Sponsor Needed in our ‘A Hand Up (AHU)’ Program

PFP has launched its newest community program! ‘A Hand Up’ aims to enable vulnerable young adults in our community to become functioning members of society and continue the cycle of giving and hope. Why have we started this new program for young adults? Because it’s very hard to get a job in Uganda and the right skills and education can be the difference maker. The unemployment rate for young adults in Uganda is 84 per cent!!! We aim to change that.

Successful applicants are vulnerable young men and women who are determined, hard working, skilled and who have a desire to give back. The recipients are not receiving a hand out–rather a hand up. We will provide financial assistance and mentorship to hard working adults to provide a means to improve their lives by completing their education, learning a trade or starting a business. Applicants will be expected to continue the cycle of giving.

Our first candidate in need of a “partner” is Levy!

Levy is 23 years old and an amazing young man who survived life on the streets. Now an artist who is looking to make a real impact on the world portraying the lives and struggles of street children. In addition to his talent in art, he is also a very gifted dancer, choreographer, beat boxer, and more. In his time off, he offers dance fitness classes for vulnerable children in the community. And now he’s working with our children too!!!! 

Holiday Time

The children have returned home for their second school holiday of the year and many activities are underway. The children are taking part in novel reading, first aid lessons, carpentry, group dance fitness lessons, sports programs, skills education, birthday party, and more.

Dance Fitness Classes

Our new friends, Levy and Sseguya are offering dance fitness classes twice a week for the children of PFP. These two young men are a part of our AHU program and one of the ways they are giving back is this! They come to our homes and offer lessons which include art and design lessons, yoga lessons, dance and stretching, break dance and rap. The lessons are conducted twice weekly during each school holiday. The children are loving it!

Social Mission Delegation

This holiday, delegates joined our children for their school holidays. Lisa, Grace, Brandi, Will and Michelle.  The delegation focused on a few projects in the community and with the PFP children.  This included a new latrine (outdoor toilet) block and a playground for a poorly funded and overpopulated school with a good heart for educating everyone. In addition, medical support was offered to a few serious cases including a mother of seven and one year old Benita who suffers from malnutrition and meningitis.  A huge thanks to all for the donations to make these projects possible.

If you are interested in joining a future delegation, please let us know!  We are able to make such a difference with others in Uganda and would undoubtedly be an unforgettable experience for you.

Carpentry Project

Delegate Michelle worked with the PFP girls to build tables.  They were taught a skill that many showed interest in and were empowered to do things that typically only men do.  The girls were involved in every step of the process from measuring, sawing the wood, sanding, putting it all together and then the best part…painting!  A huge thanks to Michelle from all the PFP girls!  They are so proud of their new skills and tables.

School Projects

The delegates and older PFP boys broke a sweat to build a playground for the 600 students at nearby St. Steven Primary School.  A slide, three see-saws or “tipping boards” and over 50 jumping tires were installed.  The students will be so excited to see the new addition when they return to school in a few weeks!

In addition, a block of six new latrines are under construction.  Previously, there was only one old outdoor toilet for the entire school!  This is set to be completed just as the students return to school as well!

Birthday Celebrations

This month, we had a big birthday party bash to celebrate all birthday kids with special days between May-August. Everyone partied hard with a day full of gifts, presentations, singing, dancing and even swimming! As always, a big should out to our birthday sponsor for making this a possibility.

Our August birthdays were:

• Abraham (5 years)
• Christine (Khwaka) (7 years)
• Kiiza (9 years)
• Ochola (10 years)
• Irene (13 years)
• Juma (13 years)
• Lydia (14 years)
• Lillian Onyang (15 years)
• Sarah (15 years)
• Joseph (16 years)
• Viola (18 years)
• Paul (19 years)
• Simon Peter (21 years)

Welcome Benita

Baby Benita has joined our PFP Home Care program after she was hospitalized once again for malnutrition (we had come to her rescue this May as a part of our Remembering Rykker Fund activity). She lost her mom when she was only 3 days old and though she has a loving Jajja (grandma), there is not enough money to provide even the most basic necessities (such as food and medical attention).We have realized that it is going to be crucial for this little one and her struggling Jaja to receive ongoing care in terms of nourishment, medical attention, etc. So… we welcomed her to our family officially. Within minutes, she had already found her sponsor family. THANK YOU to our wonderful family for surrounding her with such love.

Nile River Farms

Currently at NRF, the focus is on sweet potatoes, beans and maize. Beans have been harvested and we are preparing to sell to the community.  Maize is almost ready for harvest as well.  Crops are being sold to the PFP homes and to local communities.

The chickens and pigs continue to thrive on our farm. We now have three pregnant mothers on our farm and we anticipate growing our number to more than 100 by the end of the year. There are currently 47 chickens on the farm and they are expected to be producing eggs by mid August.  The oldest PFP children continue to spend 1-2 days a week during holidays working on the farm, learning farming skills and earning an income for them to budget and spend as they need to.

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 this program live in our neighborhood, however, their parents or guardians are unable to afford the full amount of school fees, uniforms and school supplies which are often more than a family can earn in a month. Because these children have families to look after them, they will not be living in our homes. Rather, they will live with their families and be sponsored through PFP for educational support. This program is designed to be a partnership with parents who care for their child but need support to ensure their child can obtain an education and have a positive future. The parents contribute a small portion when they are able 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 are saving and planning for the much higher costs of secondary school for the students.

The next school term starting in September, we have two new children who we hope to provide with an education!  Almost every child in Uganda dreams of an education, but only some see that become a reality.  You can make that dream come true for a child by sponsoring for only $35 USD per month.  This will cover school supplies, uniforms and some or all of the school fees depending on the family’s ability to contribute.  This sponsorship also supports many community handouts of school supplies to local students who often lack even the basics of pencils and paper to study.  Please contact hope@peaceforpaulfoundation.org if you would like to learn more about children currently seeking sponsorship to start school.

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

Family Sponsorship Opportunities

We are always looking for general sponsors to help cover the extra costs associated with keeping The Peace for Paul Foundation 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.

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

Bulungi Beads

The Bulungi Beads Etsy shop features beautiful Ugandan jewelry handmade by women working hard in the slums of Masese and by the young men and women learning the skill in the PFP program.

Beads are purchased from the women and PFP artisans to support their growing businesses and their families. All profits are sent back to the women and to the PFP program to help pay for food, clothing, school tuition and supplies. We thank you so much for your contribution to this cause. Click here to view our shop!

Bulungi Beads Education Scholarship

Bulungi Beads has been profitable enough over the last year that we were able to launch the scholarship portion of this program in May! One child of each of the Bulungi Beads ladies will benefit. Faraji, Bush and Rachel will be starting boarding school this month! Not as a handout, not as a sponsorship, but as a direct result of their own parents’ hard work and beautiful products. We are so proud of this program and hope it will continue to grow so these mothers may educate the rest of their children too!

Bulungi Beads is on Instagram and Facebook!

PFP’s Bulungi Beads is now on Instagram and on Facebook! Please follow us! You’ll get to see all kinds of wonderful things!

Upcoming Bulungi Beads Events

Come and see us in person at the next ROAR event in Vancouver, WA  on September 20th, at 7:30 PM. We would love to see you there!  Check them out at https://www.roarvoices.com.

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!

GuideStar Gold Level Participant

The Peace for Paul Foundation recently earned the Gold GuideStar Nonprofit Profile participation level! This leading symbol of nonprofit transparency and accountability is presented by GuideStar, the world’s largest source of nonprofit information.

In order to be awarded the Gold Seal of Transparency, The Peace for Paul Foundation included contact information, financial information, our goals, strategies, capabilities, indicators, and progress, helping us more effectively share our story with the world.

Check out our GuideStar Nonprofit Profile and tell us what you think:The Peace for Paul Foundation GuideStar Profile

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