Lehigh in Uganda: 2019
Donazione protetta
Over the past eight years Dr. Kelly Austin has led Lehigh University students on numerous trips to Uganda. Lehigh now has a well established research program, internship opportunities, and an overall enriched relationship in the rural Bududa region. This summer the group consists of eight Lehigh students who are looking to make a difference in the region. This GoFundMe will extend the Lehigh project to family, friends, and associated parties in order to maximize the donations to the community. Each and every donation will make a substantial difference in this poverty stricken region.
These donations will go to the Pathways Development Initiative (PDI) which is a local organization run by the Zaale family whom has also served as the Lehigh host family for the past eight years. The Bududa district is struggling with many challenges including: A weak education system with 71% of children not making it past the 7th grade, high numbers of households living below the poverty line, and frequent landslides that have caused over 1,000 deaths since 2010 with over 20,000 people displaced. The mission of PDI is “...to work with communities, individuals and families to build sustainable livelihoods and invest in education as a means of fighting extreme poverty and transforming their lives.” With an overall vision of “a community free from extreme poverty and deprivation to a life of self-sufficiency and dignity.”
This summer the Lehigh group will work with three different projects in PDI: the PDI Education Center, Sports Clinic, and Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs). The Education Center provides otherwise extremely vulnerable students with the opportunity to succeed in the government education system. This pre-primary program opened in 2012, which enrolls students aged four to six for early childhood education from 8am-12pm, providing each student with a daily meal. The Sports Clinic aims to bring organized sports to youth in the Bududa district and is working towards a model that includes athletic training as well as education on public health, environmental conservation, healthy social behaviors, and educational goal planning. Lastly, VSLAs provide financial assistance to community members by lending out small business loans, encouraging people to expand their financial knowledge, and facilitating use this knowledge to redefine their economic standing. The goal of the project is to increase the capacity of impoverished individuals and households in Bududa district to manage their financial resources and withstand shocks to their livelihoods through access to self-managed financial services with an intended outcome of the community engaging in education of the children.
All of the listed areas are ones which will benefit from donations, and we ask you to help us make this possible for Summer 2019. Thank you!
These donations will go to the Pathways Development Initiative (PDI) which is a local organization run by the Zaale family whom has also served as the Lehigh host family for the past eight years. The Bududa district is struggling with many challenges including: A weak education system with 71% of children not making it past the 7th grade, high numbers of households living below the poverty line, and frequent landslides that have caused over 1,000 deaths since 2010 with over 20,000 people displaced. The mission of PDI is “...to work with communities, individuals and families to build sustainable livelihoods and invest in education as a means of fighting extreme poverty and transforming their lives.” With an overall vision of “a community free from extreme poverty and deprivation to a life of self-sufficiency and dignity.”
This summer the Lehigh group will work with three different projects in PDI: the PDI Education Center, Sports Clinic, and Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs). The Education Center provides otherwise extremely vulnerable students with the opportunity to succeed in the government education system. This pre-primary program opened in 2012, which enrolls students aged four to six for early childhood education from 8am-12pm, providing each student with a daily meal. The Sports Clinic aims to bring organized sports to youth in the Bududa district and is working towards a model that includes athletic training as well as education on public health, environmental conservation, healthy social behaviors, and educational goal planning. Lastly, VSLAs provide financial assistance to community members by lending out small business loans, encouraging people to expand their financial knowledge, and facilitating use this knowledge to redefine their economic standing. The goal of the project is to increase the capacity of impoverished individuals and households in Bududa district to manage their financial resources and withstand shocks to their livelihoods through access to self-managed financial services with an intended outcome of the community engaging in education of the children.
All of the listed areas are ones which will benefit from donations, and we ask you to help us make this possible for Summer 2019. Thank you!
Co-organizzatori (5)
Brianne Hughes
Organizzatore
Bethlehem, PA
Chae-Eun Kim
Co-organizzatore
Harry Ossolinski
Co-organizzatore
Jessica Galarza
Co-organizzatore
Naakesh Gomanie
Co-organizzatore