Welcome to the first edition of Action in Africa's monthly newsletter. The inaugural edition will be longer than all our future updates because we have a ton to tell you about. As our dedicated follower, we want to make sure you're in the know about what Action in Africa has been up to in 2015! It's been a season of "news" for us -
a new village, new facilities, new programs and services, new friends and volunteers!
The Center in Nakuwadde
As part of effort to improve Action in Africa's work, we decided to make our presence in Uganda more permanent. A huge first step forward was moving in to our new facility, which we lovingly refer to as "The Center." We no longer have to depend on facilities owned and run by other NGOs, and are more fully able to dedicate ourselves to engaging with the community. Living and working in The Center for the last 4 months has allowed us to form deeper connections with our neighbors, local schools, and community leaders, and will be essential to our long term success! Read more about The Center!
The New Aspen Community Library
The Aspen Community Library, first constructed in 2008, has been relocated to The Center in Nakuwadde. It's stocked with a variety of books including children's picture books, full fledged novels, encyclopedias, and textbooks for primary and secondary students. Read more about the Aspen Community Library!
New Workshop Space
The Center has a large room that we use to host our daily after school workshops, classes, movie viewing, and other activities. The large open space opens up a world of possibilities for us. Let us know if you have any ideas about how we can use our workshop space! Read more about our workshops!
Front Yard and Garden
The property on which we are living has very large front and back yards. The front is mostly wide open - we've installed a volleyball net and a tire swing and the kids use the space to run around and organize all sorts of fun games! The backyard is a garden, originally full of matoke (plantain), banana, mango trees, and sugar cane. Our groundskeepers, Isaac and Benard, just planted beans, potatoes, and maize! The garden will provide food for volunteers and staff, and will provide a clean natural get-away from the hectic village life.
Housing for Volunteers
Part of goal with The Center is for our visiting volunteers to have a completely immersive experience, living in the community in which we hope to improve. We're in the process of filling our rooms with beds so that we can accommodate groups and individuals who want to come to Uganda and help us make a difference. Apply to volunteer with Action in Africa!
New On The Ground Volunteers
Over the past few months at Action in Africa, we have been thrilled to welcome some new faces to our organization and reconnect with old teammates. A non-profit is only as good as those willing to work for it, and we are confident that these new additions to our team will allow us to reach new heights in the coming months. Each member brings a unique set of skills and passions to our organization, and it has been a pleasure applying their talents to various projects and roles. Our growth over the past couple of months is largely attributable to their work.
Maggie Brown
Maggie Brown has been with Action in Africa since 2009, but her decision to move to “The Center” two months ago has paid huge dividends for our organization. Along with unparalleled enthusiasm, spirit, and vivacity, Maggie brings with her an exceptional artistic eye and a knack for graphic design. She has taken the reigns on all visual projects for the Action in Africa website, periodicals, and social media platforms.
Travis Noll
A graduate of Stanford University with a consulting background, Travis Noll has brought much-needed administrative and organizational expertise to AIA. Having spent the last month at “The Center,” Travis has institutionalized many of Action in Africa’s operations, developing methods for scheduling and the distribution of tasks amongst volunteers. Overall, he has enhanced the organization’s efficiency and instituted a degree of operational organization that was lacking in years past.
New Programs at The Center
New Adult English Classes
Action in Africa has hired an English teacher to offer twice weekly classes to adults in the village. For a small fee, students come on Fridays and Saturdays to learn the national language. As our class size begins to grow and we offer more options, these programs will become self sustaining. Read more about English classes!
Free HIV Testing and Counseling
Earlier this year we began partnering with a local NGO, the Youth and Child Support Network, to offer free HIV testing and counseling. In the first three months of offering this service, we've tested over 300 Ugandans. The desire of these families to lead healthy lives in overwhelming! Read more about our Free HIV and Counseling program!
Daily Staff Lunch prepared by the Neighbors
After living in Ugandan for a few months, we learned that it is customary and wholly expected for employers to provide lunch to staff members on a daily basis. We've also noticed that our neighbors, and closest friends in Uganda, have trouble affording school for their children. We decided to tackle both problems at once - we asked our neighbors to help us prepare lunch on weekdays and we pay them by directly sending money to their children's schools. Everybody wins - our staff gets to eat, our neighbors are closer to being able to afford to send their kids to school, and the food is delicious!
New Ways to Get Involved
As Action in Africa has grown over the last six months, we have launched a number of new initiatives designed to facilitate our continued expansion. These programs are meant to increase the depth of our impact in Nakuwadde, Bbira, and all of Uganda through a combination of increased involvement in the U.S., fresh fundraising platforms, and creative new projects. It is much easier to get involved with Action in Africa today than at any point in the past, whether it be through on-the-ground volunteering or various events in the U.S.!
Essential 100
We are currently looking for an “Essential 100” group of members, each promising to donate $10 a month, via a simple paypal charge, to help our organization cover all overhead costs. These costs include the lease agreement for “The Center,” electricity, internet, security, and maintenance for the well, and if they are covered through the “Essential 100” program, then all fundraised proceeds can be distributed to our educational and special projects funds. Join Essential 100 here!
Volunteer On The Ground
Given our new facility, Action in Africa has the unique opportunity to host volunteers on the ground to experience the impact we are making in Uganda. Whether you are a student, a family, church, or school group, looking to come short term or long term…..WE WANT YOU!!! Our volunteers’ experiences are catered to the individual and their particular interests and area of expertise. Whether you want to teach, mentor, play, or construct, we have a place for you. Apply to volunteer here!
Register With Amazon Smile
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Action in Africa every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to Action in Africa. On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you will be prompted to select a charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Search for Action in Africa (location: Denver, CO) and let the shopping begin! Join Amazon Smile here!
New Website
We built a brand new website and it is BEAUTIFUL. We love it and think you will too! Click here to view!
If you made it all the way to the bottom of this newsletter, we want to applaud you! We know it was a novel! We love people who are eager to know more about us and who appreciate the work we do in Uganda. So to show our gratitude, we would like to send you a little Ugandan something-something in the mail. Please respond to this email saying " I READ THE WHOLE DANG THING!" and then put your mailing address. You can expect your gift this June!
