An Update from Nakuwadde

Written By Sarah Nininger

If I could bottle the energy of my latest trip to Uganda and send it to each of you, I would. But since I can't, I hope this update is the next best thing.

FIVE Hundred Smiling Kids in the Pouring Rain

One of the biggest highlights was our end-of-term spelling bee at The Center, where all of our partner schools came together for friendly afternoon competition. Over 500 kids showed up that day. Five Hundred!! And thanks to the Carver family's generous investment in our Pavilion, we had a space big enough to host the event!

Then the skies opened up. A torrential downpour hit mid-celebration, and you know what? Not a single kid stopped smiling. They kept competing, kept cheering, kept laughing. It was one of those moments that reminds you exactly why our community center matters. For these kids, being in a space filled with beautiful structures, color, music, and encouragement is a gift in itself. Rain or shine, they are just so grateful to be there. And watching Little Kings Primary School take home the win? Their faces said it all.

Meanwhile, inside our new kitchen funded by the Kershaw family, our mamas were preparing a meal for every single one of those seven hundred children. Standing in that kitchen, watching the care and coordination it takes to feed that many kids with so much love, I was just in awe. That is the kind of impact your generosity creates. Not in theory. Right in front of you.

Planting Roots, Literally

Another moment I won't soon forget was our tree planting ceremony, organized by Paddy Kimbowa, our very first alumni graduate and now employee who serves and supports our construction and expansion projects. Watching Paddy lead this effort was a full-circle moment in itself

But what made it truly special was who showed up to plant. Our scholarship students came together and funded a tree on behalf of their program. Our adult English class students did the same. Our Women to Women group bought a tree. Our staff bought a tree. Program after program, each one stepping forward to invest in the future of the community center that has invested in them. That is ownership. That is sustainability. That is everything we have worked to build.

 

The Story of Shadiah

On my last day, I had a quiet moment of gratitude that I keep coming back to. I was sitting in the office and packing up my things to wrap up an incredible week at The Center when I noticed Shadiah, a graduate of our scholarship program who now works in our scholarship department, spending time with her little sister, who had come to attend some of our programs that day. I snapped the sweetest photo of the two of them.

Watching that little girl look up at her big sister, this incredible role model who grew up in our programs and is now helping lead them, just stopped me in my tracks. That is the cycle we are building. When less than 8% of Ugandans have a university degree and an even smaller portion are women, it really makes you appreciate the work we are doing at AIA. That is what long-term investment in a community looks like.

 

Your Invitation

As we look ahead, 2026 is shaping up to be our most ambitious year yet. We need you with us. If this update gives you even a fraction of the energy and enthusiasm I felt standing in that Pavilion, surrounded by seven hundred smiling kids in the pouring rain, I hope you will consider giving, and giving generously, this year. Your investment is felt every single day on the ground in Nakuwadde.

Here is how you can immediately plug in:

With so much love and gratitude,
Sarah

Sarah Nininger
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