Unbelievable? Unbelievable special: 'My father was murdered…a sponsor saved my life' - Richmond Wandera Interviewed by John Nelson
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Mar 19, 2026 Richmond Wandera, a Ugandan pastor and former Compassion-sponsored child who now leads New Life Baptist Church and trains pastors across East Africa. He recalls growing up after his father’s murder and how sponsorship changed his life. Conversations cover rising post‑COVID poverty, trafficking and online exploitation, the role of local churches versus top‑down NGOs, and training pastors to combat syncretism.
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COVID Deepened Child Vulnerability
- COVID devastated Uganda's informal economy, wiping out ~200,000 businesses and worsening youth unemployment in a country where 70% are under 30.
- Richmond links this economic shock to increased child vulnerability and says churches redistributed limited resources to help families survive.
Work Through Local Churches Not Over Them
- Do partner with and empower local church workers because they know language, culture, and lived context, making interventions dignified and effective.
- Richmond emphasizes Compassion's model of asking local pastors their vision and inviting partnership rather than imposing solutions.
Street Survival Before Sponsorship
- Growing up without access to private education forced Richmond into street life at age eight, scavenging and protecting his younger sister.
- After sponsorship he gained food, schooling, playtime and holistic support that healed visible and invisible aspects of poverty.
