Update (5/28): We’ve now raised about 1/3 of the $1,500 needed.

Important: When donating online via Canada Helps (click on the thermometer), please write “KAASO Internet” in the comments field so we know that you are donating specifically to provide Internet access to ULEP’s partner school.

We need your help to raise the $1,500 needed to establish and operate Internet access at the Kabira Adult Attention and School of Orphans (KAASO), ULEP’s partner school in the Rakai District of rural Uganda.

The Rakai District is at the epicentre of the HIV/AIDs epidemic, and many of students have lost their parents to illness. KAASO provides more than 600 students in Rakai with primary school education, as well as literacy and business training for adults in the community. The skills taught at KAASO will allow the students to become leaders in their communities, as well as raise awareness regarding HIV/AIDs, gender equality, and environmental stewardship.

When ULEP Program Manager Mallory Mroz volunteered at KAASO in 2007, adults and parents in the community discussed how they would like to use the Internet to learn more about HIV/AIDs prevention, nutrition and hygiene, and entrepreneurship opportunities. Mallory also learned that it’s very difficult for the students and teachers of KAASO to access the Internet. They must take a 45 minute motorcycle ‘taxi’ ride into a town called Kyotera which, at $1 per leg, is more than most can afford.

To take part in a ‘virtual tour’ of KAASO and meet some of the students your investment will assist, please visit CanILF on YouTube here (video narrated by Mallory Mroz).

The Foundation needs to meet its fundraising goal by June 1, 2010. The $1,500 will cover the following:
• $900 to establish an Internet connection at KAASO; and
• $50 per month for the Internet service (for the first year).

100% of all donations will go directly toward project expenses, and no portion will be spent on administration or salaries in Canada. Funds raised beyond our goal will be used to pay for additional months of Internet service.

The Internet will give teachers and students of KAASO access to educational resources, online mentoring and seminars, and the CanILF Pen Pal program. Access to the Internet could also allow residents to access micro-credit programs such as Kiva, which has already facilitated more than $100 million in loans for those in need.

Even a small donation can make a big difference. All donations are eligible for tax receipts in Canada.

To donate, please donate online (please write “KAASO Internet” in the Comment section) or send a cheque payable to:

Canadian International Learning Foundation
P.O. Box 4791, Stn E,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1S 5B1

Please write “KAASO Internet” in the memo line.

Thank you for your generosity, and we look forward to sharing success stories from students in Uganda.

* Please note that the Giving Page only includes donations made through that specific web site. All other donations – whether they are made by cheque, fundraising events or through our other websites – will be subtracted from the overall goal, so that the amount of funds needed to be raised remains accurate.