Country Director Chris Blackham reports from Uganda.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8)

Njuba was only a few months old when his mother abandoned him. His father reluctantly took the baby in, but his new wife was preoccupied nursing her newborn baby. Njuba began to grow weaker and weaker and became a huge burden in the eyes of his stepmother. Looking for a way out, his stepmother managed to convince the grandmother to take care of him, washing her hands of the responsibility.

The grandmother was shocked by his condition and physical appearance. She began to regret her decision, as she had no idea how she was going to care for such a sick child.

“He was flesh and bone when he arrived and I was afraid he was going to die in my hands,” she said.

She decided to honor her commitment and help Njuba back to health. Although Njuba steadily gained weight, his grandmother couldn’t help but notice his poor breathing pattern. She took him to many clinics and got many different diagnoses. After all the love and care she had poured into the child was she now going to lose him because of something no one knew how to fix?

The grandmother’s love and dedication paid off when a final medical check-up revealed a heart defect. Despite being stunned and afraid by the severity of the diagnosis, identifying the problem gave her hope. She continued to pray, and God answered.

Njuba was selected by the Children’s Heart Project to receive life-saving heart surgery. He underwent successful surgery in Uganda by a team of visiting cardiologists and is now living a normal, healthy life.

His grandmother is amazed and eternally thankful to Samaritan’s Purse—and more importantly to God.

“God is great!” she said. “Where does one find such favor? Life-saving surgery, food to keep us strong, a hospital bed and extraordinary medical care, all provided by people who love us. God surely has a plan for this boy; He has seen him through incredible hardship. I believe Njuba shall be great in God’s eyes and has a wonderful future ahead of him!”

Roseann Dennery reports from Haiti.

It’s the fourth day of our ramped-up cholera response. Our patient numbers are averaging around 200. Each day we discharge and each day we receive more. Our triage is full. It’s a constant ebb and flow of triaging, treating and discharging. There is synergy and purpose to our flow of care.




People have asked us how it is inside our Cite Soleil clinic after quadrupling our numbers overnight last week. There is a constant flurry of activity and movement. Transfers come in by the truckload throughout the day from facilities nearby that are over capacity. But there is order, and there is skill.

The Samaritan’s Purse team has such a sense of pride in our Haitian staff who have trained hard for this. Just months ago, many of them didn’t know how to start an IV or manage fluids. But today in our clinics, you see confidence. You see efficiency and a sense of compassion as they care for their own people. It’s a sense of empowerment that we’ve given them, that they can—and have—proven their ability to become excellent in their trade. It’s one of the greatest gifts Samaritan’s Purse has given to this community.




During a U.N. meeting this week a key leader said that it needs to be known how Cite Soleil has risen to the occasion and absorbed the sick from nearby metropolitan areas. This place, which is usually ostracized and cast aside because of its poverty and reputation, has stepped up to the plate. We always knew they had it in them. They were just never given a chance to show it. This week, they did.

If there is a positive side to this fresh outbreak, it is how it has allowed a very tangible way for Haitians to care for one another. We’ve been blessed to watch this unfold. We see relatives of one patient help comfort a crying child who is alone. We see a young man stroking the hand of an elderly woman who is lying sick. It’s moving, and it happens naturally because there is a fundamental sense of compassion in everything we do. It’s because of Who we serve, and why we are here.




As I visit the clinic patients, it is clear that healing is happening. After just a couple hours, people who came in barely alive are sitting up. Smiles break over faces. They summon to have their photo taken. Cholera is simple to treat once caught in time, and it is very rewarding to be a part of the transformation that occurs from triage to discharge.










Siblings, and sometimes whole families, are coming in with cholera. Other organizations are beginning to open their clinics to help respond to this sudden influx of the sick. We will work together to make sure each person who falls ill gets the care they deserve.

Help is needed. As the rains continue to fall, we remain prepared. We pray that people will not forget Haiti during this time, and will join with us in this renewed fight.

Sara is a stay-at-home mother of two boys, and an artist. She created a blog to auction off her work to raise money for charity. She recently launched Love Art #3, an on-line auction to sell not her work, but that of her 5-year-old son Jed. She explains why in a recent post.

I have the privilege of mothering Jed. This little guy is your typical 5-year-old boy who loves Star Wars, Legos, Nerf guns, wrestling etc. 100 percent boy! Beneath all of that, he's full of enormous love.

This little guy loves better than I do. Actually I wish I were more like him when it comes to his love for others. At 5, he has a huge burden for orphans, prays for those at war around the globe, and makes sure his Mum gives money to the homeless.

As we all know, our world is a big fat mess. Try as we may, this is something that cannot be hidden from an inquisitive little guy like Jed. As much as I would love to keep my son in a bubble and paint a picture of rainbows and gumdrops, the world we live in does not allow it. Jed is too smart to be fooled. He knows things are a mess and with that come the questions.

Jason and I tell him what we think he should know and allow him to see what we think should be seen regarding the natural disasters that have taken place, the wars, etc. We use these opportunities to have good discussions with him about God, life, death, people. We use these moments to instill in him a heart and a desire to help and think of others and take the time to pray as a family.

With all of the recent disasters, we have had many Jed-initiated conversations about those affected by the disaster. We often ask Jed "So what do you think we can do to help?" Here are some of his answers "We can pray." "We can send money to help build new homes." "We can buy them some things, like toothbrushes and beds."

We thought we would enable Jed to do what his little heart loves to do. … GIVE. This is our way as parents of allowing Jed to give to those in need. We also want him to know that "size matters not" and that even at the age of 5 you can still give to, help, and bless others.

One hundred percent of this auction will be going to Samaritan's Purse to help with relief aid in Joplin, Missouri.

We have chosen Samaritan's Purse for two reasons: 1. During times of great loss and tragedy they meet both the physical and spiritual needs of those affected. 2. Jed really likes that they are named after the good Samaritan in the Bible. In his words "Samaritans are people who help other people who need help!"

Jed has worked very hard to create three auction pieces. I only gave him the tools to create and painted the edges. As he was painting, we talked about selling his pieces and raising money and this is my favorite quote "Yes!!! We're going to be rich, for those who don't have anything!!!"

Click here for more information about Jed’s auction.

Country Director Daniel Zeidan reports on our response to landslides in La Paz, Bolivia.

In February 2011, following heavy rainfall and landslides in La Paz, a large area in the Alto Irpavi neighborhood collapsed with approximately 576 homes destroyed and 499 families (2,348 people) displaced.

Other infrastructure that was affected by the landslide included a private school, a bridge, and the main road to the area. After assessing the needs, Samaritan's Purse decided to invest in a transitional shelter project on land provided by the local municipality of La Paz. About a month ago, Samaritan's Purse received the news that land was finally found and that we could start construction.

In the meantime, displaced families were being housed in schools, tent camps, and other temporary shelters which, with winter approaching fast and temperatures falling especially at night, were no longer adequate.

The project used a design of a transitional shelter comprised of timber panels and a tin roof, made from locally sourced materials. Each shelter was large enough for an average family of five members.

Volunteers from local churches helped us build 25 shelters in late May. Many of the Samaritan's Purse builders were able to to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the beneficiary families, and also encourage them to trust the Lord in their time of loss.