporter, a voice on campus, or a volunteer here in Uganda. We couldn't do it without you.
With all love and hope,
Team Ekisa