We Are PATH International

Organization Name Change: PATH International

In recent years, we have come to primarily be referred to as Otino Waa Children’s Village. “Otino Waa” literally means “Our Children” in the local Ugandan language of Luo. Since the beginning, our organization has operated as PATH Ministries International, with Otino Waa Children’s Village being the physical location where we work.

God has opened the doors for our ministry to grow beyond the gates of Otino Waa. We’ve begun our Community Based Care program, supporting children while allowing them to remain in their home villages; our Elevate program sends graduates throughout the country for higher education, and our community development work reaches deep into the rural bush. And this year we’ve expanded into Ethiopia!

Because of all this growth, we determined it would make the most sense to move from primarily being called Otino Waa, to PATH International. Never fear! Otino Waa is still at the center of all we do; it is the heartbeat of our ministry. However, we needed a name that would encompass all that we do, in any part of the world, using the common language of English.

We are making the change to PATH International. Although we’ve taken the word ‘ministries’ out of our name, we want to assure you it is not because we desire to separate ourselves from our faith. Not at all.

We’ve intentionally removed the word ‘ministries’ because in an African context, the meaning and use of the word
is more similar to ‘department.’ It does not hold the faith and religious meaning that we in America associate it with, which has caused some confusion within our African context.

We want to convey that our firm faith and reliance on Jesus Christ is as strong as ever. We’ve carefully crafted our new vision and mission statements to ensure that anyone who knows us, knows we are Christ followers.

We are on a mission to end the global orphan crisis.

As a Jesus-centered organization, we aim to rescue and bring restoration to orphaned children living in the harshest places. We accomplish this by partnering with families, community leaders, and churches to eliminate extreme poverty by: Addressing vulnerabilities, providing education, and creating opportunities to empower those who have been forgotten.