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Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and thanks to akitcheninuganda.com we’ve found a fun, recipe that makes the perfect treat to celebrate. The recipe makes 25+ pies, so feel free to share this sweet taste from Uganda with friends, coworkers, and family!

Red Plum Jam Mini Pies

Ingredients:

  • Zesta Red Plum Jam
  • 2 cups Baking flour
  • 1/2 cup Margarine (blue band)/ Butter
  • 1/2 cup Cold water
  • 1 tbsp. Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt

Directions:

  1. Sift flour in a bowl. Add salt and sugar. Mix well.
  2. Add margarine and using your hands mix it in the flour until the mixture becomes coarse.
  3. Next add the water, a tablespoon at a time, while mixing. Keep adding little water until a firm dough is formed. It should not be very wet and should not stick to your hands so much (you may need more or less water).
  4. After you have formed a firm dough, put it back in the bowl and keep it refrigerated for 15 minutes.
  5. After 15 minutes, remove from the refrigerator and, on a floured surface, cut the dough into two equal parts.
  6. Using a floured rolling pin or a glass bottle, roll the dough out till it is thin enough. Using a circular cookie cutter or glass, cut out as many circles as possible. The size of the cutter determines the size of the pies. If you want them large, use a larger cutter and vice versa. Using a rolling-pin, roll out the scraps and continue cutting out circles until the dough is over.
  7. Spoon ½teaspoon of the Zesta red plum jam into the center of half of the pie circles. Make sure to leave enough of a border around the filling to seal them shut. Do not overfill!
  8. Brush around the edges of the dough with a finger dipped in a whisked egg. This will be the “glue”.
  9. Place a second dough circle on top each filled circle then use a fork to press the edges together.
  10. Cut a hole on the top of each pie with a sharp knife and place on prepared sheet pan.
  11. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  12. Bake the pies for 15 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.

With Love,
Cristen

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It’s been awhile since our last #UgandaFastFact so here’s a little bit of knowledge you probably didn’t know about Uganda: NRM Liberation Day is celebrated on January 26.

The country has seen a lot of turmoil throughout its history. For 70 years spanning the 18th and 19th century, Uganda was controlled by Britain.  They didn’t gain their independence until 1962 (if you recall, Oct. 9 is celebrated as Independence Day in Uganda).

Milton Obote was the first leader to take on the role of Prime Minister for the country, but his years in office were not without civil rights abuses and corruption. In the 1980’s the National Resistance Army, under the political National Resistance Movement led by Yoweri Museveni, fought against, and eventually ousted, Obote. on January 25.  On January 29 Museveni took the reigns as President, promising a fundamental change in the politics of Uganda.

Since then, Ugandans celebrate NRM Liberation Day on January 26. However, with Museveni still in power 30 years later, citizens have started boycotting the holiday claiming governmental corruption, vote rigging are still rampant in Uganda’s political system.

The political unrest is leading to a rise of militant groups. And as a result Uganda is part of a major famine currently taking over South Sudan, which we talked about during our Thanksgiving post. As these militant groups take over the country, more people are forced to flee their homes as refugees, leaving behind crops that help sustain the population and adding to the current food shortage. Food prices are skyrocketing, and it’s hard for humanitarian aids to get enough food supply in to feed everyone.

While NRM Liberation Day was originally created to celebrate the people’s freedom from a corrupt government, the countries work is far from over. It may be awhile until the people of Uganda are able to find their happiness and contentment. Until then, and now more than ever, it’s time for humanity to come together and provide whatever aide they can to get through this tumultuous time in the country’s history.

Hope for Hearts is doing its part to help by providing basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter to orphaned children in Uganda. We also supplement these basic necessities with educational opportunities and by providing a loving home and family – which many of these kids long for. However, we are not immune to the sky-rocketing costs of food during the famine and turmoil in Uganda. You can do your part to help by making a donation to Hope for Hearts so we can continue to provide for the hundreds of children in our schools.

With all the political unrest happening right now, it’s hard to say if and when the people of Uganda will find peace, happiness, and a new reason to celebrate yet another liberation day. Until then, all we can do is show our support as much as we can.

Click here to make a donation.

With Love,
Cristen

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The new year is almost upon us. It’s time to start reflecting on the year behind, and what’s to come in the year ahead. Last year we talked about how each new year is like a blank canvas, ready to paint with new adventures. Thanks to your donations we were able to help more than 400 orphans in Uganda paint their canvas with new dreams of independence and self-sufficiency. This year, we’re just as resolved to help even more children soar to new heights as they paint their canvas.

Let’s take a look at just what we mean by that in this week’s weekend word – resolve.

re·solve
rəˈzälv/

verb

  1. settle or find a solution to (a problem, dispute, or contentious matter).
  2. decide firmly on a course of action.

noun

  1. 
firm determination to do something.

To be resolved means to firmly decide on a course of action and find a solution to a problem. The new year often causes people to pause and reflect on what’s important in their life, and what they’re resolved to do as they move forward into the future.

At Hope for Hearts, we’ve been dedicated to improving lives by providing a hand up to orphaned children in Uganda for years. With the country currently in political turmoil and a major famine, the children need our help now more than ever. There is more work to be done and now more than ever it’s important to continue our efforts to improve the lives of orphaned children in Uganda.

A lot of times people change their resolution year after year, but who says you can’t make something old new again? This year, we’re dusting off last year’s resolution and staying resolved to continue serving even more children in 2017 – and we need your help! I’m humbly asking that as you start making your new year’s resolutions, stop and think about setting a goal to give a hand up to a stranger in need.

For just $20 a month in 2017 you can sponsor a child in our school. This provides them with food, shelter, education, vocational training, counseling, spiritual development, social and life skills. These are all valuable tools that the children take with them throughout a new life of independence and self-sufficiency.

To learn more about how you can provide a hand up to an orphan in Uganda by sponsoring a child through Hope for Hearts visit https://hope4hearts.org/donate.

With Gratitude,
Cristen

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This Saturday marks the 113th anniversary of the day the Wright bothers successfully flew the first airplane. On Dec. 17, 1903 near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright soared into history as Orvillle piloted a gasoline-powered, propeller-driven biplane, setting the stage for future developments that would lead to modern day aviation.

In honor of their historic flight, we’re going to take a look at the word soar for this week’s weekend word.

Soar
sôr/
verb

  1. fly or rise high in the air.
  2. maintain height in the air without flapping wings or using engine power.
  3. increase rapidly above the usual level.

For centuries humans have been obsessed with the idea of soaring high. It’s what led the Wright brothers to invent the first successful airplane. But we didn’t stop there… In the 60’s we became obsessed with soaring even higher and sending the first rockets, men, spaceships, etc. which greatly expanded space programs around the world.

Soaring has become a very powerful word. It’s synonymous with aspire, ascend, lift up, arise, aspire. It reminds us of freedom, empowerment, rising high with no limits and breaking barriers. As a society, we associate soaring with success, which is why it’s used in so many inspirational quotes.

Reaching new heights and soaring above others gives us a different perspective and ability to help those below us, so they too can rise. This reminds me of an old proverb…

“Those who walk with angels learn to soar above the clouds.”

While I believe there are angels in heaven, I also believe there are angels that walk on earth among us – and you could be one of them! It only takes a small, virtuous act of charity for you to be an angel in someone else’s life.

Hope for Hearts aims to give orphaned children the tools and resources necessary to soar in a life of independence and self-sufficiency. With your year-end donation, you can help us serve even more children in 2017 as they learn to fly and make their dreams come true.

A gift of:

$25 – Provides two children a month of meals, so they don’t go hungry on the streets.
$120 – Purchases a sewing machine to help a child learn a trade that will help them earn money to be self-sufficient.
$240 – Provides a year of education for one child, so they can better their lives through a rewarding career.

And, the more money you donate, the more children we can help!
$625 – Feeds 50 children for one month.
$1,200 – Sponsors five orphaned children to participate in our educational programs for the entire year.

Be an angel for our children by making a donation at: hope4hearts.donortools.com/my/funds/64767-Make-a-Difference

With Gratitude,
Cristen