Home » 2009

I was able to get a loan from URF village bank & constructed a house: Stories & Thank You’s from our Beneficiaries

“URF has helped us pay for our education, buy us land & build us a lovely house and help us to farm for food. We are grateful to you and we love you!,” Zaituni The people we serve share stories of how their lives have been changed by URF and would like to say THANK […]

URF 2010: International Youth Camp & Young Professionals 4 Community Development Conference

“To inspire active engagement, the conference is an action-driven event. Each participant must commit to take concrete action on an issue they are passionate about.” When: January, Friday 8 –  Sunday 10, 2010  {  Online Registration } Where: Hope Integrated Academy, 35km Masaka-Mbarara Road, Masaka. Purpose URF seeks to inspire youths and young professionals to engage in […]

Giving rural Ugandans the simple means to build a future: Observations of a Volunteer, Molly Dierks

“The kids at Hope had overcome TREMENDOUS obstacles to be learning and be in school. The adults worked hard to provide for their families. Many of the teens took care of several younger siblings and made the choice between eating and buying paraffin for studying at night- they chose paraffin.” Molly Dierks is from Virginia. […]

Education for Africa–Is it the best solution to break the cycle of poverty and whose responsibility?

“Education is the most powerful tool you can use to change the world”– Nelson Mandela. I wrote this piece for the National African Students Association newsletter. You are reading this blog and my best assumption is that you are literate. Have you ever imagined what your life would be like if you couldn’t read or […]

Volunteering in Uganda: Kelsey & Rebecca share their stories

“It’s really amazing how resilient these children are when they are taking care of their siblings, trying to go to school and find food to eat.” – Rebecca an Kelsey are from Duxbury, MA October 16 This week was great in Uganda. We spent a lot of time at the orphanage helping to wash and […]

Kids show big Talent – empowerment through art

At Hope Academy, we are committed to developing kids’ talents through various forms of art: music, dance, drama, crafts, and sports. On November 01, students at Hope Academy showcased their phnomenal art pieces  to their parents and guest attending the Parents Day. Below is a display of the talents at HOPE. Considering that these kids […]

A volunteer recounts her first week’s experience in rural Uganda

“The green hills of Uganda are breathtaking, and since the villages largely still rely on agriculture and have no running water or electricity, the natural beauty is still very much intact.” First week – this post is taken from Kim Browns’ blog posted Tuesday, May 26, 2009. Click on ‘first week’ to read more about her experiences in […]

Educating child-led household orphans – a video of their life stories

Have you ever imagined yourself raising a family at age 6, 10, 14? What would that life be like – to be a dad, a mom, an uncle, an aunt and at the same time brother and sister to your siblings? Now, you’re like, yikes; who in the world does that!! Well, kids like Deo, […]

Food security: Training rural farmers in improved farming practices

Food security is a huge concern for thousands of people in Africa, and actually for millions around the world. With the mess of climate change, lives are threatened especially our people in rural communities whose lives are entirely dependent on agriculture for food and as well as economic progress. In Uganda, over 80% of the […]

Promoting youth leadership through camps

URF organized Youth Leadership Camp on the weekend of August 28 – 30th which drew youth from Hope Academy and neighboring primary and secondary schools. The main theme focused on youth leadership, education, and personal development. Objective: To facilitate leadership and personal development among young people. The aim was that student learn about: team building skills, decision […]

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