In the Beginning
Susan Abiku Tabia founded the Amazing Grace Orphanage in 1994. She realized the desperate situation of the orphans around her, and began to bring the children under her care. Soon it became obvious that they needed to create an orphanage.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees was involved in the initial care of these orphans, but then through some strange political issues, was forced to dismantle the orphanage and the children were left homeless once more. Susan refused to give up, and soon met Ezbon Wudu who agreed to leave his teaching job and assist her in administration and care of the children. A college in France and some churches in the United States gave some money, and with $400 they were able to secure some land and create the first dorm.

The past decade has been extremely tough for the orphanage, but it has grown considerably. There are approximately 30 children (the number fluctuates) living at the orphanage in Adjumani, Uganda. There are 5 dorms, an office, kitchen, and bathroom facilities. The staff has pointed the way to increased self-sufficiency by creating a poultry project with 250 chickens, a heifer project with 35 young cows, and an agricultural project that produces some food for the children. There are currently 7 full-time staff members at the orphanage. Ezbon Wudu is in charge of day-to-day operations, and Benaiah also assists in the office, the poultry project, and in general care of the children. There are also 5 widows who live at the orphanage and who take care of cooking needs.

Expanding Vision
The orphanage is currently expanding and needs individuals and churches to assist them in a more permanent donor relationship. The orphanage in Adjumani at times gets dangerously low on food, the children need money in order to go to school, and the staff need increased monetary assistance as they pour most of their time and money into merely keeping the place running.

The team has also just created a new orphanage in Southern Sudan. Called the St. Bartholomew orphanage, it is located 12 miles north of the Sudanese/Uganda border. There are hundreds of orphan children who still have no general care for their needs, and there are others who have been attached to foster parents, but have found that the care they are receiving is horrible. The foster parents generally are not as concerned about these new children, and so they are relegated to a second-class status in the family. Amazing Grace Orphanage is trying hard to expand the two orphanages to bring the children from foster families into the orphanages where they will receive good care.

The new orphanage in Sudan is a very ambitious and exciting project. Currently there are 6 dorms, a kitchen, and bathroom facilities. But this is just the beginning. They have plans for creating permanent two story cement dorms, a nursery (kindergarten), primary school (grade school), and secondary school (high school). They would also like to create a chapel, a library, a guesthouse, and have large gardens to grown food. They would like to eventually be a self-sufficient community. The kind neighbors in Sudan have already donated the acres for this new site. The temporary dorms are currently being furnished, but there is still a need for significant donations to complete the dream.