Spiritual Development
Our faith in the God of the Bible is our source of energy and is the inspiration for everything we do. We believe that faith should not just be practiced on Sunday morning, but should be a dynamic component that is constantly present and informative in one’s life. To that end, we consciously attempt to intertwine spiritual development into all of our programs. We believe that we best witness for the Gospel by following Jesus’ command to love others with a servant love that places all others before us. We pray that the community can see, hear and feel God’s love by the way we interact with each person we encounter. We certainly do not do this perfectly, but we pray for God’s guidance that He may help us serve the way that Christ served us, even to the cross.
Children and Youth
Education
The core of our efforts in Uganda have always centered on developing the next generation of Ugandans through investment in education as a means to improve our beneficiaries’ chances of reaching their full potential so they may contribute positively to their families and communities. We provide tuition assistance and scholarships to orphans, vulnerable children and others who face challenges in accessing education. We also provide scholastic materials, uniforms, shoes and other basic essentials for health and well-being. We continue to support our students through their entire educational career, helping them decide upon the proper educational path based upon their interests and talents. After our students have completed their formal schooling, we help them with their job search or help them pursue entrepreneurship opportunities, with the goal always being to help them find the best way possible to support their families and contribute positively to their communities.
Youth Sports Initiatives
Our foray into youth sports began when we erected the first basketball hoop in our community, which was hung on a tree in an open dirt area. A year later, we upgraded to a full cement court with two full-sized hoops—the first full-sized basketball court in our community. We have since formed one community basketball team and two community soccer teams and provide basic basketball skill training to the broader community. All of our teams have paid coaches and play a competitive schedule against other communities. Our coaches are trained to intertwine life lessons and spiritual lessons into their coaching as we have a firm belief that youth sports serve as a tremendous learning ground for youth to learn skills that are necessary to succeed in life, such as perseverance, work ethic, teamwork, determination and discipline. We supply school and club teams with equipment, such as balls, uniforms and training equipment.
Health and Hygiene Initiatives
We ensure that the children to whom we offer educational support receive proper medical care. We work with local health centers and pharmacies to identify and then provide the proper medications for any conditions that require treatment. We provide other community members with basic hygiene and medical supplies. This includes items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, bathing soap, laundry detergent, diabetic supplies, and more. Our vision is to also help community members with serious medical conditions be able to afford the surgeries and care that they require even if they are not children to whom we also offer educational support.
Elderly and Widows
We assist some widows and elderly members of our community with basic needs, including providing supplies related to health care and hygiene. We also work with local health centers and pharmacies to identify and then provide the proper medications for any conditions that require treatment.
Pallisa Public Library
Brian built Pallisa Public Library when he served in Pallisa as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 2004-2006. Brian worked with key stakeholders in the community to identify the greatest need that could practically be achieved during his time in Pallisa. The community decided that a library with Internet access was vital since the community had more than 10 secondary schools and very little access to books and no access to the Internet. Brian raised funds, managed the building renovation, secured thousands of books, purchased computers, organized the library, hired and trained staff, and ultimately oversaw a transition plan where control of the library was transferred over to the local community in Pallisa. In addition to providing unprecedented access to books and the Internet, the library also offered secretarial services, a computer training center, photocopy services and a small shop selling school supplies to students at a low cost. The library continues to thrive today, including numerous improvements that have been initiated and carried out by the local community. We continue to offer occasional support to the library and have and led occasional book drives in the United States. The library remains the only public library in Pallisa District, which has an estimated population of over 362,000 people.