Mission Trip to Uganda
DANVILLE, Calif. (KCBS) _ A Danville family is trading in their comfortable life in the Bay Area for a two-year stint in Uganda, all in an effort to help children who've been orphaned by the AIDS crisis.
"My husband left for Uganda last week and I think the house went on the market the next day," said Janet Gibson, who is saying a lot of good-byes these days.
She needs to sell off some more of their belongings before she and her youngest child, 14-year-old Cassidy join her husband to run the non-profit organization, Children of Grace.
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The group provides wide-ranging support for children, who have lost at least one parent to AIDS.
"It provides school, health care to assess their living conditions and just takes a holistic approach at caring for the kids," she said.
One of Gibson's sons first learned of the organization a couple of years ago and went over to Africa to help. And when her husband Paul's high-tech job was eliminated earlier this year, they were open to new possibilities.
Then they learned the organization was looking for a full-time leader.
"It wasn't an easy decision," said Gibson. "But I think once we made it, we were very sure about it."
The family will move to Uganda's second-largest city of Jinja, a couple of hours from the capital of Kampala.
And while they expect to have running water and electricity, Gibson said many of the children they'll be helping in the outlying villages won't have those luxuries.
