One semester down

Over the last couple of weeks, the four young women we are supporting in secondary school completed their first semester and received their final grades. They all passed, but they didn’t do as well as they were hoping.

A few weeks ago, I received a package in the mail with letters from all of the girls telling me how their schooling is going. It’s been extremely tough: they wake up every morning at 4:30 a.m. to make it to class for 6 a.m. roll call. From then, they are in class and studying until 10p.m. at night with breaks in between for lunch and dinner. They retire to a dorm room with 50 other young women and get up and do it again.

It would be a rigorous schedule for anyone to get used to – but add to it that the students were fighting a wave of typhoid fever that spread through the school, as well as other individual illnesses some of them faced, including malaria and pneumonia.

Such is school life in Uganda. It’s not easy, that is for certain. The students get limited time for extra-curricular activities, although two of our students have managed to join a volley ball team and a choir group on Sundays.

The girls all passed their course, and I am proud of them for that. It was their first semester and their first time in a boarding school in the big city, Kampala. It would be a big adjustment for any 16- or 17-year-old. They are 100% committed to their studies and doing well – they are trying their hardest, and that is all we can ask for.

If they do not succeed, our team has agreed to fund one repeat year per student, but after that point, they will need to look for other options, such as vocational training. At a cost of more than $700/ year for tuition, it’s not feasible to keep failing and repeating.

Let’s all hope for a healthy and successful second semester for the students we are supporting!

Here are some photos taken last month at the orphanage while the students were home for their holidays.

Patricia

Priscilla

Ellen
Pelucy
Veronica

Update from Uganda

I just received news from the orphanage that I wanted to share.

Since last year when I was there, seven new babies have arrived, bringing the total number of children to 91 (including 25 under age 2).

Two are one-month-old twins that were found abandoned in bushes. Another is Gabriella, just four weeks old now. She was found at the bottom of a latrine, believed to have been thrown down the toilet. But the great news is that a local woman from the village where Gabriella was found has stepped forward to adopt her.

They are going through the process and in the meantime, the orphanage is taking care of the baby, taking her to hospital every day for a very serious gash she has on her head. They didn't think she would survive, but this little girl is proving to be quite the fighter!

More good news is that a local board member on the orphanage board is also going through the process to adopt a young boy called Jeramiah. When I first met Jeramiah, it was believed he may be deaf or even autistic. Turns out he was likely just traumatized. He is doing well and this board member has taken a shining to adopting him.

I'm told that Baby Charles, the only baby who is HIV positive, is doing well and is hardly recognizable from when I met him last year. This time last year, he was frail and ill and it was doubtful he would survive. He has gained a lot of weight and is said to be as healthy as can be.

Samwell is another one whose progress I am happy to hear of. He is a 2-year-old who was brought to the orphanage after his parents tried to sell him to a witch doctor. The witch doctor took the child and brought him to police. Samwell's parents have been released from jail, but they have not tried to come for the boy. He is also doing really well and adjusting to his new family.

Right now the youngest children are on holidays from school and for the first time ever many of them have returned to their home villages to stay with family. In doing this, the founders of the orphanage are helping the children to connect with their birth families, which may include aunts, uncles, grandparents who were unable to take on the responsibility of caring for the children. It truly is a great thing for the kids on so many different levels.

Apparently the only one who has been having difficulty with the situation is a little cutie named Sunday Roger, who is nine. I'm not sure what his reason is, but Sunday Roger keeps leaving the village, possibly trying to find his way back to the orphanage! So, they've brought him home to the orphanage. The rest of the kids will stay with their families for a week or so.

The four girls we are supporting in senior levels high school have finished - and passed - their first year and are back at the orphanage for their holidays. Veronica is writing exams today and will be heading to the orphanage for her break next week as well. Their first year is done!

In 2012, we will also start supporting a young man named Oscar. Oscar has a serious bone degenerating disease and has had a tough time finishing his school because he's been in so much pain or missing classes due to surgery. He finally finished his last year in elementary school and is awaiting his results. If he passes, next year he won't go on to senior levels of school, but we will support him in vocational training. He wants to learn to be a lab technician so he can work at the local hospital. Sounds like a great job!

I'm so happy to share this good news with you. Thinking back on how all of us have done so much to support these kids over the last few years. We really are making a difference in their lives. Thank you all for your support.

Thank you for your tremendous support

*event pictures by Photography By Ardean

Dear friends:

We are thrilled to share with you the good news that with your support we raised $10,500 at the Nzirambi Photo Exhibition Fundraiser.

It was a spectacular night: the photos by Brian Pieters were stunning; the abundance of items donated for our silent auction was amazing; the food, wine and beer were great; and Pikto Gallery was filled to the brim with people, enjoying the fantastic drumming.

As the organizers, we were overwhelmed at the outpouring of support. The children at the orphanage dream big with thoughts of higher education, and with your support we will help get them there.

All of the funds raised at this event will be put toward a scholarship fund that will pay for university tuition, as well as secondary school. Currently, the Nzirambi Education Fund is supporting 4 girls in high school and another in Law School. Next year, the number of children we support will double. As more children grow older, more will need our help to access higher levels of learning.

Your donations will go a long way in ensuring the children of the Nzirambi Orphanage in Uganda have the best chance possible to succeed.

We want to take this opportunity to thank you for your contribution and for helping to fulfill dreams. None of this would have happened without your support.

We hope you will stay connected with us on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/nzirambi

Thank you.

News Release: Nzirambi Photo Exhibition Fundraiser in Support of Ugandan Orphanage

The “Nzirambi Photo Exhibition,” providing a glimpse into life at a Ugandan orphanage, will be unveiled during a special fundraising event on Oct. 27. Funds raised will go toward the Nzirambi Education Fund which ensures the boys and girls of this orphanage have access to higher levels of education, including senior levels of high school, college and university.

“Most of the children at the Nzirambi Orphanage are there because their mothers died during childbirth or due to AIDS. Some are there because they have been abandoned by their families,” said Karen Snider, co-founder of the Canadian-based Nzirambi Education Fund. “Despite the odds, these children are striving and healthy. We hope the resilience of these children, as captured in this photo exhibition, will inspire others to give so that we can continue to help these children go to school.”

The collection of photos will be on display at Pikto Gallery in Toronto’s Distillery District on Oct. 27. Doors open at 7 p.m. Along with the exhibition, there will be a silent auction and raffle for which local businesses have donated more than $6000 in gifts. There will also be a live African drumming performance. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at http://orphanage.eventbrite.com.

Among the silent auction prizes included are: an iPod Touch with Beats by Dre headphones; $500 dinner for four in your home catered by chef Matt Kantor; a limited edition print valued at $400 from local artist Arto Yuzbasiyan; certificates from Toronto’s top restaurants; and a 1.5 hour social media consulting session with Canada’s leading tech guru Amber Mac. There will also be a $500 Toronto ‘foodie’ raffle prize with gifts, restaurant certificates, Niagara wine tastings, a special Starbucks Reserve coffee tasting and cupcake making class.

Food and drinks at the event will be sponsored by: Caplansky’s Deli, St. Louis, Le Dolci cupcakes, Underdog Wine and Mill Street Brewery.

The Nzirambi Education Fund would like to thank the following organizations for their sponsorship and donations:

Brian Pieters Photography, Pikto Gallery, Underdog Winery, Mill Street, Caplansky’s Deli, St. Louis Bar and Grill, e11even, Acura Sherway, Molson, Arto Yuzbasiyan, Nathalie-Roze, Any Direct Flight, Meditative Arts, Parent Central, Amber Mac, The Mother of All, Le Dolci, Te Aro Coffee, Fuss Hair Studio, Unmarketing, Poetic Art, Bloom Restaurant, Starbucks, Putting Edge, Evoke Hair Salon, Danier Leather, Fair Trade Jewellery, Lou Dawgs, Bootycamp Fitness, Il Fornello, Magic Oven, Nota Bene, Solo Bace Hair Salon, Table 17, Pangaea, Little Kitchen, HoneyFig, Help We’ve Got Kids, Belly Bootcamp, Borden Communications, Chocolachocola, Michele Nidenoff, Art Gallery of Ontario, Yoga Sanctuary, Green Lavender

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About the Orphanage

The Nzirambi Orphanage was started by Dorothy Nzirambi more than 20 years ago when she took in an abandoned baby whose mother had died during childbirth. She was living in a grass-thatched home at the time, with little means. However, under Ms. Nzirambi’s care, the child flourished and this was the humble beginnings of the orphanage.

Today at this family-run orphanage there are more than 85 boys and girls, ranging in from newborns to 21-years-old. Many of the children lost their mothers in childbirth and their fathers could not, or would not, care for them. Some are there because their mothers have died of AIDS, or because the children have been abandoned by their families.

About the Nzirambi Education Fund

This Canadian grassroots initiative aims to raise funds to ensure that every boy and girl reaching the levels of higher education can afford to go. Primary education in Uganda is free. However, higher levels of education are especially critical for these children, giving them additional resources to become leaders in their communities and break free of the cycle of poverty they are in. The Fund aims to raise $30,000 in the next three years to pay for nine children who will be in post-secondary school.

For more information, contact:

Karen Snider, Nzirambi Education Fund

416 518-2844 / nzirambifund@gmail.com

Blog Action Day: Droughts and Matoke

Today is Blog Action Day 2011, a day when bloggers around the world are encouraged to blog about one particular theme. This year’s theme is ‘food.’ I just wrote a post for the Canadian Red Cross blog on the current crisis in the Horn of Africa because of the lack of food, but I wanted to share something on this blog too.

Northern Uganda has indeed been affected by the drought that has impacted at least five countries in the Horn of Africa. Thankfully for the orphanage, the situation has not been as dire in Uganda as it has been in other countries, such as Somalia and Kenya.
The orphanage we support is in southern Uganda, and should the south be affected by droughts, it would indeed, hurt the children.

The orphanage is currently working hard to become self-sufficient through farming. That way they can rely on their own crops and livestock and sell any extras. They currently grow foods, such as matoke (a kind of banana very popular in Uganda), potatoes, carrots, cabbage and other greens. They have a chicken coop as well, so they have a daily supply of fresh eggs. Based on this, you can see why good rainfalls are important.

I’ve often wondered what would happen to the women and children of the orphanage if they did experience a drought. Although they are fortunate to be sponsored by so many of us in Canada and the UK, it would still be an incredible challenge to overcome if the entire country was facing a food shortage.

Imagine going to the grocery store and there was no food on the shelves to purchase. That’s what could happen if a country that relies on agriculture experiences severe long-term drought. Crops don’t grow and therefore there is nothing to consume or purchase.

Thankfully, this is not a challenge we have had to confront.

So, on a much lighter note – and still on the theme of food -- I thought to share with you a recipe for a dish that the House Mothers in Uganda spoil me with when I am there.

It’s a peanut stew that is poured over rice or potatoes. This recipe calls for peanut butter, which they do not have at the orphanage.

Instead, the women grind peanuts using a traditional mortar. It’s hard work too. I tried once and my arms were aching because the mortar is heavy and it takes time to grind the peanuts right down to a paste. It is, however, worth every effort.

Click here for the recipe.
Enjoy!

You're Invited!

Please join us for the Nzirambi Photo Exhibition fundraiser, featuring photos by Brian Pieters. The fundraiser will be held Thursday, Oct. 27 at Pikto Gallery in the Distillery District, Toronto.

Earlier this year, Brian travelled to Uganda to photograph the 85 boys and girls of the Nzirambi Orphans Talent Development Centre. The result is an inspiring collection of photos that captures the resilience and hope of the women and children
there.

The photo exhibition launch will include a silent auction/raffle, African drumming and a special guest speaker. Local businesses have donated more than $5000 in gifts to be auctioned off at the event.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at http://orphanage.eventbrite.com

All proceeds from the evening will go toward the Nzirambi Education Fund to ensure the children have access to high school and post-secondary education.

Higher levels of education are especially critical for these children, giving them additional resources to become leaders in their communities and break free of the cycle of poverty that has defined their families.

For more information about the Education Fund and the orphanage, check out our blog or join us on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/nzirambi

Can't make the event? You can still show your support by making a donation with PayPal on our blog.

Gifts to be auctioned include:
• Gift packages for new moms
• Yoga and other fitness classes
• Consulting opportunities with leading marketing and social media gurus
• Tickets for movies, AGO, mini-golf
• Family pass to the movies
• Jewellery and certificates from Toronto fashion boutiques and hair salons
• Certificates to various restaurants in Toronto, as well as a special dinner for four from Secret Pickle
* and much more!

Vero has been accepted to Law School!

When I first visited the orphanage nearly 3 years ago, Veronica was 16 years old with dreams to go to law school.

At the time, she was the third highest scoring student in her district, scoring 98 percent on her report card (her teachers encouraged her to score 100%). Aside from her grades, Vero was naturally curious, outgoing and obviously ambitious. She’s an incredibly bright young woman and there was no doubt in my mind that she would succeed.

The problem, however, was that there was no funding in place for her to afford to go to university.


And so, it was Veronica who inspired Monica and I to create the Nzirambi Education Fund with a promise to not only pay for Vero’s university, but to raise funds to pay for all of the children to have access to higher levels of learning.

We received word this weekend that Veronica has realized her dream! She has been accepted to law school at one of the top universities in Uganda.

Veronica is the first of all of the 85 children at the orphanage to be accepted to university – and in that she naturally becomes a role model to the younger children showing them that if they put their minds to it, they can achieve whatever it is they want.

Vero’s acceptance to university is no small feat. This is a girl who, when she was just one year old, was brought to the orphanage by her brother. Her mother had died of AIDS and the father could no longer look after Vero, the youngest of his children and his only daughter. She has grown up at the orphanage and considers the children there to be her brothers and sisters.

When I was last in Uganda I asked her why she wanted to study law. She told me it’s because she wants to help others – in her country lawyers resolve problems, help businesses do well and also reduce crime. In Uganda, a lawyer doesn’t specialize in one area, so she is prepared to practice criminal law, property law and so forth.

Over the next couple weeks, we’ll be in touch with Vero to determine the fees she will need. We will be looking to cover school fees, books and boarding.

She starts school in September.

Thank you everyone for continuing to support what our fundraising efforts. With your help, we are able to truly make a difference in a child’s life.