My kids and I were so blessed to meet Ian in May of last year when we were touring the Batwa Empowerment Village, right outside Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The Batwa Village is an NGO dedicated to helping one of the oldest, surviving indigenous tribes of Africa, the Batwa. The Batwa, known as “Keepers of the Forest,” lived in the dense, forested regions of Africa for over 60,000 years and have preserved generations of knowledge about traditional medicine, ecology and a culture in service to living in harmony with nature. In the 1990s, the Batwa were forcibly ejected from their ancestral land without compensation or a place to go. They face significant challenges including widespread discrimination, lack of access to education and healthcare, minimal land rights, and limited political power – all of these things putting their survival at extreme risk. The Batwa Village aims to preserve the tribe’s indigenous culture while helping its men, women and children survive in a modern society.

Enter Ian Arinda, who served as our translator and guide for the afternoon. In getting to know Ian, we learned that he was preparing to take the SAT in hopes of attending college in the US. Our desire to stay in touch quickly turned into a deep friendship and we further learned that Ian has been an integral part of the Batwa Village since he was 13 years old.

A true leader, Ian founded the home study program in the Village to offer elementary education to all Batwa children. As a guide and interpreter, Ian works to connect and educate people around the world about the rich cultural traditions of this indigenous group. And, he works closely with the Batwa Elderly Council to build solutions to the ongoing challenges the Batwa continue to face. In short, at the age of 20, Ian has already spent many years as a global ambassador and has given years of selfless dedication toward the goal of helping people who are marginalized to preserve their human dignity and to create spaces of inclusion for diverse communities to flourish together.

He now has a dream to further his own education in biology and public health in pursuit of eventually attending medical school to provide healthcare to those most in need.

To our delight, Ian recently shared that he has been accepted to at least two American colleges, with the prospect of more admissions on the horizon. While he has received some merit-based scholarship funding, he will still need to fill a $150,000 gap for tuition, room and board over the next four years. US colleges require proof from an international student that they can fulfill their tuition obligation to complete admission. As you can imagine, this will not be an easy task.

We are seeking help in three ways:

• We have started a GoFundMe campaign for Ian in the hopes that we can now help shower him with some of the hope, generosity and support he gives to others. Any contribution will help!

• Just as importantly, you might help us get the word out to others who can help.

• And last but certainly not least, we are scouring for information about additional scholarship opportunities that international undergraduate students will qualify for…if you are aware of any (think rotary clubs, social clubs, community organizations, religious affiliations, etc.), we would LOVE to hear about them!

Thank you for taking the time to read about Ian, the Batwa community and their mark to preserve our planet. I hope this story gives you some affirmation that generosity and kindness abound in the world and that everything starts with a relationship and gets better in community.

In love,

Alycia, Megan and Ian S.