Joyce Meng
Visit to the Circle of Peace School (Dec '09 - Jan '10)
“Education is the most powerful tool
which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela
Children from the village working on a drawing for our $50 campaign
On December 22, 2009, I traveled to the Circle of Peace School in Kampala, Uganda. Representing Givology, I went to visit the children and assist with the relocation of the Lower Campus. The story behind the Peace School is truly tremendous. As a family-run school, the Peace School provides free education to over two hundred children who otherwise would not be able to afford tuition fees, many of them AIDS orphans. The commitment of the school to providing the highest quality instruction has resulted in so many success stories of alumni entering some of the best secondary schools in Uganda and continuing on to pursue law, medicine, science, engineering, among many other fields.
Despite 15 years of delivering quality education and helping hundreds of children, however, the Lower Campus of the school was unexpectedly evicted in December 2009 by its landlord, affecting grades Pre-K through 3rd grade. At Givology, we worked really hard to secure funding to move the entire primary school to the Upper Campus. In light of increased enrollment, we’re aiming to raise $10,000 in 2010 to build new classrooms, a library, a computer lab, and expanded dormitories for the children!
This site links to the daily journal that I kept while in Uganda. Traveling to Uganda and living at the Peace School really transformed my view of my world, and only reinforces my desire to mobilize Givology to do as much as possible. Each day had so much significance, and I will forever treasure the friendships I formed and the stories that the children shared with me.
While in Uganda, my heart shattered into a thousand pieces every day when I witnessed the challenges the children faced, but there is a powerful sense of hope beneath it all.
One life at a time, one step at a time.
To learn more about the Circle of Peace School and our campaign to expand the school, please click here.
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History of the Peace School: The Peace School was started by Joanita Senoga in 1994, and has been operating for over 15 years. As a public school teacher, Joanita was troubled by the fact that some of her students were denied an education because their families were too poor to afford school fees. To help her students, Joanita quit her job and decided to establish a school that provides free education and comprehensive care (housing, food, clothing, medical care, etc.) to students in need. Since then, the school has grown tremendously. As of now, there are 200 students at the school, 12 teachers, and 10 classrooms. To date, thousands of students have benefitted from the Peace School. Alumni have continued on to secondary and higher education, and have returned to contribute back to the school as volunteers and guest speakers to inspire and motivate current students. Students come from all religious backgrounds – some from the local village, others boarding from distant villages. The Peace School has received much recognition in the local community for having one of the best student performances on national exams, despite its focus on providing free education and support services to some of the poorest students and orphans in the region. As a community-driven organization, the Peace School mainly relies on the proceeds of the chicken farm, crops grown on family-owned land, volunteer teaching, and other contributions by the Senoga family to sustain its operations. The school is entirely self-financing and sustainable, as proven by its track-record, but the unanticipated eviction has created additional strain on available resources.
About Givology: As an online giving marketplace for education, Givology (www.givology.org) leverages small-dollar donations to support student scholarships and grassroots education projects throughout the world. In 2009, Givology raised approximately $50,000 to support over 1,300 students in 11 different countries. Our organization has 4,000+ supporters on Facebook, Linked-in, and Twitter, 950+ registered donors, 11 chapters started at universities and cities worldwide, 30 core team members and 90 volunteers globally, and 21 grassroots partners. As a 100% volunteer-run organization, Givology was selected as one of the “Top 100 Student-Run Enterprises in the United States” by the Kairos Society for Entrepreneurship, and has been featured in Knowledge_Wharton, Nicholas Kristof’s blog in the New York Times and his most recent book Half the Sky, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Seattle Times, among other print and media sources.
Click on the link on the bottom right of each expanded photo to read my journal entry for the day. Photos couresty of my Givology teammate, Jiashan Wu,who traveled with me.
Preparing for Uganda December 21, 2009
Arriving in Kampala December 22, 2009
Settling into the Peace School December 23, 2009
Christmas Eve at the Peace School December 24, 2009
Christmas December 25, 2009
Supplies and a Campaign Workplan December 26, 2009
Visiting the Village Kyaggwe December 27, 2009
Taking Inventory of the Lower Campus December 28, 2009
Taking Down the Lower Campus December 29, 2009
Collecting Stories December 30, 2009
Catharsis on New Year's Eve December 31, 2009
Ushering in 2010 January 1, 2010
Exploring Makindye January 2, 2010
Youth Culture and Games January 3, 2010
Peace School Students Visit January 4, 2010
Arts and Crafts Village January 5, 2010
Tying Up Loose Ends January 6, 2010
Leaving Uganda January 7, 2010
Givology
www.givology.orgLearn to Give, Give to LearnContact me:joyce.meng_givology.orgCEO and Co-Founder
www.givology.org
Learn to Give, Give to Learn
Contact me:
joyce.meng_givology.org
CEO and Co-Founder
We hope to raise $20,000 to support the Circle of Peace School. Visit Givology to sponsor a student or a project at the Peace School. We truly appreciate your support!
