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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.

Desire for Education: Students in Uganda

March 2010

The Rakai district is home to a vibrant community of students, entrepreneurs, business men and women, farmers, artists, and many others, and St. Paul’s Kabira Adult Attention and School of Orphans has a place for all in its wide range of programs. The individuals who seek education and enlightenment through these programs hope to receive schooling so they can expand their current livelihood, change paths or simply gain insight into a number of relevant topics effecting life in Uganda.

We would like to introduce you to some of the students who are taking part in the Community Empowerment Program, funded by the Uganda Literacy and Education Program. With the help of supporters like you, these students will have the chance to learn vital skills in literacy, business, agriculture and artisanry.

The generosity of our donors has allowed us to fund the first half of the Program, but we need your support to continue the program for all of 2010. Each of the students listed below is seeking sponsorship under our “Adopt-a-Student” program, which funds their education for just $10 per month. With your help, we can help change the lives of hundreds of men and women in this vibrant rural community.

To help, please Donate online or participate in our Adopt-a-Student program.

For Nalukwago Rose pursuing an education at KAASO will provide the means to achieving her goals and plans for the future. Currently she has completed Grade 5 and works in agriculture, raising animals, and making and selling crafts. Her aspirations include expanding the building she uses to raise chickens and improving her farming methods and practises. At 47 she has five children and enjoys listening to the radio and watching netball in her spare time.

Another entrepreneur, Naddima Cate, hopes to put her innovation and work ethic to use by opening up her own farm after continuing her schooling. As of yet she has completed Grade 2 and lives in Kifuuta, where she works as a farmer, and makes and sells crafts. She is a 53 year old widow, with four children and when she has time, she enjoys watching netball on TV.

Although many students have already gained access to schooling, there are many more that have not had the opportunity to embark on their educational careers quite yet. Namwanje Clair is one such woman. A widowed mother, she has been kept busy with her four children and her work as a farmer. In her free time she enjoys weaving mats and is excited to add schoolwork to the list!

Kayondo Taddeo recognizes the alternative opportunities that education can provide. He hopes to learn about another profession so he can expand his skill base and pursue alternative opportunities in the future. He is a 33 year old married man with seven children and is currently employed in brick making and brick modelling. He has a grade two level of spoken and written English and a third grade level of education. Kayondo has future goals of being involved in animal husbandry and keeping livestock as well as continuing in his brick modelling work to provide and care for his family. He enjoys games of football in his hometown of Kabira.

The usefulness of education as a means of changing one’s profession is also recognized by Nabukenya Sylivia. She is currently employed as a farmer in Kabira, however her true passion lies in hairdressing. With this goal in mind she seeks to continue her education beyond Grade 4. She is 28 years old, and married with three children. Her interests include music, dance and drama.

For some people, the programs offered through KAASO supplement certificates already earned. This is the case for Nazziwa Flugensia. Already in possession of a certificate of hairdressing and schooling up to Grade 6, her future goal is to build a small hair salon so that she can raise money to pay for her children’s school tuition. She is 46 years old, married with eight children, and earns a living hairdressing and farming in Kabira.

Thanks to the generous donors who contributed to the Giving Challenge Nazziwa Flugensia will be able to study with the Kabira Adult Attention and School of Orphan’s Community Empowerment Program for a full year and learn the valuable skills that will help her achieve her aspirations.

Thank you for taking the time to learn a bit more about the students who are benefiting from the Uganda Literacy and Education Program. We realize that not everyone has the means to donate, and we would encourage our supporters to leave messages of encouragement on the “Comments” section, which will be sent over to the students and staff of KAASO.

Zibula Attude: You cannot earn while sitting…

November 2009

The Uganda Literacy and Education Program is proud to announce the first project of its official partnership with the Kabira Adult Attention and School for Orphans (KAASO), which will support a grassroots community development and empowerment initiative called Zibula Attude (‘You Cannot Earn While Sitting’) for 50 women and men in the Rakai district of Uganda.

The program helps local women and men receive valuable education in basic business, agricultural practices, home economics, and cultural issues, as well as literacy training in local languages (Luganda) and English. All of its courses address important topics, such as HIV/AIDs, gender equality and environmental stewardship.

Over the course of three years, Zibula Attude has already helped about 50 women and men to increase their incomes and improve their chances for employment. Funding of the program by ULEP will significantly improve this initiatives reach and capacity.

The Canadian International Learning Foundation needs your help to raise the $11,000 required to fund Zibula Attude. These funds will cover the following:

- 50 student scholarships at $10 per student per month;

- $1,200 for agricultural supplies and equipment;

- $2,750 for model agricultural demonstration sites to improve the production of staple foods, such as plantains and corn, and introduce new crops, such as mushrooms; and

- $850 for musical instruments to be used for musical and theatrical productions to creatively improve HIV/AIDs awareness.

Located in the Rakai district of Uganda, KAASO aims to empower and equip the community as a whole to enable them to improve their livelihoods. In addition to the Zibula Attude initiative, KAASO also provides a maize mill project, a piggery project and a micro loan program for the local community. Furthermore, KAASO is both a home and a primary school to over six hundred children from the ages of four to sixteen.

To contribute to ULEP, please visit our Donate section. KAASO has already registered 42 students who are eager to learn and ready to start Zibula Attude. You can support these students by sponsoring them at a price of $10 per month through our Adopt-a-Student program.

In addition to contributing funding, there are many other ways that you can help support this program and support those who have never had a chance to go to school. For example, you could write about us to your local newspaper, tell a friend about ULEP, or take part in any of our “Volunteer Challenge” activities.