Sponsoring a Child by Eleni S.

Eleni S.. is a graduate of Rumson Country Day School and is currently attending St. Andrew's High School.  She tells ChangeALife Uganda:

"I have long admired the work of ChangeALife Uganda and have been involved with the organization since 2009 when my family embarked on the educational sponsorship of a young girl.  My high school, St. Andrew’s School in Delaware, places a huge emphasis on sharing the incredible education we are lucky enough to receive with those less fortunate. This year, I decided to introduce a group of my school friends to CALU. I thought it would be great to connect ChangeALife with the St. Andrew's community, and we decided to begin this partnership by raising funds to provide an education for one or two children hoping to attend St. Lawrence School in Migyera. We raised enough money to send one boy, Dalton Kiweewa, to school starting this February, and we will continue fundraising to ensure him of multiple years of schooling. We hope to sponsor a young girl as well, as soon as we raise enough money. I have been working with Ms. Semler and selling jewelry and baskets to my school community. In these winter months, my school has also agreed to help CALU by putting all donations made by our community to our Chapel Vestry towards our fundraising for Dalton and hopefully another future student of St. Lawrence School. We are so excited to have the opportunity to work with CALU and help provide these incredible and deserving children with the education many of their families cannot afford."

Eleni and friends with a basket from the micro-finance project.

Meet Dalton

Dalton is a playful six year old boy in the first grade.  He is active in Sunday School, likes football and enjoys church activities. His parents separated two years ago. His mother stays with her three children in a rented room. She is a teacher but her income is too small to provide for the family needs and also the children’s education and school supplies. 

Unparalleled Artistry

January 28, 2015

Unparalleled artistry and beauty can be used to describe the products made by the women who participate in the ChangeALife Uganda CashForCrafts program. As part of this program women create baskets, necklaces and bracelets from recycled paper. These homemade crafts are sold in the US and the profits go back to the women and CALU programs. The craft group is a member of the Uganda Federation for Alternative Trade (UGAFAT) which is a network of fair trade producers and organizations in Uganda. As part of this program, students are given the opportunity to learn how to make these crafts thus enabling them to expand their skills and provide them options to support themselves.

Currently there are 34 active women who earn income from the crafts they sell through this program. 

Crafters working together at the BUMU Craft Shop.
Several images of the crafts produced below.

Disability is not Inability

January 28, 2015

Meet Nakachwa Phiona, a 20 year old resident of Nakitoma. She has never gone to school and lives with her grandmother. Phiona is also deaf but that didn’t stop her from achieving success. When she heard that ChangeALife Uganda was going to train women in crafts, Phiona was very excited to join the training program. The process began in May of 2014. Training was done once a week for six months. Phiona never missed a session. She was also able to sell some of her crafts she made through CALU's Cash For Crafts.

CALU continues to offer guidance to Phiona and we hope she stays committed to the program. A new women’s training will be starting in February.

Clair Namukwaya

CALU Microenterprise Coordinator

Phiona with crafts trainer