History of Real Partners Uganda and Tree of Life Ministries.....
Click on any photo to see a larger version.
How We Began (cont. from the Home page).....
This 400-lb male silverback is the leader of the troupe we visited in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
This 400-lb silverback male is one of 750 mountain gorillas left on earth. About half are living in Uganda in two national parks. When we trekked gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, we visited the troop led by this magnificent male. The survival of mountain gorillas is linked closely to conservation of their remaining habitat. Hungry people in Uganda (and the rest of the world), convert forests and other natural areas into farms, destroying the plants and other resources on which mountain gorillas depend. Also poor people may hunt gorillas for "bush meat", killing them directly. Our experience with the remarkable animals of East Africa was one of the major factors that convinced us that we needed to help fight poverty and suffering in Uganda, not only for the sake of the people, but to give the wildlife a chance to continue living in the remaining natural areas. See Gorilla Trekking.....
But the clincher for us came on a visit to the rural village of Kalungi located a few miles off the "AIDS Highway" that runs between population centers (Kampala) in the east and the national parks in the west. We visited a school there (see below) and were all greatly moved. What we witnessed were children in ragged clothes with little to eat, trying to get an education with the help of a dedicated group of teachers, and village leaders who lacked even the most basic resources to achieve their goals. And we met several leaders with whom we are still working today. As a friend of ours has quipped, "They went to Africa to view the animals and got captured by the children."
But the clincher for us came on a visit to the rural village of Kalungi located a few miles off the "AIDS Highway" that runs between population centers (Kampala) in the east and the national parks in the west. We visited a school there (see below) and were all greatly moved. What we witnessed were children in ragged clothes with little to eat, trying to get an education with the help of a dedicated group of teachers, and village leaders who lacked even the most basic resources to achieve their goals. And we met several leaders with whom we are still working today. As a friend of ours has quipped, "They went to Africa to view the animals and got captured by the children."
St. Stephens Government School in the Village of Kalungi. Our first contact with very poor children.
Uganda.....The Pearl of Africa
Uganda is a small land-locked country on the north shore of Lake Victoria. The size of Oregon, it has 31 million citizens.
Project Timeline..........Major Events
Nov. 2003. Joseph and Elaine Griswold and Dana and Kathryn Hiscock (now of the RPU Board of Directors) visited Lukaya Township and met local teachers and leaders. June 2004. Mr. Ssentamu proposes a preschool and child care center to be located in Lukaya town. August 2004. The Griswolds take the proposal to the Community Presbyterian Church in Brigantine, NJ and receive a commitment for $5,000 to open the child care centre. Sept.-Dec. 2004. Ssentamu and his partner George Kateregga rent and renovate a building, hire teachers and form Good Shepherd Child Care Centre (GSCCC). Jan. 2005. Good Shepherd Child Care Centre opens with three teachers and 35 students. With Kateregga serving as Superintendent, the school grows over the first year to 73 students. Jan. 2005. Good Shepherd Child Care Centre is officially registered as a CBO by the District Community Development Department of Masaka District. Mar. 2005. A Board of Trustees is appointed for GSCCC. A separate parent organization (PTA) was founded and a full slate of officers were elected. Jan. 2006. The first anniversary celebration of GSCCC during an “open day” attracts over 150 people, including community and religious leaders, parents, and four visitors from America, including Dr. and Mrs. Griswold. Jan. 2006. Registration for the second school year for GSCCC is stopped at 163 students. Jan. 2006. Sponsor A Child begins supporting the poorest children. A campaign in late 2005 and 2006, recruits donors to sponsor individual children for a yearly cost of $120 (now $150). Fifty sponsors sign up in the first year. July 2006. Real Partners Uganda, Inc. (RPU) receives official approval as a non-profit [501(c)(3)] in the U.S. and State of New Jersey. A Board of Directors is formed and officers elected. Sept. 2006. The Good Shepherd Artisans Guild forms with 20 women, most of whom are parents of children at Good Shepherd. The Guild organizes, elects officers and begins meeting at GSCCC Oct. 2006. The Board of Trustees for GSCCC proposes that the school be expanded to add primary levels. The Real Partners Board of Directors approved the request and plans were drawn to add one class per year. Oct. 2006. RPU provides the funding for 10-acres of land near the rented GSCCC facilities. Jan. 2007. Good Shepherd grows to 270 students. The staff increases with the addition of a new headmaster. Sept. 2007. A campaign to fund an organic poultry farm on the GSCCC farm is completed at Community Presbyterian Church, Brigantine NJ and construction begins on the poultry house. Oct. 2007. Ground-Breaking Day Celebration attracts 250 adults plus nearly 300 Good Shepherd children to highlight the progress of GSCCC and the start of campus development. | Project Site.....Lukaya
 Lukaya lies along the 'AIDS Highway' between Kampala and Masaka.
Feb. 2008. Artisans Guild takes possession of a building on the main highway for sale of their crafts. A trainer begins teaching classes to the members. May 2008. David Bakeine joins Good Shepherd as Acting Project Manager. October 2008. With the GSCCC Community Based Organization unable to meet the requirements for continued U.S. based support, RPU transfers its 150 sponsored children to other schools in the area, and begins plans for a new school. October 2008. A new organization, Tree of Life Ministries is registered as a non-profit company limited by guarantee, and an application to become an NGO is begun. David Bakeine and George Kateregga are hired as Project Manager and Assistant Project Manager. January 2009. Tree of Life Ministries opens a new school, Mustard Seed Academy under the leadership of Headmaster John Robert Inyalio, and 257 children register for the first term including nearly all the RPU-sponsored kids. February 2009. Four board members from Real Partners Uganda visit the new school and work to establish a TOLM Board of Directors that includes both Ugandans and Americans. June 2009. A group of four college students from Xavier University, Ohio, leave for 7 weeks of work with TOLM, especially Mustard Seed Academy and Kalungi Health Center. July 2009. TOLM purchases 2.5 acre site near current leased campus with plans for a future home. October 2009. RPU and TOLM successfully apply for a Peace Corps Volunteer and the volunteer arrives at MSA. RPU funds renting of two apartments in Lukaya, one for the PCV and the other for volunteer visitors. Registration application for Mustard Seed completed and submitted. February 2010. Griswolds lead 9 volunteers to Uganda for two-week Service Safaris. New kitchen is built on old campus with interlocking blocks (ISSBs) and outfitted with high-efficiency Ugastoves; solar water project progresses in Kalungi, resource center started; filming for a documentary and many other projects. May 2010. Sustainable systems expert Wayne Myers leaves US to serve as a long-term volunteer at MSA. June 2010. Luke Culleny’s full-length documentary Service Safari: Mission of Hope premiers in Brigantine, NJ to a crowd of 350 people. Sponsorships and donations jump. Oct 2010. First permanent building completed on the Mustard Seed Academy America campus. Griswolds receive national Points of Light Award for work in Uganda. February 2011. Mustard Seed Academy opens for its third year with 355 orphans and vulnerable children and 23 full-time employees. February 2011. RPU and TOLM are charged with the administration of Nancy's Girls Program to provide sponsorships for girls going on to secondary school or vocational training. April 2011. Tree of Life Ministries, supported by funding from RPU purchases a 7.5-acres that will be developed into the permanent primary school campus. July 2011. At the RPU Annual Board of Directors Meeting, the Board is expanded from 5 to 8 Directors and election of officers is held. |
Real Partners Uganda.....How We Work
Licensed as an official non-profit {501(c)(3)} in August 2006, Real Partners Uganda supports Tree of Life Ministries and other organizations that provide comprehensive care for orphans and vulnerable children, many of whom have lost parents to HIV/AIDS. Our main work with Tree of Life Ministries supports Mustard Seed Academy, a nursery and primary school for many of the poorest children in the community. To develop a sustainable learning community we promote economic opportunities for the Ugandan people, especially ones that generate support for the school. A key emphasis is working in ways that use land wisely and conserve wild areas that might otherwise be overrun by human development. We believe that only by providing comprehensive care--a strong education, good nutrition, healthcare and loving supervision--can we help children pull themselves out of poverty. RPU works to empower adult Ugandans to develop and run their own projects, that over time gradually become self-supporting. As a charity, our overhead is very low. During the last two years, over 95% of all donations went directly to the programs in Uganda.
We encourage many children to keep living in their own families and community whenever possible. However, we provide accommodations in the Sponsor A Child Family (Kathryn's House) if a student's living situation deteriorates. In February 2011 there were 24 children in the SAC Family. By keeping kids in the community, we serve more children with fewer resources, and the kids learn about their own culture. We find that Mustard Seed children actually teach their parents and siblings many things, especially how to speak better English.
On the ground at the project site in Lukaya, Ugandans run the program. They plan with us through email, texting and phone conversations as well as twice yearly visits. The leaders submit requisitions each month for operating funds and capital development money to RPU, and must submit spending reports in a timely fashion each month or more often. The leadership of RPU takes very seriously its responsibility for prudent financial management both here and in Uganda. We comply with federal regulations that require us to submit a federal 990 form that documents our operations (available upon request).
We encourage many children to keep living in their own families and community whenever possible. However, we provide accommodations in the Sponsor A Child Family (Kathryn's House) if a student's living situation deteriorates. In February 2011 there were 24 children in the SAC Family. By keeping kids in the community, we serve more children with fewer resources, and the kids learn about their own culture. We find that Mustard Seed children actually teach their parents and siblings many things, especially how to speak better English.
On the ground at the project site in Lukaya, Ugandans run the program. They plan with us through email, texting and phone conversations as well as twice yearly visits. The leaders submit requisitions each month for operating funds and capital development money to RPU, and must submit spending reports in a timely fashion each month or more often. The leadership of RPU takes very seriously its responsibility for prudent financial management both here and in Uganda. We comply with federal regulations that require us to submit a federal 990 form that documents our operations (available upon request).
