The Bush Fire Community is located 50 kilometers east of Jinja, Uganda on 40 acres of fertile soil in the village of Bubutya, Bulange Sub-county, Iganga District. It began in August 2003 when the directors of Uganda Family Resource Link felt the Lord impress on them the need to care for orphans. With help from Hope for the Nations, UFRL was able to purchase the land and build the first home. Additional homes were built from various donations, bringing it to where it is now.
Bush Fire is not only a place of love, help, and hope for orphaned and neglected children, but it is also a light in the midst of the 37 villages and 30,000 residents of Bulange with the evangelistic and ministering efforts of the Bulange Community Church, located on the same property as the Children’s Home.
What follows is a glimpse of the individual parts, which together form the Bush Fire “Community.” We want to emphasize that this has been the work of many. The Lord has used not only Bush Fire Project, but also individuals, churches and organizations from around the world to make the Bush Fire Community what it is today.
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The Bush Fire Children’s Home, established in 2003, is the main ministry that Bulange Community Church and Uganda Family Resource Link supports, and is located on the same property as the church. Bush Fire Children’s Home is a safe and supportive environment for orphaned and neglected children. The children learn what it is to be loved as part of a Christian family, as they have access to nurturing, nourishment, housing, and education.
UFRL believes in covenant relationship rather than contracts with the children. The children, therefore, are not removed from the home once they reach an appointed age. It is truly a “family” atmosphere in which the long-term welfare of each child is considered. When Bush Fire Project began here in the United States in 2005, there were 4 homes (2 duplex-style buildings) with approximately 60 children under the care of the Bush Fire staff. In 2007, an additional duplex was completed bringing the number of children at Bush Fire to near 100. Your contribution to the Children’s home will help build additional homes, provide furnishings, cover maintenance costs and help meet needs of the staff and children beyond what is provided through the sponsorship program.
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 UFRL owns additional plots of farmland near Bush Fire. This allows the staff and children to raise food crops as well as various types of livestock such as cows, goats, pigs and chickens. A farm workers program implemented in the summer of 2007 with funds through Bush Fire Project provides local villagers with valuable employment opportunities while increasing the crop production for use at Bush Fire.
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 Although there are several primary and secondary schools in the Bulange Sub-county, the majority of these schools are not meeting the academic needs of children in the area. On average, there are 55 students per teacher. Some teachers even have 110 students to teach in the same classroom! School structures are very limited, and many schools can only accommodate half of their students in classrooms. The other students have their classes held under trees. This proves to be quite a problem, as distractions are many and classes must be cancelled when it rains.
 The Bush Fire children used to walk more than two kilometers to attend local primary and secondary village schools and were affected by the circumstances at these schools. The main issue revolved around class sizes. Many children were unable to attend school until Bush Fire took them in, and were then behind in school and unable to catch up. They needed special attention in order to progress in their studies, but were could not receive this attention as teachers have so many students to teach. The teaching of English is not seen as a priority, but being the language of further education, life and business, English is crucial for the children’s future.
To secure a better future for the children, it was determined by UFRL that there was a need to have a school at the Bush Fire base. With financial assistance from Bush Fire Project, construction began in September 2005 on a seven-classroom building along with a library and an office. Classes began in February 2006. Students will benefit from limited class sizes so teachers can provide more help to those who need it. The children also have two additional hours available in their day as they no longer have a long walk to school. This time can be used for extra studies, for helping out around their homes, or for just enjoying being children.
Financial contributions designated for the school will be used to build, equip, and operate the school.
The Bush Fire School is a primary school only and currently, the older secondary school children attend a private boarding school in Jinja. This is a concern to the staff for a couple of reasons. The first is that with the exception of school holidays when they are at home at Bush Fire, they must live outside of the care and supervision of their parents. Secondly is the issue of cost for private school. It costs approximately $900/year for school fees, supplies and personal items for each student attending boarding school. While there are currently only a few secondary students, the coming years will see larger groups moving up as the younger children complete their primary studies.
A solution being considered by the Bush Fire staff is the construction of a secondary school. This would help to reduce costs in the long run and allow the children to continue to live under the supervision, care and influence of the staff.
Financial contributions designated for the school are used to staff, equip and operate the existing primary school and may be used for construction of a secondary school at the time that initiation of that project is deemed appropriate and necessary.
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 In the Bulange Sub-county of Iganga, there is one main referral health center the attempts to meet the needs of over 30,000 people in 37 villages. This clinic is government funded, but the funding is very limited and insufficient. Equipment and supplies are nearly non-existent and medicines are few. The clinic also lacks a sufficient number of fully trained staff. These factors limit access to adequate health care for those in need.
 To help meet this great need in a desperate area, Uganda Family Resource Link has built a health clinic on the Bush Fire property. This facility has sufficient rooms, beds, proper equipment and supplies as well as a trained staff and sees between 20 and 40 patients per day. This clinic serves the needs of the Bush Fire staff and children as well as those in the surrounding communities.
On average, it costs $10 to treat an individual, depending on the severity of their condition. Village residents will be asked to pay a small amount of money for their treatment. Since most of them live on less than a dollar per day, support from outside the local community will help cover operational expenses, including staff salaries, supplies, and medicines. UFRL welcomes volunteers from other nations to join them for any length of time. If you are interested in a volunteer position, contact UFRL directly for more information.
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 Built in 2007, the Vocational Training Center will provide vocational skills such as carpentry and metalworking not only to children living at Bush Fire, but also to the surrounding villages. This valuable training will give individuals a means of providing for themselves and their families. As funding allows, new skills will be added, thus broadening the scope of this training program.
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 Bulange Community Church is the supporting ministry of all programs run under Uganda Family Resource Link, including the Bush Fire Children’s Home. Located on the same property as Bush Fire, Bulange Community Church looks to be a shining light in a large area, as it is located in an area surrounded by 37 villages with over 30,000 people. Its pastor is UFRL director, Samuel Kitalya. Foster parents and support staff of the Bush Fire Children’s Home serve as the church’s leadership team. What began as a fellowship of 8 in 2003 became a congregation of 800 in 2007.
Besides meeting for weekly Sunday worship, the church also has set up home cell groups in the local villages. It is involved in many forms of outreach, evangelism, and education, both on its property, as well as in the villages. This includes education regarding the growing of nutritious food, economic advancement and sustainability (acquiring and using land and livestock effectively), abuse and HIV/AIDS. The church also responds in practical ways to meet the needs of the community, including assistance with medical needs, home construction or repair, etc.
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