Journey of Hope and Bill Headed for Uganda

Bill Pelke

I am really getting excited about the Uganda Journey of Hope.

So is Bill Babbitt. Bill has been speaking around the world about his brother Manny who was executed in 1999. Bill has helped raise over $2000 so that this Journey can take place.
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Randy Gardner is excited about going too. Randy founded Back to Basics Randy called the Journey of Hope office last year right after Christmas and told how his brother had been executed by firing squad five months earlier. Randy said he was busting at the gut to speak out against the death penalty with his firsthand experience. Randy will be having that chance when the Journey goes to Africa.

These two brothers will be sharing the torture that their families went through because of state sanctioned executions.

Charity Lee called the Journey of Hope office a few months ago and told me about the ELLA Foundation, a non-profit named after her four year old daughter. Ella was killed by her 13 year-old brother. Charity has seen crime from both sides of the fence. She has determined that Love conquers all. She told me she was looking for opportunities to share that love through speaking opportunities.

About three months ago, Edward Edmary Mpagi asked me if the Journey of Hope could come to Uganda and help him in his lonely efforts for abolition. My friend Dirk Sisson opened a door, other doors followed suit and in 5 short days the Journey of Hope is headed to Uganda.

The timing was set to coincide with the ninth annual World Day Against the Death Penalty on Oct 10. We leave for Uganda on October 2 and will speak in middle school, high school and college classes. We will be speaking at rallies, visiting the men’s death row, the women’s prison and family members of death row inmates.

Since Edward was exonerated from Uganda’s death row, he has spent his time working to build a school and orphanage for the children of death row and other inmates who were forced to leave school when their family member was incarcerated. For more information on Edward go to Dream One World When Maria Donatelli, Coordinator for the World Coalition to Abolish the death Penalty was made aware that the Journey of Hope was going to be in Uganda during World Day, she invited the Journey of Hope to
attend a two day conference sponsored by the WCADP and Hands Off Cain in Kigali, Rwanda October 12-14.

From Rwanda we head to Nairobi Kenya for several meetings returning to the US on October 19th.

I will try to make frequent posts on the Journey of Hope events Diary blog

Thank you for your support.

Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts.

In Love and Peace,
Bill


Bill Pelke
President, Journey of Hope…from Violence to Healing
WWW.JourneyofHope.org
877-9 24GIVE (4483)
“The answer is love and compassion for all of humanity”

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