Our Mission

Radiating the love of Christ, Mission Madera strives to put faith in action by serving the needs of the schools, families, and the Little Sisters of St. Francis to improve the living conditions and encounter the human dignity of each person within the Madera community in Uganda, Africa.

Through well-planned summer mission trips, we create opportunities to live and work with the students of the six schools in Madera. Missionaries have been visiting the three schools in Uganda since 2017.

Mission Madera began with the vision of one young man, Benjamin Duphiney who has wanted to go to Africa since he was 10 years. In his sophomore year of high school, he met Sr. Cecilia, a citizen of Uganda. After months of planning and praying, the two imagined a trip to her home country of Uganda. What followed was the inaugural trip to Uganda in Summer of 2017. Ben (affectionately called “Baby Ben” by the children) went with his father, Gerard, and Sr. Cecilia for a two week stay. Ben hopes that this journey inspires other people to say “yes” to God’s plan and take a leap of faith.

In 2018, they brought a group of 12 others to Madera for another two week stay. These students and their parents experienced the magic of Madera and their lives will never be the same. After seeing intense poverty, many were moved to do something about it. After seeing the infinite amount of smiles, others learned about compassion and unfiltered joy. The children of Uganda have taught us so much; they have given us more.

Mission Madera has been unable to travel to Uganda since 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. We are excited to be returning in 2024 after 4 long years!