OUR FOUNDING STORY
Let’s start at the beginning
Our founder Amon grew up in a refugee family in Uganda and wasn’t able to attend school until the age of 11. As an eleven-year-old, he worked odd jobs to pay his way through school. In 2002, by the grace of God, he found himself in college in Rwanda studying business. That same year, he founded a child sponsorship organization with one goal: to ensure that vulnerable children like him had access to education, food, and spiritual care.
In that same year, Amon was joined by his wife Erica and they continued serving children and families together.
A Decade of Compassion
We believed, and still do, that every child matters. And for over a decade, that belief moved my wife Erica and me to mobilize support across the world. By 2014, with the support of many friends, we were raising $2.5 million annually to sponsor more than 7,000 children.
Every child matters
The Hamster Wheel of Giving
Helping one child at a time was beautiful. But it was also exhausting and unsustainable . Every dollar we raised went out the door the same year. Come January, we had to start all over again. It became a hamster wheel of compassion. I had graduated from business school and began to question the sustainability of it all.
When Good Isn’t Sustainable
The Breaking Point
In 2014, a funding shortage forced us to let go of nearly half the children in our care—not because they didn’t need help, but because the money ran out. One of the most painful moments of my life was telling a child, “You can’t go to school anymore,” not because they failed—but because someone on the other side of the ocean didn’t send money.
The Day We Had to Say Goodbye
The Turning Point
In 2015, we made a bold decision: to stop building dependency and start discipling people into dignity. We began investing in local enterprises that empowered families to generate their own income—moving from sponsorship to sustainable transformation.
Dignity Over Dependency
Stories of Enterprise-Based Impact
We saw incredible results. One enterprise we supported helped 6,000 families acquire income-generating assets on credit—sending 18,000+ children to school without needing annual sponsorships. Another improved farming productivity for 5,000 families, turning harvests into school fees and medical care. Parents stood tall in the dignity of their own work.
What $40 Can Really Do
From Relief to Empowerment
Charity is good. But endless charity can become bondage. Over 12 years, we had never graduated a single community from dependence. Africa has received over $1.2 trillion in aid over 50 years—yet poverty persists. Why? Because we confused relief with development, compassion with capacity-building.
Rethinking Charity
The Power of Value Creation
Enterprise isn’t just profit—it’s dignity. When families generate income, pay bills, and educate their children without outside help, they aren’t just surviving. They’re rewriting their story. That’s why we now champion value-creating enterprises and infrastructure as the true path out of poverty.
Enterprise: Africa’s Next Chapter
Discipling Economies
Enterprise isn’t just profit—it’s dignity. When families generate income, pay bills, and educate their children without outside help, they aren’t just surviving. They’re rewriting their story. That’s why we now champion value-creating enterprises and infrastructure as the true path out of poverty.
Not Just Individuals but Entire Systems
From Aid to Abundance
We are now fully committed to walking with enterprises that empower families to generate income. Every dollar must become a seed, not a subsidy. Compassion must build capacity. Charity must lead to community transformation.
Africa Doesn’t Need Saving; It Needs Resetting
Join the Movement
At Parousia Life, we’ve seen this transformation. We’ve lived it. And we’re inviting you to join us. Because when you teach a man to fish—and help him build a business around it—you don’t just end his poverty. You end poverty for generations.