Hope Speaks International is positively impacting so many lives across Kampala. They are creating therapeutic opportunities for vulnerable population groups that otherwise would not have access. There are countless individuals that live in slums and cannot afford to pay for therapy services. Hope Speaks is doing everything they can to reach out to those people and give them a chance for a better life. They are also providing top notch mentorship for their therapists on staff. The mentorship program is an additional part of the infrastructure that allows the therapy disciplines to learn and grow together through collaboration and knowledge sharing. This is done in order to empower staff members to feel adequately equipped to face any situation as well as support an atmosphere of continued learning.
I cannot say enough about the work they are doing and have seen firsthand the lives that are being affected. There are a lot of stereotypes in UG when it comes to children/people with disability. It's so refreshing to see that Hope speaks is breaking down those barriers and is working to educate families on how to best support people with disabilities. They really are inspiring hope and raising voices in Uganda!
The staff serving with this nonprofit are incredible people! They truly have a passion for the people they serve.
I have been so honoured to work alongside Hope Speaks in different capacities over the last 5 years. Seeing the organisation grow and develop into what it is now is just phenomenal. Keep up the good work, Hope Speaks!
We've been so blessed with a fantastic opportunity to serve alongside Hope Speaks and to capture some of the precious stories and smiles from the wonderful people they work with. To hear their testimonials first hand was such an enriching time for us. Thank you Hope Speaks
Grateful to see how Hope Speaks is making a difference in our community through their free therapy, and by supporting families in the schools here. Thanks Hope Speaks!
Hope Speaks has been providing therapy to children with disabilities here in Uganda for so long. It's been a huge privilege to meet so many of the thousands of children who have found their voice through the work of Hope Speaks.
Hope Speaks is genuinely bringing hope to the hopeless. The hearts of the staff are fully geared towards the heart of the organization: to help those with disabilities become accepted among friends and family and treat the rich and poor equally. I am sincerely grateful for my time spent in Uganda and the chance to help bring change through Hope Speaks.
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Hope Speaks is doing so many amazing things for the people of Uganda! The work they have done and will continue to do is so impactful and done out of service for the Lord. I’m so humbled to have worked with the staff, clients, and families over the past few weeks.
Hope Speaks is an amazing organization run by such kind and selfless people. The therapy they provide and what they stand for is making a positive difference in the community. They are showing many families love and acceptance towards their children while helping them progress in their communication.
Hope Speaks is an incredible nonprofit with truly a heart to love and serve in Uganda. The love of Christ is evident in all their interactions with kiddos in therapy and with the parents and the larger community as well. Hope Speaks focuses on each individual and serves them with an incredible passion. This nonprofit is amazing and I can’t wait to go back and serve more with Hope Speaks!
Hope Speaks is a great organization doing amazing things in Uganda! Loved working with them and learning from their staff.
During my time at Hope Speaks, I had the opportunity to not only see speech therapy services provided, but also so much more. The love and hope of Jesus was extended to each and every person we interacted with, whether His name was spoken or not. I was able to clearly see the necessity of this field in all areas of the world, while also being able to see how we can use this career to bring glory to God and show His light and love to others.
Hope Speaks has put such thought and effort into creating a sustainable program of speech, language and feeding services for Kampala, and it is bearing amazing fruit. Thank you for providing this opportunity to volunteer our skills and grow professionally and spiritually. We were blessed to be able to serve and learn alongside other SLPs and SLP students, both Ugandan and American!!
I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to work with such a great organization!! I was able to volunteer with this organization for a week and it truly was a life changing experience. Ben and Kari are such great leaders that help guide and teach the volunteers to serve with compassion and the true love of Christ. I am a teacher and recent MSW grad that learned so much during my time there. I was able to work with other teachers and social workers to learn how to properly serve the citizens of Uganda. They truly have the citizens best interest at heart. I would be more than glad to come back and volunteer with such a great organization.
Spending 3 weeks with Hope Speaks in Uganda has been one of the greatest highlights of my life. I was awed over and over at the way God is allowing this organization to be used in mighty ways. Kari and Ben are two of the most humble and wise servants I have ever met. I learned so much from them and was honored to be able to use my passion and my education to provide speech therapy to so many children. Hope Speaks does more though than simply provide speech therapy, they provide hope to the families of children with disabilities. They provide tangible instructions and understanding to teachers and parents. They provide a smile and encouraging word. They provide a love that is so deep for the people of this country. And, they provide HOPE!
I cannot speak higher about this organization, its staff, and my overall experience in Uganda with them!!!
I volunteered with Hope Speaks International (HS) for nine months (Sept 2018 - Jun 2019), which allowed me the opportunity to learn and grow alongside their staff and students. We traveled around Kampala and Uganda to various areas of ministry work. Throughout these travels, the HS Volunteer Coordinator taught me so much about the culture, people, history, and perspectives of our communities - especially when it comes to families and children with disabilities. Additionally, thanks to HS's abundant ministry partners, I gained first-hand experience in serving, training, educating, and supporting these families in response to their various needs. Truly being an integral part of accomplishing their organizational mission: "inspiring hope and raising voices of people with disabilities through therapy, advocacy, and social services." And what a joy to participate in this mission alongside fellow professionals (SLPs), undergraduate/graduate students, and non-professional volunteers (including my family!).
As a Speech-Language Pathologist looking for areas of extreme need to serve, HS is an exemplary organization. I firmly believe in their model to reach the vast needs of Uganda with the highest level of integrity and clinical excellence.
Personally, I always felt safe, cared for, and supported as a volunteer. I will continue to strongly encourage this organization and share their mission with others. It has surely changed my heart & hopes for SLPs across the world today and for the future.
I cannot say enough wonderful things about the ministry of Hope Speaks. I just returned from a one-month placement in Uganda, and it far exceeded my expectations. Ben and Kari along with all of the staff and volunteers, provided me with opportunities and space to grow professionally and personally. I am forever changed by my time serving with them. I grew in my relationship with Christ and in my clinical knowledge and skills. The moth I spent serving alongside Hope Speaks, was a springboard for continued advocacy and service in my community. I am so thankful!
Last month (Summer 2019) I returned home to the USA with a full heart and unforgettable memories from my time in Uganda volunteering with Hope Speaks. Being able to learn and help provide speech therapy services to children with disabilities in a third world country was a truly incredible experience. My eyes were opened to a beautiful culture and to the immense need for therapy services in Africa. Before I left, I was unsure of what speech therapy would look like in a location of the world with so much poverty and medical need. Three years ago when I declared a major in speech-language pathology, I had a narrow perspective of what my career may look like, picturing simply helping children say certain sounds. During my time in college I learned that speech-language pathologists have a very broad scope of practice–including helping with feeding and swallowing, neurodegenerative disease, stroke rehabilitation, and much more! Little did I know that my studies could have an impact in places like Kampala, Uganda. By loving and caring for children with special needs, the Hope Speaks organization helps give so many kids and their mothers a voice. During my trip, my team volunteered mainly with children with cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, and hydrocephalus. We worked to help these children make eye contact, follow directions, swallow their food without choking, use verbal and sign language to express wants and needs, and become exposed to literacy. The ultimate goal during each therapy session is to create a bubble of peace and love in the middle of the crazy lives of some of the most marginalized people. One of the most powerful aspects of Hope Speaks is their advocacy and education regarding people with disabilities. Answering mother’s questions about what speech therapists do and about specific disabilities provides them with empowering and useful knowledge. Although I came into my trip wondering how speech-language pathology could have a global impact, I left with the resolve that in places like Kampala, speech therapy is saving lives. Though the need is overwhelming, the focus of the people who work for Hope Speaks resides on giving respect, love, kindness, and hope to one life at a time.
This is an amazing organization! I was really excited to see what God was doing through the community, and encouraged to see the vision of Hope Speaks. Their desire is to expand by empowering and training others to provide services to those in need. I also love the way they view all people as important parts to their team, and treat them as equals (house staff, hosts, security guards, etc.). Without these people, Hope Speaks would not be able to function, and the leaders of this organization recognize this. God is moving through Hope Speaks, and families are being changed by the love of Christ because the Lord cares about their needs.
Hope Speaks is an amazing, Christ-centered organization! I served with them in Summer 2018, and plan to go back again as soon as I am able. They know how to enter into a community respectfully and provide services and resources to empower parents to be partners in their child's progress. They are impacting not only children with disabilities, but their families and neighborhoods as well. I also enjoyed the fact that they showcase the natural beauty and human fortitude found in Uganda- there is so much to be learned and appreciated as you serve with Hope Speaks.
This organization is one that changed my life. I got the opportunity to travel to Uganda with Hope Speaks in the summer of 2018, and it far exceeded anything that I was expecting. The amount of lives that have been and are being changed by Hope Speaks is profound. From providing speech therapy, to practicing ministry, to educating the public about disabilities, this organization does it all. We worked in outreach clinics in the slums, along with at a beautiful private clinic that they just opened up as well. We also traveled to the Kampala School for the Physically Handicapped and did therapy with their students too. So much is being done in Uganda right now, and Hope Speaks is at the heart of it all.