Thanks to You . . .

Sister Schools raised nearly $20,000 to fund life-saving interventions in our Ugandan partner schools. Thank you for continuing to invest in the next generation of leaders!

Your support met three critical needs in our Ugandan partner schools:

First, you provided educational materials to Ugandan students. Distance learning looks vastly different in Uganda: there are no virtual classrooms or video lessons. Tezira, a teacher at Ntawo Primary School, fears for her students who are already vulnerable: those families that cannot afford access to materials are precisely the ones who need help the most; she is worried that the children who need extra help are going to be left behind.

Second, you met a need for basic food support. Parents often relied on schools to provide their child’s only meal for the day. As weeks have turned into months, children have no choice but to become breadwinners in their families. Selling produce and collecting clay along busy roadways is dangerous, putting students at risk of car accidents. Sadly, reports of teen pregnancy and child marriages have spiked as young girls look for jobs outside their homes.

Finally, you provided micro-grants to single mothers at our partner, Ray of Hope Ministries. Forced to close their businesses, many of their children, but especially their sons, are resorting to scavenging and theft for survival. The past six months have forced parents to purchase food for their children instead of product for their business. Without a quick influx of funds, they will not be able to resume their businesses and their children will continue to look for dangerous ways to help.

COVID-19 Programming

COVID-19 has forced a massive shift in programming here at Sister Schools. With school closures in Western Washington and Uganda we were unable to distribute supplies or do return presentations last spring. Continuing lock-down restrictions and virtual learning meant we did not launch a new program cycle this fall either. But we still believe that compassion, service, and social responsibility are vitally important lessons for children and young adults, especially in the midst of a pandemic.

“We don’t want to lose our children. We don’t want to lose them. We want to motivate them and remind them of their dreams and inspire them to live after their dreams.”

– Emily Hashima, Director of Ray of Hope Ministry

While we are looking forward to a future that returns us to supply drives, container shipments, and distribution tours, we have also been reckoning with the reality of life under lock-down in Uganda. Our greatest fear is that many students who were enrolled in school last March will not be returning and will not benefit from the donations given by our local schools.

You can still make a difference by making a donation today:

Did you miss the Virtual Gala or do you want to watch it again? You can check-out the video on Sister Schools’ YouTube channel! Because of you, we were able to raise almost $20,000 to support Ugandan communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can also relive last year’s 30th Anniversary Celebration by checking out the photos from the night-of. You have transformed whole communities – THANK YOU!