Welcoming Mercy Childcare Leaders to Finland

At the beginning of May, we had the joy of welcoming Wilfred Rugumba and his wife Vena from Mercy Childcare Ministries to Finland for three days of meetings, fellowship, and cultural exchange.

Mercy Childcare was founded by Wilson Bugembe, who was featured in our Worship Factor documentary The Yellow Boy. Having grown up as an orphan himself, Wilson later created an orphanage and educational ministry dedicated to supporting vulnerable children in Uganda.

Today, Mercy Childcare supports around 50 children through its orphanage ministry and also runs several schools reaching hundreds of students. Beyond providing education, the ministry also works to reconnect orphaned children with remaining family members whenever possible, helping them reintegrate into society while continuing to mentor and support their future.

During their visit, we had the opportunity to show our guests around Helsinki, share Finnish culture together, and enjoy local food — including the traditional salmon soup. But above all, the visit focused on encouraging and supporting the future development of their ministry.

One important step during these days was connecting Mercy Childcare with Truth and Transformation Europe, an organization already involved in projects such as micro-schools and orphanage support in Africa, including Uganda. Through these meetings, new relationships were established with contacts in Germany and Norway, opening the door for possible future collaborations and support networks around Mercy Childcare’s work.

Another more unexpected — but very Finnish — part of the visit was introducing them to disc golf, one of Finland’s most popular sports. Finland recently hosted the Disc Golf World Championships, and the sport continues to grow internationally, including professional tournaments in the United States.

We visited a local disc golf course together, explained how the sport works, and offered them a few discs to take back home. The discussions also sparked a new idea: exploring the possibility of building a disc golf course for the children and schools connected to Mercy Childcare in Uganda.

At Good News RY, we are grateful for opportunities to build bridges between cultures, encourage meaningful initiatives, and support ministries that are making a practical difference in the lives of children and communities.

You can learn more about Mercy Childcare and their story here: Mercy Childcare Story