ABOUT US

Our Story Of Outreach Uganda.

In the summer of 2006, I was on a trip led by Compassion International to visit with the children I sponsored in Uganda. My American view of poverty did not fully prepare me for what I would see. The destruction from war, families broken apart, raw sewage running down streets where children played and where we walked. I expected to see some level of poverty — but not this.

One year later, I returned to teach computer classes in Southern Uganda. We traveled to Northern Uganda so we could get a complete picture of why so many had fled to the south. While there, we were able to visit an internally displaced people (IDP) camp.

Our guide told us of the atrocities committed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph Kony. The devastation was everywhere. Walking through the IDP camp was a shock. Ten thousand people crammed into tiny huts, just a few feet apart. Some families were living within a 10-foot diameter, smokey hut, because their cooking fires were indoors.

Walking through the camp, that’s when I saw her: a young, beautiful Ugandan girl, probably no more than ten-years-old. Her eyes echoed back the same darkness and suffering I’d seen in so many faces in that camp.

The look in her eyes was empty. Hopeless. Like a flower who’s never seen the sun but keeps straining for some glimpse of hope.

Imagine two million people ripped from their homes, forced to live in internment-like conditions, and then, being freed to return to…nothing.

The Lutheran World Federation gave many of the families seeds for starting crops, but no infrastructure. No way of rebuilding their lives again.

I knew we had to do something to help Uganda. This sparked the start of Outreach Uganda.

OUR MISSION

Why Outreach Uganda.

We are a Colorado-based, Ugandan-focused 501(c)(3) organization that works behind the scenes to provide key support to Ugandans through our focused and interconnected programs. We personally spend time in Uganda meeting with people in-country so we can better see and hear firsthand what help is wanted locally and determine how we can use your donations for the greatest impact.

Let’s be clear: there are many organizations that offer child sponsorship, champion fair trade ecommerce, and host short-term trips to countries in need. So, what makes Outreach Uganda different?

In short, it’s not about Outreach Uganda. It’s about shining the light on what Ugandans are doing in and for Uganda.

Many Ugandans faced atrocities in the IDP camps. That was the darkness, but now, we get to help shine the light through our work and partnerships.

We are helping real people, with real stories of tragedy, reclaim hope. Many Ugandans are eager to become entrepreneurs. They know jobs in Uganda are scarce and they must work to create their own positive future. Outreach Uganda provides the financial and organizational support to help these amazing families build a stronger, more self-sustaining future.

Could the transformation happen faster if we were the ones building all the infrastructure? Maybe, but that’s not the point. Again, we are working together to empower Ugandan families and communities to be truly self-sustaining. We want to help them be the hero of their own success story!

We strive to work with Ugandans who have this drive to help themselves. We strive to find U.S. donors, partners and supporters who want to help make this happen for as many Ugandans as possible.

Our biggest celebrations are when families don’t need our support anymore. It means our work was effective in helping build a self-sustaining community with a better way of life.

And that’s what makes Outreach Uganda unique.

OUR IMPACT

Celebrating Our Work

Since starting our work in 2007, we’ve seen tremendous growth in communities, families, and entrepreneurs in northern Uganda.

Income-Generation Successes with Uganda Women’s and Community Groups :

  • Helped four local Uganda nonprofits grow their groups.
  • Sold over $1,000,000 of paper beads and other crafts.
  • Helped over 200 women with income-generating activities so they could support their families.
  • Began internal revolving micro-loan funds so our three women’s income-generation groups could expand their businesses.
  • Formed an HIV/Aids support group which helped members support each other.

Education and Training Successes :

  • Helped over 300 sponsored children go to school.
  • Encouraged over 200 girls to stay in school through our Girls’ Education Program.
  • Celebrated over 30 sponsored students graduating from university and vocational school.
  • Provided various training classes, including leadership, business skills, English, literacy, organic farming, tailoring, and more.

Community Empowerment Successes :

  • Built six school buildings. The school serves over 600 students from nursery to 6th grade. It employs 18 teachers and six support staff.
  • Partnered with the community to grow their local school.
  • Strengthened the community’s leadership to operate both the school and clinic.
  • Graduated five classes of 6th grade students from the local school.
  • Purchased over six acres of land for a women’s home ownership program.
  • Established a clinic serving five villages and over 6,000 people in northern Uganda.
  • Started organic farming and beekeeping projects so the villages could have varied sources of income.

Financial Integrity

We understand there’s no shortage of nonprofit organizations you could support. Your trust and our work deserve full transparency about the financial activities of Outreach Uganda. This is why we stand in integrity.

You Can Help Empower an Incredible Future for Uganda.
It Starts By Taking Your First Step Today.