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| The black arrow points to tiny Uganda, an East Africa nnation about the size of Oregon state, but having 30 million citizens. |
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Our initial trip to Uganda was a safari adventure in 2003 during which the four of us (Joseph and Elaine Griswold and Dana and Kathryn Hiscock) agreed to make a “courtesy” visit to St. Stephens Primary School in the village of Kalungi, a part of Lukaya township. A friend who visited that school earlier was impressed with the quality of leaders and the desperate poverty of the people in that community. Following the visit in November of 2003, we felt called to work with local people to bring about changes in the quality of life there, especially for the children. In 2004 Community Presbyterian Church of Brigantine, NJ donated $5,000 to begin Good Shepherd School.
Nov. 2003. Joseph and Elaine Griswold and Dana and Kathryn Hiscock (now of the RPU Board of Directors) visit Lukaya Township and meet local teachers and leaders.
June 2004. Mr. John Ssentamu, a local primary teacher, proposes a preschool and child care center.
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August 2004. The Griswolds take the proposal to the Community Presbyterian Church in Brigantine, NJ and receive a commitment for $5,000 to start project.
Sept.-Dec. 2004. Ssentamu John, and his partner George Kateregga, rent and renovate a building, hire teachers and form Good Shepherd Child Care Centre (GSCCC).
Jan. 2005. Good Shepherd Child Care Centre opens with three teachers and 35 students. With Kateregga serving as superintendent, the school grows over the first year to 73 students.
Jan. 2005. Good Shepherd Child Care Centre is registered as a CBO by the District Community Development Department of Masaka District. Reg. No. CD: 4806.
Mar. 2005. A Board of Trustees is appointed. A separate parent organization (PTA) is founded and a full slate of officers is elected.
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Find Lukaya, a town of 12,000 not far from Lake Victoria west of the capital, Kampala. People in the area are mostly of the Bugunda tribe and speak the tribal language Lugunda plus English.
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It all started with a ‘courtesy visit’ to St. Stephens primary school near Lukaya in 2003. Some of the nearly 700 children that lined up to welcome us when we arrived.
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Jan. 2006. The first anniversary celebration of GSCCC during an “open day” attracts over 150 people, including community and religious leaders, parents, and four visitors from America, including Dr. and Mrs. Griswold.
Jan. 2006. Registration for the second school year for GSCCC is stopped at 163 students.
Jan. 2006. Sponsor-A-Child begins supporting the poorest children. A campaign in late 2005 and 2006, recruits donors to sponsor individual children for a yearly cost of $120 (now $150). Fifty sponsors sign up in the first year.
July 2006. Real Partners Uganda, Inc. (RPU) receives official approval as a non-profit [501(c)(3)]. A Board of Directors is formed and officers, elected.
Sept. 2006. The Lukaya Artisans Guild forms with 20 women, most of whom are parents of children at Good Shepherd. The Guild organizes, elects officers and begins meeting. To learn about helping the Artisans’ Guild,
Oct. 2006. The Board of Trustees for GSCCC proposes that the school be expanded to add primary levels. The Real Partners Board of Directors approved the request and plans were drawn to add one class per year.
Oct. 2006. GSCCC takes possession
of a new 10-acre campus purchased by RPU, fences the perimeter and
begins growing food crops. To learn about helping with campus
development, click here……
Jan. 2007. Good Shepherd grows to
270 students. The staff increases with the addition of a new head
teacher and a Financial Officer.
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Sept. 2007. A campaign to fund an organic poultry farm on the GSCCC farm is completed at Community Presbyterian Church, Brigantine NJ and construction begins on the poultry house.
Oct. 2007. Ground-Breaking Day Celebration attracts 250 adults plus nearly 300 Good Shepherd children to highlight the progress of GSCCC and the start of campus development.
Feb. 2008. Artisans Guild takes possession of a building on the main highway for sale of their crafts. A trainer begins teaching classes to the members.
May 2008. David Bakeine joins Good Shepherd as Acting Project Manager.
October 2008. With GSCCC leadership unable to manage the growing project, a new company, Tree of Life Ministries is registered and an NGO application is prepared.
January 2009. Tree of Life Ministries opens a new school, Mustard Seed Academy with 257 children registered for the first term of the school year. To learn more, click here……
February 2009. 4 board members from Real Partners Uganda visit the new school and recruit a new TOLM Board of Directors that will have both Ugandans and Americans.
June 2009. A group of four college students from Xavier University leave for 7 weeks of work with TOLM, especially Mustard Seed Academy and Kalungi Health Center
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| Real Partners Uganda, Inc.: Our Approach |
| Licensed as an official non-profit
{501(c)(3)} in July 2006, Real Partners Uganda is devoted to promoting
sustainable development that leads to economic opportunities for the
Ugandan people. A key emphasis is working in ways that use land wisely
and conserve wild areas that might otherwise be overrun by human
development. We believe that providing education, good nutrition and
health care are all essential to helping Ugandans pull themselves out
of poverty. RPU works to empower Ugandans to develop and run their own
projects, that over time, become self-supporting. We encourage each
child to keep living in his or her own family and community whenever
possible. We seek broad participation by the adult community in
supporting the variety of activities. Parents assist at school, work on
our farm, and join the Artisans Guild, and all these activities support
their childrens' education. As a charity, our overhead is very low.
During the last two years, over 90% of all donations went directly to
the programs in Uganda. |
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Children in P-3 (primary 3) of Mustard Seed Academy study in uncrowded, nicely furnished classrooms with learning materials, books and pencils or crayons for each child. This is an extremely rare situation in Ugandan primary schools, either public or private.
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