The faces and stories of hundreds of Ugandan children will fill tables and giant screens at the eighth annual Rock the Desert Christian-music festival in Midland, Texas, Aug. 10-11.

Tens of thousands of festival-goers will have the chance to connect with lives in the rural communities of Piswa, Uganda: a place where extreme poverty has made basic survival a daily battle.

More than 200 children in Piswa are anxiously waiting for a sponsor today, and the hope of Food for the Hungry is that Rock the Desert will respond.

In Piswa, education is no more than a dream for many children who can't afford the school fees, and classrooms and teaching supplies are scarce. Through child sponsorship, school scholarships, desks, pencils, books, and even new classrooms are provided.

In Piswa, HIV/AIDS is spreading, thanks to a lack of knowledge about the disease and a negative stigma toward it. Through child sponsorship, children and adults are educated about the disease, and those already infected are taught their dignity in Christ.

In Piswa, deforestation and soil erosion prevent the land from being able to provide proper nutrition. Through child sponsorship, trees are being planted, and the land and people are once again growing healthier.

In Piswa, generations of harmful cultural practices have created physical and emotional wounds in those affected. But through child sponsorship, the local church is working to replace traditions that harm with a biblical worldview that teaches the value of each human life, while not denying the unique culture of Piswa.

God is changing Piswa from the inside out through the ministry of Food for the Hungry, and child sponsors play an integral role in this ministry.

If you'd like to be a part of this eternal transformation in Piswa, visit www.fh.org/artists!

Learn more about Rock the Desert at www.rockthedesert.com.


-mary e.


There are more than 450 children in Food for the Hungry's child-sponsorship program in Piswa.