Vision for Building an Office

When I initially heard that eMi: East Africa was fundraising to build an office, I had some questions.

Does eMi need a new office? Will people get excited about this? Why is this strategic?

I found these answers compelling:

1. The organization is growing. The eMi: East Africa office hosts four times more personnel than it did just three years ago. More staff, more volunteers and more interns are working toward fulfilling their mission.
2. Vision for expanded services. With increased personnel, the organization has taken on more difficult projects and increased the number of ministries they serve – ministries that provide shelter, food, medical care, education, nurture and the love of Christ. (See post on Gate of Hope.) Additionally, eMi hopes to mobilize disaster relief teams and become a locally known organization for professional development of design professionals and construction-related craftsmen.
3. Emphasis on sustainability and East Africans taking ownership. As eMi: East Africa has expanded the scope of their services to construction management, a growing management team has already taken shape. Dozens of Ugandans have joined in the work to ensure better quality and stewardship. Part of eMi’s vision is to operate a workshop for research and development of sustainable building technologies indigenous to East Africa.

The problem is that eMi: East Africa is out of space and in the wrong location.

The solution presents an exciting opportunity for

Engineering Ministries International (eMi) and Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF)

to form an exceptional partnership and build a shared office facility.

This partnership presents an opportunity for two organizations with shared goals to work together side by side to serve hundreds of ministries and churches better throughout East Africa. The planned shared office and workshop are an ideal space for accommodating increased personnel and initiatives, while placing these organizations in the path of people they serve.

Additionally, this partnership is an opportunity to maximize value through sharing of resources. This will result in the reduction of overhead cost by 30%, while simultaneously giving both organizations more space and stronger infrastructure to increase production efficiency greatly. One of the most compelling parts of the overall campaign is to raise $175,000 and yet be able to build a facility that would cost nearly $700,000 to buy! That represents significant savings that can be reinvested toward the mission.

And this overall mission is more than building orphan homes, hospitals and schools. It is about more than encouraging and helping fellow ministries and Christians minister more effectively. It is ultimately about playing a small but strategic role in helping the Gospel transform a people, a nation. The goal is to empower the Church as the key force of change – a force strong enough to see the end of extreme poverty in our lifetime.

This is the audacity of the vision. It’s what we are passionately working toward. It is what we believe you are helping us to do.