Fundraiser benefits Ugandan school

On April 5 the Project Uganda Team, seven adults and seven students from the Sisters School District, returned from their 10-day journey in Uganda, Africa. And on Friday evening at The Belfry, folks got a chance to listen to a presentation about personal experiences during their stay in the small, remote village of Kiwangala. Folks also had the opportunity to buy authentic Ugandan goods, and meet Osborn Muyanja, the director of the Good Samaritan School in Kiwangala.

One side of The Belfry was transformed into a small marketplace with fine African arts and crafts for sale that the team brought back from Uganda. There were numerous tables set up that held their own important campaign for the students of the Good Samarian School, from an indestructible soccer ball that holds up through the rocky dirt-covered ground that the students play football on, to sturdy shoes that can grow five sizes and last five years.

Many of the 1,200 students have no shoes at all, and Project Uganda's goal is to collect 500 pairs of shoes to send to the students of Good Samaritan School. Folks learned how anyone can assist in supporting the Project Uganda campaign in multifold ways.

Sister Middle School social studies teacher Casey Pallister shared his thoughts with The Nugget about what this multifaceted event was all about.

"Our purpose tonight is to raise awareness about our sister-school in Uganda, and our second purpose isn't just to raise funds to support the school, but to establish connections with the people in [the] Sisters community. We have signup sheets so people can join us on our second trip next year. We need all the support possible."

Some of the students from the Sisters High School Interact Club were on hand to lend a hand to the purchasing of Ugandan goods, and Sisters High School student Nila Lukens opened up about her experience in Uganda.

"The best part of the trip for me was meeting all the kids and to see how genuine they are and how kind, open, and ready to learn," she said. "It was an amazing experience to meet all the students; they are very easy to become friends with and to see how happy they all are in such a different culture, it's a different way of life. It was eye opening and yet very inspiring. I came back with a surreal sense of gratitude."

Pallister introduced a brief history of Uganda during a slide show presentation on the big screen near center stage.

"Uganda is a country roughly the size of Oregon, but with more than 10 times its population, which is about 32 million people. It was dubbed the Pearl of Africa by future prime minister Winston Churchill in 1907. But I couldn't help but feel that the beauty Churchill saw was isolated to a few special places. It didn't take long after arriving in Kampala for us to see the rampant poverty that grips this country, or the lack of necessities we take for granted," Pallister told the audience.

Pallister was eager to share his experiences with the guests.

"Our destination and reason for our trip lay in the small village of Kiwangala, some four-and-a-half hours drive from Kampala. Our goal was to visit the Good Samaritan School for several days. We had prepared curriculum to offer the students and teachers during our stay - health education, medical knowledge, and we also came with many supplies."

The school was established in 1989 by Osborn Muyanja, a pastor who had come to the region to help with the growing AIDS crisis. Through hard work, patience, and an ever-increasing demand for both the education of the local children and homes for orphans, Osborn gradually expanded the school.

"I will never forget when I first saw the group of orphans when I was in Kiwangala as a young pastor. I asked the chief of the village what happened to their parents, and he told me they were all dead from AIDS. That's when I started educating those children and my first classroom was under a tree," Muyanja said to the listeners.

To get involved with the Project Uganda Campaign or for more information contact Heather Johnson, 541-639-2969 or [email protected]