Hello Friends!
We hope this finds you healthy and well. I can't believe it but we've reached a strange milestone, it has been one year since the beginning of the COVID-19 shut-down in Uganda. Last week also marks the official closure of our US office, a turn-of-events that paved the way for our return to Colorado! While things are slowly returning to normal both in Uganda and the US, we have much to reflect upon. What began with challenges unlike any we'd ever faced, resulted in creative, meaningful discussion about how we implement our programs on-the-ground in Uganda, and how we would continue to help the community through these challenging times. With ingenuity, commitment, and agility, we were able to deliver our programs despite the closure of our community center. Thanks to YOU, our Virtual Awareness Week provided help to thousands of at-risk individuals and families, and our Distance Learning & Wellness Kit program continues to keep students actively engaged while waiting to return back to school.
We have many exciting, meaningful updates to share below, we hope you'll scroll down to find out more about what we've been up to.
With gratitude,
Sarah Nininger and The Action in Africa Team
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We are thrilled to share that we have been able to welcome students back to the center in small groups. Senior 1s and 2s come to center 3x per week; we host them outside underneath a shady tent where they use their time to:
- write to their pen pals in America,
- learn new vocabulary with Teacher Nzuki from nearby Central College,
- complete the distance learning materials given by their schools,
- engage in a group discussion with our Social Worker, Robinah! Robinah hosts activities and discussions with them every week about healthy relationships and important issues relevant to teenage life.
While limited, it has been a joy to have our center safely reopen for this vibrant activity.
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We are also excited to share that we made it possible for 593 Primary 4, 5, & 6 students to join our Distance Learning Program. This was a $25+ USD investment in each student, putting your generous donations to use to keep kids healthy, active, and mindfully engaged while their schools are still closed.
And finally, we are proud to share that we continue to support 25 furloughed teachers by paying their salaries and providing them with weekly continuing education opportunities that they can implement with their students once they are back in the classroom.
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There has also been lots of exciting activity here in the states. Our high school clubs have been actively engaged in fundraising and participating in our Pen Pal Program. The Houston Club recently collected supplies for us to take with us on our next trip to Uganda.
To support our work, we have recently applied for several grants from charitable organizations based in the US. If you know of any foundations, institutions or companies accepting grant applications for which you think we'd be a good fit, please let us know by replying to this email!
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Finally, as the international development community continues to undergo some critical reflection on what ethical and effective international development should look like, we feel it is important to be aware of the issues and our responses to them. In order to ensure AIA's work is as locally driven and culturally respectful as possible, we have developed a series of classes to engage in some of these conversations around generating meaningful partnerships and community development in a complex, ever-changing global landscape. We are excited to pilot this program with AIA staff and Board of Directors, and eventually hope to open it up to other community members such as donors, partners, and volunteers.
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COMPUTER FLASH CAMPAIGN
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Help us close the digital divide by providing our staff, interns and university students with access to technology. Between now and the end of April we are fundraising for 10 new computers! We need to raise $3,500, and you can help by donating a computer for $350, or by making a contribution of any size to support this campaign. Thank you!
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JOIN THE SCHOLARSHIP SOCIETY
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One of the best ways to support our work is to join The Scholarship Society. For as little as $5/month (less than 1 trip to Starbucks), you can make a HUGE impact. We hope you'll join us as we work to grow this program from 60 - 100 members by September 2021. Together we can make a difference!
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By supporting Action in Africa, you are helping us serve the children, women, and schools we work with in Uganda. Consider making a one-time or monthly tax-deductible contribution with the link below.
Thank you!
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