Photo courtesy of Sozo Children.
A child enjoys a new water well in Uganda.
The Greek word “sozo” means to save, nurture or rescue, both physically and spiritually, and that’s what Sozo Children, a Birmingham faith-based nonprofit, is working to do for orphaned children in Uganda.
The organization will hold its sixth annual Sozo Children Fundraising Dinner at the Wynfrey Hotel at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover Aug. 27 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Attendees will be offered a full-course meal, an inspiring program and a chance to bid on items included in live and silent auctions.
The effort to help orphans began in 2010, when missionary Jay Clark — a 2004 Oak Mountain High School graduates — saw the horrible conditions for children in an orphanage he visited in Kampala, Uganda. In a few weeks, they arranged for 17 kids to move to a house they called the Sozo Children’s Home.
Since then, the organization has raised money to provide safe, permanent homes for the children and, in March 2015, bought 28 acres in a village near Kampala. They now are raising money to complete the first phase of the project and build 15 new homes, allowing them to give up some rental properties.
The organization — a certified 501(c)(3) and a registered Ugandan non-governmental organization — is also seeking individuals who would like to become monthly donors or sponsors.
Admission is $80. Corporate tables for 10 guests are $2,500. To donate items for the silent auction, email Laura@sozochildren.org. For tickets and more information about the event, contact 612-0338 or go to sozochildren.org/bhamdinner.
