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Our
Story and Basic Mission
Our
Mission…
Unconditional Support for the Education and Welfare
of Children…in an effort to deliver hope and opportunity.
Our Story...
In the Spring of 2014, our daughter Madelyn Miller,
began an internship in Uganda that was destined to change
the lives of those she met, as well as those of us back
home who began to follow and participate in her journey.
While her primary internship focused on education and
administration with a Non-Profit group (PROMETRA) dedicated
to bringing traditional and Western medical services
to rural villages, her interests, and desire to do more
quickly, expanded.
Her
field work was in the rural village of Buyijja, a small
village in the jungles approximately 70 miles from Kampala.
The village, like most rural Ugandan villages, has no
municipal services, water or waste treatment, and has
suffered the effects of major disease (AIDS, TB, Malaria)
because of it. In addition, national unrest, an unstable
government, and frequent raids from neighboring countries
have left the region with a high percentage of orphans
in addition to a mortality rate that hovers near a life
expectancy of just 52 years old.
Economically,
rural villages have little to offer in regards to future
earning potential, with average wages earned being as
low as $1-$3 per day, if work can be found. For
this reason, education, and the opportunity to go on
to higher education, and the chance for a better way
of life is essential.
The
daughter of a teacher (her mother Debbie) and coming
from a family of teachers and educators, Maddy made
contact with the village school, the “Buyijja Model
Parents School” which serves more than 260 students,
in her first week in the village.
Maddy
found out that while the school charges a small yearly
tuition to attend (there are no state sponsored schools),
a large percentage of the children are orphans, who
are being raised by the village, and do not have the
resources to pay. No child who wants to learn is turned
away.
It was discovered that the need for help and support
was great. The school had no school supplies, no books,
and no teaching aides (charts, graphs, globes, maps
etc.) and the staff was teaching mostly from blackboards,
with no writing or art supplies.
But
then, Maddy did something very important.
Rather
than tell the head master and the teachers what she
was going to do for them, she asked the question, “What
do you need?” The answers were not surprising, but required
different solutions, as each presented their own challenges.
Since Maddy asked that question, and more than a
year after her return from her internship, our work
continues.
Since our initial project to provide
books and supplies, we have:
- Provided
Books, Supplies, and Teaching Aides for four consecutive
terms of school, helping to boost term test scores
from 24% passing to 93% passing.
- Provided
Shoes for more than 275 children
- Built
a Sanitary Bathroom Facility
- Excavated
and Installed the Village's First Sanitary Well and
Pump
- Provided
Water Storage
- Installed
a Playground for the School
- Augmented
Teacher's Salaries
See
Detailed Success Stories Here
See Upcoming/Ongoing Projects
Here
Our Methods and Working Partnerships
What became obvious almost immediately, is the great
difficulty faced in trying to ship anything to Uganda,
with any degree of comfort that it will get there. In
addition, the level of government tariffs, import fees,
and other ways for those involved to “get a taste,”
adds untold costs to every project if we attempt to
ship materials.
While
in Uganda, Maddy made friends with a small cadre of
workers who in addition to their duties for PROMETRA,
were more than willing, and infinitely qualified, to
act as project managers for each stage. Their ability
to source reliable contractors, negotiate “local rates,”
and see the jobs through have proven invaluable. The
small “thank you” rewards that they have received have
been a fraction of the overall expense, and scant compensation
for the time and effort expended. We are truly blessed
to know them.
Our growth has been slow, and deliberate, relying completely
on private funds and the generosity of friends, family
and gracious strangers who support our efforts. Our
intention is to begin the work in Buyijja, and if successful
in creating sustainable support, expand the model to
other rural villages in the same region.
We
didn’t actively choose Buyijja, it kind of “chose us,”
through Maddy’s actions. However, because of its location,
the village is more safe and stable than many in the
border regions of the country. It is a good place to
begin.
Why
are we choosing to work in a foreign country when there
is so much work to be done here?
Well, again, the projects presented themselves, and
we reacted. But I admit to there being more to the concept
of working internationally, beyond “random selection.”
Western nations are nations of great wealth. Our poorest,
and most underprivileged have many resources available
to them, and receive monthly payments that may equal
as much as two years’ worth of wages in a country like
Uganda.
But,
there is more.
Coming
from a family that has dedicated our lives to educating
and supporting children, I know the value education
plays in the opportunities children have in becoming
happy, productive citizens. I believe strongly that
giving should be done unconditionally…without expecting
a result, or wanting something in return. This expands
to my belief that religion, politics, and borders have
no place in helping one another. Let the leaders squabble
over ideologies. I believe we are best served when we
remember that we are all the same…and that those who
“win the genetic lottery” to be born into nations of
great wealth, are best served when they elevate those
less fortunate to a more stable set of circumstances.
Terrorists,
dictators and bullies prey on those who are so desperate
for a way out of their circumstances that those in need
will follow almost any ideology.
The
operative words of our mission are Peace, Love
and Hope. I believe that peace is best created
through unconditional love…which begins when despair,
poverty, and lack of resources are replaced by hope.
Every
dollar helps achieve this goal…for children who have
little or no part in their circumstance…but deserve
our help, and and a chance for hope for the future.
My sincere thanks for your support!
Patric Miller
Reach Patric at patricjmiller@gmail.com or friendsofbuyijja@gmail.com
by phone- 541-912-3975
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