Some summers are spent in a whirlwind of family visits and beach days, while this has been a summer whose memories will stay with me forever.
Goats for Kelele
Why? Because I had the great privilege of accompanying Elena and Martina – my daughter and her international baccalaureate classmate, as well as her friend Clarita – to Uganda. Elena and Martina had helped raise funds for a herd of goats for a group of Ugandan single mothers from the NGO KELELE AFRICA , so we headed there to supervise the purchase of the 10 goats and help in any way we could. The idea of this initiative is to promote self-sufficiency and financial stability among the fragile women involved. Many will be able to create a home for themselves and their children, others will send them to a boarding school for education and other modest plans that would otherwise be impossible. Exciting update! Since our return three of those 20 goats are about to give birth and thus begins the cyclical project!
While we were there we also entertained ourselves with class games, instructing local teachers on how to use donated European games and teaching materials, and repainting the water tank. In addition, we had some money left over from purchasing the herd of goats, so the girls bought 100 mattresses and 100 blankets for the most vulnerable families in the town. We delivered all of these donations personally and it was very rewarding to see the gratitude firsthand. I couldn’t be more proud of the girls for all their hard work to bring this GOAT project to light . They are very excited about the initiative and knowing that they are helping to improve the lives of many people in this impoverished community.
Sponsor a child’s education
One of the reasons why my daughter thought of financing this project in this area and with this specific NGO is because she knew that I had sponsored Exavious for a few years, who is a former student of the Kumwenya School, from this part of Uganda. I live and breathe education, and a few years ago I decided to put my money where my mouth is, knowing that for a few hundred euros a year I could make a real difference to the life of a young person in Africa. Once a term I receive photos and a report card showing how Exavious has been doing, and at first my own son wrote to him too – it was a great way for him to practice his written English while learning about life and someone else’s culture.
Unfortunately, I was not able to meet with Exavious when I was there, as he was taking important exams during my stay. Uganda’s school system was one of the hardest hit in the world during the COVID pandemic , with more than two years of disruption to early childhood education. Many children did not return to the education system and some schools were lost forever, converted into farms or other workplaces. That’s why I know how important it is for Exavious to catch up in school. But I got to meet his lovely family, who are very grateful for my continued support. It was a very emotional experience to meet his parents in his small store. They were very excited to meet me and one of my children after so many years of contact.
I have loved being part of Exavious’s life and knowing that my relatively small contribution is making a huge difference not only to him and his family, but to Ugandan society and the economy as a whole. So I would like to encourage you too to consider sponsoring a child’s education in Uganda. You know how important a good school is for your child or children, and what better way to demonstrate your values than by helping a disadvantaged boy or girl achieve their potential? Click here to learn how you can make a difference in a young person’s life . For less than €400 a year you can follow the academic progress of your sponsored child, perhaps until university! Think of it as an original gift for this upcoming Christmas.