Documenting the Mpoma Community

For three weeks in June, I will work in the Mpoma Community, located 20 km outside of Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Mpoma was the dream of HIV-positive parents who wanted to carve a promising future for their vulnerable children. In 1999, it became reality. After just a few years and with relatively little donor funding, Mpoma has developed programs in food security, health, livelihoods, and orphan care. In 2002, the Johnson Nkosi School opened its doors to educate the community's youth; it is now among the top performing schools in the region. Established in 2008, Komo Learning Centres (KLC) works to fund this community initiative from the United States. While the passion that sustains Mpoma's community members is unique to this group of people, the model they employ may be applicable and valuable for other marginalized communities in Uganda and elsewhere. For example, one of the school's major objectives is to achieve 100% food security by the end of next year and financial sustainability by the end of 2015 through food commercialization.

I have collected footage taken from the Mpoma community to create this short video"“ it will provide a brief glimpse into the educational and agricultural programs in which I will be involved. Each day in Uganda, I will post detailed blog updates to record my experience. I will also bring my video camera and produce a film upon my arrival home. I aim not only to document the efforts of this particular community, but also to demonstrate the effectiveness of KLC's grassroots model for community development. This project is only possible with your help.

Your contributions will cover transportation costs and food expenses, enabling me to make a difference in this community. The surplus funds raised will be donated to the organization itself.

If you would like to stay updated on the work of Komo Learning Centres, please bookmark their blog, which I edit. On behalf of everyone involved at KLC, your support is truly appreciated.