Give A Smile

Some ministries you hear about. Others you watch being born.

I have known Pastor Chris Daniel Mukisa since before there was a property, before there was a building, and before there was any clear way to put up a structure at all. What there was, even then, was a man with a burning love for Jesus and an unshakable conviction that God had called him to the people of Kampala.

I have watched him grow. I have watched him serve with passion when nobody was watching and nothing was easy. And I can tell you plainly: Pastor Chris is the real thing. Recently he sent me photographs, reports and letters from the field, and I want you to see what I see.

It Started With Five People

Give A Smile Ministries did not begin with a donor, a grant or a building. It began in Pastor Chris’s church with five people and a simple cash round. Each person put in a small amount, and together they used it to meet the most urgent needs of the people around them.

That is all it was at first: a handful of believers refusing to look away. What began with very little has grown into a ministry with a far wider vision, to restore hope and transform lives, and it has already touched thousands of children and families.

Pastor Chris leads Christ Transmission Ministries and serves as Executive Director of Give A Smile Ministries, a registered charity. The mission is simple and beautiful: to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to people who need both bread and the Bread of Life.

Who They Serve

Give A Smile Ministries stands with the people who are easiest to overlook: children from families that are struggling financially, orphans, single mothers, the elderly, disabled and poor people, and anyone facing circumstances too heavy to carry alone.

In the villages they visit, families work hard, yet many cannot cover the basics: food, clothing, healthcare and school. When a household is under that kind of pressure, the children feel it first.

Keeping Children in School

Education is where Give A Smile Ministries has had its greatest impact. So far they have helped more than 2,000 children, and many of them are now in school.

Their method is practical and humble. The team identifies children who are at risk of dropping out, then goes to the schools and asks the administration whether they have bursaries. Where a bursary exists, they present each child’s case and work with the school so the child can benefit. Where a school cannot help, they look for support from friends, well-wishers and partners.

The need is far greater than the resources. Pastor Chris meets parents who desperately want their children to learn but cannot afford fees, books, uniforms, food or clothing. Children are sent home for unpaid fees, and without someone stepping in, many never return.

The goal is not a one-off handout. Pastor Chris wants to build programmes that last: keeping children in school, supporting vulnerable families, opening vocational opportunities, and helping families become self-reliant.

Luuka: 300 Children Halfway There

Give A Smile Ministries recently travelled to Luuka to sit with vulnerable children, families and community members and to understand their struggles first-hand. While they were there, they visited Emmanuel Junior School, which has generously offered 400 half-bursaries to vulnerable children through the ministry. 300 pupils are already benefiting.

A half-bursary is a gift, but it is still only half. The families are among the poorest in the area, and even the reduced fees are out of reach for many. The balance is UGX 200,000 per child per term, roughly USD 54. Uganda has three school terms a year, so one child’s full year comes to about USD 162.

Pastor Chris’s appeal is beautifully simple: support one child, two, ten or a hundred, as the Lord leads you. Every child covered is a child who stays in the classroom instead of being sent home.

Emmanuel Junior School has needs of its own, yet it chose to open its doors anyway. Pastor Chris hopes that, as the ministry grows, it can bless the school in return and build a partnership that serves the whole community.

Kasenge–Nakilama: St. Joseph Primary School

In Kasenge–Nakilama, the team visited St. Joseph Primary School, which has offered 20 half-bursaries for vulnerable children. Here the fees are higher: UGX 300,000 a term for day scholars (about USD 81) and UGX 500,000 a term for boarders (about USD 135). Even the balance is beyond what many of these families can manage.

Kasenge: A Community With a Future

Kasenge is a growing community along the Nateete–Nakawuka Road, home to farmers, traders, young people and families from many religious and social backgrounds. There is a significant Muslim presence, with mosques within the community, so trust is built slowly, through patience, respect and genuine relationship.

Like many developing communities, Kasenge carries real burdens. Work is scarce for young people. Miraa (khat) is grown in parts of the area as a cash crop, and while it brings income to some households, its use is taking a toll on some young people and families: disrupted education, strained homes and wasted potential.

But Pastor Chris refuses to define Kasenge by its struggles, and so do I. Its children have potential. Its young people have potential. Its families have potential. What they need is mentorship, education, skills, opportunity and the hope of the gospel.

Presence, Not Distance

Recently Pastor Chris spent a day visiting children and community members the ministry supports. He listened to their stories, encouraged them and saw for himself how they are growing. Meals are shared. Prayers are prayed. Names are known.

That is what this ministry looks like. Not distant charity, but presence, one child and one family at a time.

Why I Endorse This Ministry

I don’t lend my name lightly. I endorse Pastor Chris because I have seen his faithfulness over time, and faithfulness over time is the only proof that really counts.

He isn’t building a platform. He is building people. And he is doing it in a region where the harvest is plentiful and the labourers are few (Matthew 9:37).

How You Can Give

You can choose a child, a classroom or a cause. USD 54 keeps a Luuka child in school for a term, and USD 162 covers a whole year.

From the Field

Missionaries and Evangelists: Uganda Is Calling

If you are a missionary, an evangelist or a ministry leader, I want to speak to you directly.

There are villages in Luuka and communities like Kasenge where people need to hear the name of Jesus preached with love and power. There are young people caught in hopelessness and substance use who need deliverance and a reason to live. There are hundreds of children already connected to this ministry, and behind every child is a family that needs the gospel.

Pastor Chris has spent years building trust in these communities. A crusade or outreach here would not land on cold ground. It would stand on relationships that have been built one visit, one meal and one school fee at a time.

If God is stirring your heart to come to Uganda and hold a crusade, a revival meeting, an outreach or a training for local leaders, please don’t ignore it. “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14)

Reach out to Pastor Chris directly on WhatsApp or give him a call to talk through locations, dates and what the team on the ground can help with. Uganda is on East Africa Time (GMT+3).

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A Final Word

“He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.” (Proverbs 19:17)

Your gift, however large or small, keeps a child in a classroom, puts hope in a family’s heart, and carries the name of Jesus to people who have never heard it preached with love.

Please pray. Please give. Please go. Please share this page.

Let’s stand with Pastor Chris and help him reach Uganda for Christ.

Abigail Smith