Meet Florence

Florence is an amazing young lady who has been with the Peace for Paul program since its first year. She came to us at the age of 7 and we have had the pleasure of watching her grow from a sweet and quiet little girl to the smart young woman she is today. Florence is now in Primary 7 which means she is preparing to set off to secondary school at the end of the year.  This is a HUGE accomplishment for a child in Uganda.  Only 10% of Ugandan children complete primary school due to many factors including but not limited to health issues and inability to pay school fees.

Florence says that when she grows up, she wants to become a nurse. This dream of hers has never changed and we have no doubt she will make it. She loves the color pink and she loves pizza. Her favorite thing to do is to play with and take care of the younger PFP girls. What a sweetheart!

Florence’s Story:

“I was born in Masese, the slums outside of Jinja. I lived with both of my parents and had five siblings. There were three girls and three boys. In 1995, my oldest sibling passed away as a child, but we don’t know why. My father got sick in 2008 with liver cancer. He was in treatment for alcoholism, and while he was there, he passed away. The last-born child died immediately after my father passed, and not long after that the second to last passed away. I was told that a witch doctor poisoned them all because he did not like my family.

My mother was tired of seeing her family die before her and she felt like she didn’t have any hope and became suicidal. My siblings and I were living on the streets and spent many nights there. Food and shelter were difficult to find and hard to afford, and when we did have shelter it was not in good shape. I would pick charcoal or work in people’s homes as a house girl to get some money for food.

My hope was renewed when my brother Mark met Heidi and joined the Peace for Paul Foundation family. After this, myself and two other siblings came to Peace for Paul.

My life has been so sad especially after losing my father and siblings. Life on the streets was dangerous and a struggle every day. It makes me cry when I talk about it, but now my life is so good and I have everything I need, and I love my school and friends so much”.

PFP Junior Program

The Peace for Paul Junior Program continues to grow. With the help of sponsors, more and more children have had the opportunity to start school…which is so EXCITING!!! There are now 17 children in the program happily attending school— many for the first time. For only $35 per month, you could sponsor a child through the PFP Junior Program and help someone fulfill their dreams.

Meet Rebecca!

This month, another very deserving young lady has joined the PFP Junior Program. Rebecca wants to become a teacher when she grows up, but her mother has been unable to afford the school fees to help her achieve her dream. Thanks to her generous sponsor Laurie, Rebecca is finally off to school!

Rebecca’s story:

Rebecca is seven years old and lives with her three siblings and her mother Namwase Oliver. Rebecca’s father abandoned his family in 2008 after marrying another woman. Shortly after he married his second wife, Rebecca’s father stopped contributing to the well being of his first family, leaving the sole responsibility to her mother Oliver. Her two elder sisters were unable to complete their studies because their mother’s small income did not allow her to send all the children to school. Now, with the help of Peace for Paul and hers sponsor, Rebecca will be able to attend school regularly and get the education she has always wanted.

What is the PFP Junior Program?

The PFP Junior Program allows us to help a larger number of needy Ugandan children obtain an education. The children who benefit from our PFP Junior Program live in our neighborhood and their parents or guardians are unable to afford the full amount of school fees, uniforms and school supplies. Because they have families to look after them, these children will not be living in our home. Rather, these children will live with their families and be sponsored through PFP for education healthcare costs only. This program is designed to be a helping hand to parents who can provide but need some support to contribute to their child’s education and future. The parents pay a small portion of school fees only to keep them involved and empowered to educate their children instead of depending solely on handouts. This program allows an education to be attainable for so many children and their families. In addition, we can help save for the much higher costs of Secondary School.

“All kids need is a little help, a little hope and someone who believes in them.”

Click HERE to sign up to sponsor a PFP Junior child or Contact us at hope@peaceforpaulfoundation.org if you have any questions regarding this opportunity.

Back to School!

The children are back to school after a short, but very packed holiday. Everyone is doing well and studying hard!

Welcome to the Team

This month, we would like to welcome Will Strachan to our amazing team of PFP Members.

Will was born and raised in South Africa and he says that although it is more developed there, South Africa still shares many of the same struggles that Uganda and other African countries have. Growing up around so much poverty, Will always wanted to help others who had less than he did. Recently, he spent nearly a year in Uganda with PFP, helping with construction as well as fine-tuning operations. Will has been an indispensable part of our team and we are just so glad to finally make it official!

Annual Strategic Planning Session

This month, seven Directors and four members came together from all over the US and Canada to hold the PFP annual strategic planning session. During the weekend long meeting, the team had the chance to analyze where we are relative to where we want to be and put together the plan for the next three years. The biggest takeaway? PFP is thriving and there are so many exciting developments ahead!

New Members Needed

We are continually looking to expand our Peace for Paul team and need people with skills and time to share with this great cause!

Here is a short description of what a PFP Member is:

Peace for Paul is managed by its Board of Directors. There is also a Member pool, which is where people like you–who show an interest, can get their feet wet and see if becoming a Director is something you would like to pursue. We look for people who have a love for the PFP mission and its children and for people who have knowledge and skills to offer which would help PFP grow. As a member, you are invited to (though not required to) attend our monthly Director meetings (via Skype). You are asked to help with our two annual fundraisers (by selling tickets for the raffle, or helping to collect items for the auction). You are also offered the chance to join our various committees if you have an interest in any of them and have a skill that could contribute to its growth. Our current committees are: Sustainability, Education, Social Mission and Fundraising. It is also ideal, if as a member, you take on a specific project. The idea being that you really can dig in and get involved. You could come up with your own project–something you think PFP could benefit from. We would leave that with you!

Please contact us at: hope@peaceforpaulfoundation.org if you would like to join our team!

The Peace for Paul Shop

Check out the shop on our website. Choose from a selection of beautiful, handcrafted items and other gifts we have in our store. These great items were purchased directly from women’s ‘craft circles’ in order to assist them in supporting themselves and their families. The funds from your purchase will go where it makes the greatest impact.

Click HERE to visit the PFP shop.

Family Sponsorship Opportunities

We are looking for general sponsors to help cover all of the extra costs associated with keeping this organization operating smoothly and the children happy and healthy. Essentially, as a general family sponsor, you are the sponsor of ALL of the children. We have opportunities for medical family sponsor, dental family sponsor as well as mental health family sponsor. A Family sponsor commitment can be – $25/$50/$100 per month.

Just click HERE to sign up to become a family sponsor!

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this opportunity. hope@peaceforpaulfoundation.org

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