Shelter Academy of Light -Volunteer

Travel is planned for next week.


Tom C Durand
August 2 at 12:50pm ·
GoFundMe

Hi friends and family,

This is a gofundme page for my trip to Uganda. Sometime this month, I will be travelling with George who is the husband of my grandfather's former and beloved caretaker, Grace Sakwa. Grace is from Uganda and maintains family connections there. She Is working hard to reverse some of the changes that she has seen in her lifetime and Is in the preliminary stages of having a school built. In the meantime she has connected me with a program that teaches reading to children.
Illiteracy Is central among the problems of Uganda, if not all of poverty. Children are not learning to read at home at significant rates and the public schools can do little to help but appoint a single teacher to a classroom packed to the point that they the children are touching each other. As one considering this environment imagines, most will not be able to read the test to continue into high school. Later, unable to find employment other than subsistence/sub-subsistence farming, they often fall prey to diseases, alcoholism and pregnancies at young ages, yada, yada, yada. I cannot think of a better way to prevent this than to teach literacy.
Grace tells me that a surprising amount of progress can be seen in reading abilities in a time period of just one month, but in addition to the content that I teach them, my presence can have a dynamic impact on the children's self-image, allowing them to realize that they are important enough for somebody to come all they way from America just to teach them something.
If you do make a contribution, I will match your donation by sending my spirit. It is really a great deal.

://shelteracademy.org/main.html 

Please consider giving to Shelter Academy of Light 501C(3).   

Please keep Christian in your prayers he will be traveling to Uganda this month as the Shelter's first American volunteer.  He will be working specfically with the sucessful Small Steps reading program to expand the reach.   Christian plans to stay 1 month in  the rural district of Manafwa.  His trip will cost $3,500 to $4,000. We will be collecting and sending books and school supplies with him.

Donations can be made directly to Shetler via their website or on this page.  

Who We Are

Shelter Academy of Light is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in USA and built on a unique partnership between the local Ugandan communities and caring everyday local residents of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Our mission is to build and maintain a private model school to educate and provide relief for poor and orphaned children in Uganda. Here in USA, Shelter Academy of Light is primarily volunteer-driven with a Board of Directors and a growing community of dedicated and caring supporters. In Uganda, there is a committee that comprises of experienced teachers, social workers, church leaders and local leaders who are very dedicated and willing to do whatever it takes to enable this chance of providing a quality education to many orphans and poor children of Uganda thrive.

With your generous support, we are willing and ready to work hard and bring hope and light to the children of Uganda, through who change will come to the nations.

Vision

Shelter Academy of Light is a volunteer, non-profit organization based in the United States to help poor and orphaned children around the Mt. Elgon region in Uganda reach their full potential by acquiring a quality education