The sharing fund committee



REQUEST FOR FUNDS

Submitted to:

Global Giving

Project for which funds are sought: Nyaka School for Children Orphaned Due to HIV/AIDS

Sponsoring Organization: STSAD, Inc.

Address: P O Box 339

East Lansing

Telephone: (517) 402 2787

Fax: (517) 381 5455

E-mail: tjk@

Amount of request: $ 160,000

STSAD, Inc is a public charitable organization with US Federal tax exemption under 501 (c) (3). Tax ID # 35-2153719.

Mission of sponsoring organization

Our Mission is two-fold:

1. To respond to the changing needs for scientific technology and information and contribute to the emerging challenges of insuring food security, alleviating hunger and reducing poverty by developing and implementing crop improvement techniques for regional crops based on current scientific and agricultural advances and encouraging the documentation and exchange of knowledge between peasant farmers, agricultural associations and research scientists.

2. To provide quality, free education and extracurricular activities, both formal and informal, to children living in rural areas of developing countries who have been orphaned due to HIV/AIDS as a means to counteract pervasive hunger, poverty and systemic deprivation.

Background and Project Description

AIDS situation in Uganda

The trans- African highway, which extends from the ports on the east coast of Africa to the landlocked countries it serves, crosses directly through Uganda. An HIV belt was created along this highway as truck drivers camped from town to town and the infection rapidly spread to the rest of the country. Thus, prostitutes that had HIV/AIDS in combination with the truck drivers who took it from place to place helped spread it easily. As a result of increased awareness and an open policy initiated by the government in 1986, AIDS incidences have dramatically been reduced. However, with numerous deaths in the wake of AIDS and many individuals remaining infected, a grave situation exists for the country and its future: Large numbers of children are left to fend for themselves after their parents have died of AIDS.

At the moment, almost 10% of Uganda’s population (1.84 million) is infected with HIV. Due to AIDS and other unfavorable conditions, one out of seven children born in Uganda do not live to their fifth birthday. One in eleven adults aged 15 to 49 have HIV or AIDS. This has driven the national life expectancy down to 42 years.

According to the UNAIDS fact sheet, the estimated cumulative number of AIDS orphans in Uganda is 1.7 millions and 4,000 of these are in the Kanungu District where we are working. AIDS orphans are defined as children that have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Many children are already infected at birth and therefore die young. Others, the target population of this project, are left without adult supervision. Most ultimately become delinquents and either contract AIDS or die from other causes such as difficulties associated with homelessness, street fights or involvement in rebel activities. The most fortunate children are adopted by family or a community and are able to receive some form of education at home. However, many communities are so acutely affected by the epidemic that the social structure is completely out of place. These children end up living with their grandparents, who also do not have an income or long life expectancy.

Educational system in Uganda

The literacy rate in Uganda is 42%. The educational system is derived from the British system and includes seven years of primary education, four years of secondary school and two years of high school, followed by two to five years of higher education (post secondary). Post secondary ranges from technical institutes, teacher-training institutions, and colleges of commerce and university education. Joining any of these institutions depends on the candidates’ academic performance and their ability to fund their education at least through high school.

In the past, all post secondary education was free, as it was fully funded by the government. However government funding has been diverted to fully support primary education under the Universal Primary Education Program, which has a goal of ensuring minimum literacy skills for the entire population. The number of children in a family also restricts these funds. The government provides free primary education to the first four children in each family and subsidized education later. Although this policy is already in effect, the current infrastructure including available primary schools, teachers and educational materials is not sufficient to accommodate all the children of Uganda. This has led to the degeneration of the quality of education for the average child with less attention due to a high teacher/pupil rate. Many urban and economically able parents therefore send their children to private schools, which often results in only the rich receiving a high quality education.

Due to this system, AIDS orphans usually do not have an opportunity to attend good schools, if they are able to attend school at all. Also, in the absence of adult supervision, these children are unlikely to receive an education that extends beyond primary school level.

Needs addressed by the proposed project:

Nyaka AIDS Orphans School, located in Kanungu District of Southwestern Uganda, is a community driven project addressing the orphan crisis in the country. In addition to the trauma of losing the love and protection of a parent, children orphaned by AIDS are cut off from critical access to healthcare, education, basic nutrition, housing, and clothing. With the illness and/or death of one or more parents, children often become responsible for income generation, food production, and the care of sick parents and/or siblings. While many orphans are HIV negative, all AIDS orphans are profoundly vulnerable to social exclusion and sexual exploitation and are a high-risk category for infection. In many communities, young orphans are struggling to survive as heads of their households. While the African extended family has traditionally stepped in to support orphans, the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic has over-burdened this traditional safety net. Foster families and guardians, who have limited resources in the midst of Africa’s chronic poverty and underdevelopment, are often helpless to assist the growing number of orphans. The problem is particularly acute in Uganda, which has one of the highest AIDS orphan populations in the world. By the end of 2002 the number of children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS was approximately 2 million.

Nyaka AIDS Orphans School was established as a project of STSAD Inc. to provide free education to AIDS orphans, due to the growing number of these children, who represent an increasingly large proportion of the future generation of the world. Nyaka AIDS Orphans School is a unique response to the consequences of HIV/AIDS. The school was built at the grassroots level, and is strengthening social connections between AIDS orphans and local families. Nyaka’s approach is to bring the community together in order to collectively provide personal care and attention to these orphans.

Nyaka orphans school assists AIDS orphans, in a variety of ways:

I. It provides them with quality free education in a nurturing environment suited to their situations. In addition to primary education, the extracurricular program strives to teach these children practical skills such as gardening and handcraft production, which allows them to support themselves in the likely event that they are unable to pursue education beyond primary school.

II. Teachers recruited to teach these children not only teach them formally but also serve as their mentors on a daily basis.

III. The continuing infrastructure development will ensure that they stay off the streets and spend their early, formative years in a supervised, caring community.

IV. Mandatory involvement in chores such as gardening, cooking, and cleaning occurs.

V. Over all, the school is designed to provide these children with a family atmosphere, which gives them self-confidence and helps to nurture values that significantly increase their chances of reaching adulthood as healthy, functional members of society.

Nyaka AIDS Orphans School supports orphans from all religious affiliations. As part of this inclusive policy, the school choir (The Nyaka Anti-AIDS Club) visits local churches of different denominations and mosques in the county and present plays and songs to sensitize the community about HIV/AIDS and its impact on society. A sample of some of these performances on VHC video can be provided upon request.

Objectives and Proposed Activities

We are requesting funds through Global Giving to support programs that encourage the personal, spiritual, and social development of our students. The work of Nyaka AIDS Orphans School is directed at attaining self-sustaining, locally owned approaches. Consequently, members and friends of the local community, both in Uganda and internationally, have worked to establish the school through individual and collective fundraising. As a result, the construction of the school is largely self-funded. However, resources for the next immediate steps, i.e. addressing programmatic objectives, are limited. Consequently, this proposal is designed to jump-start the educational component of the school’s programs. We are requesting one year’s supply of educational materials including school uniforms, chalk, pens and pencils, textbooks and writing books (exercise books). Additionally, we seek to expand the community awareness programs presented by the Nyaka Anti-AIDS Club. This will allow them to take an anti-AIDS message to other schools in the District. This expansion requires funds for transportation and upkeep of the club members, venue acquisition, instruments and costumes. Securing these materials will allow Nyaka to provide a profound impact on the lives of these orphans, while simultaneously providing community education about the impact of HIV/AIDS.

Specifically, as a result of this grant the following objectives will be attained:

Objective Education for its current 86 students and an additional 90 students, 30 of whom will be recruited and registered for classes beginning February 2006, February 2007 and February 2008.

Objective Community anti-AIDS education programs through songs, plays and monologues

Objective Nutrition education and community gardens initiative will be expand to benefit the foster families and larger community

Objective Adult evening education where adults can learn how to read and write. Adult students will pay and the proceeds will go to sustaining the school.

Objective Provision of community library services and computer training to the local population, the first one of its kind in the area. In this regard, we are working closely with Seed and Light Inc. (Albuquerque, Mew Mexico) who provided lighting at the school last year, the first step in the attainment of this goal.

The above objectives are a part of our larger goal to build a self-sustaining, community-based free primary school for AIDS orphans in Nyakagyezi Village. In this regard, the Nyaka School is an ongoing project that will continue growing each year. At the end of 2008, the school will have seven classes, and will be a full-fledged primary school. The school will provide vocational training for the children who will not continue to secondary school and organize scholarships for those will continue on to secondary school.

Timeframe

Year 1 (2006)

|Project Director |Fundraising for continuing infrastructure development and supplies acquisition (throughout) |

| |Communication with Government Officials on acquisition of financial and in-kind support in |

| |accordance with Uganda’s Universal Primary Education Initiative (Fall 2006) |

| |Initiate development of Nyaka Endowment Fund (Spring 2006) |

| |Compile Annual Report (Fall 2006) |

|Local Council |Guide the development and establishment of adult literacy programs and computer classes (Fall|

| |2006) |

| |Identify and solicit local community partners for fundraising efforts (throughout) |

|Project Staff |Recruit 30 new students to begin February 2007 |

| |Coordinate community activities of the Nyaka Anti-AIDS Club (throughout) |

| |Administer year-end examinations to students |

| |Recruit students and registrants for adult education and computer classes (Spring 2006) |

| |Advertise availability of library services (Fall 2006) |

Year 2 (2007)

|Project Director |Initiate local initiatives of self-sustaining, income generating projects (Spring 2007) |

| |Compile Annual Report (Fall 2007) |

|Local Council |Assess efficacy of adult literacy programs and computer classes (Fall 2005) |

| |Guide and assess local community fundraising efforts (throughout) |

|Project Staff |Recruit 30 new students to begin February 2008 |

| |Coordinate community activities of the Nyaka Anti-AIDS Club (throughout) |

| |Administer year-end examinations to students |

| |Evaluation of adult education and computer classes (Spring 2007) |

| |Assess usage of library services (Fall 2007) |

Year 3 (2008)

|Project Director |Guide program assessment |

| |Assess self-sustaining programs and local fundraising endeavors |

| |Compile Annual Report (Fall 2008) |

|Local Council |Ongoing solicitation of local community partners for fundraising efforts (throughout) |

|Project Staff |Recruit students for available positions in entry level primary class |

| |Coordinate community activities of the Nyaka Anti-AIDS Club (throughout) |

| |Administer year-end examinations to students |

| |Assess adult education and library programs |

Results

In addition to the programs provided, the directors of Nyaka will draw up a strategic fundraising strategy and begin:

1. Local community fundraising

2. Securing support from government based on the UPE (Universal Primary Education).

3. Provision of services for a fee like computer classes, staging plays and adult education.

4. Establishing an endowment fund.

By the end of the project year 2008, the school will be well on the path to becoming self-sustaining.

Budget

Global Giving Proposed Budget – Year 1

| | | | |

| |Total Number |Price per each |Total |

|Uniforms (116 kids) |116 |$5.00 |$580.00 |

|Teacher's salaries (4 teachers & choir master) |5 |$1,032.00 |$5,160.00 |

| | | | |

|Exercise books | | | |

|Primary one (34 kids) |840 |$1.20 |$1,008.00 |

|Primary two (26 kids) |780 |$1.20 |$936.00 |

|Primary three (27 kids) |790 |$1.20 |$948.00 |

|Primary four (29 kids) |810 |$1.20 |$972.00 |

| | | | |

|Text Books (4 Classes) | | | |

|Math |116 |$7.00 |$812.00 |

|English |116 |$6.00 |$696.00 |

|Geography |116 |$5.00 |$580.00 |

|Science |116 |$7.00 |$812.00 |

|History |116 |$6.00 |$696.00 |

|Religious education |116 |$5.00 |$580.00 |

|Reading |116 |$5.00 |$580.00 |

|Social Studies |116 |$5.00 |$580.00 |

| | | | |

|Other Scholastic Materials | | | |

|Chalk (in boxes) |70 |$5.00 |$350.00 |

|Pencils (in boxes of 12) |60 |$2.00 |$120.00 |

|Pens (Packages of 10) |40 |$2.50 |$100.00 |

|Posters |200 |$1.00 |$200.00 |

|Colored Markers (Packages of 8) |80 |$3.00 |$240.00 |

|Construction Paper (50 sheet packages) |50 |$3.00 |$150.00 |

|Manila paper |110 |$0.50 |$55.00 |

|HIV/AIDS posters |200 |$0.50 |$100.00 |

| | | | |

|Nyaka Anti AIDS Club | | | |

|Choir Transportation (to public schools) | | |$700.00 |

|Lunch | | |$450.00 |

|Costumes | | |$800.00 |

| | | | |

|Instruments | | | |

|Drums |8 |$30.00 |$240.00 |

|Xylophone |2 |$50.00 |$100.00 |

|Flutes |6 |$20.00 |$120.00 |

|Bins for packing materials |20 |$30.00 |$600.00 |

|School T-shirts |116 |$3.00 |$348.00 |

|Money hall hires (Nyaka Anti AIDS Club) | | |$1,500.00 |

| | | | |

|Nyaka Anti AIDS Club Brochure Copies/ Distribution | | | |

|36 Public Primary Schools in Kanungu District (250@ each|9000 |$0.50 |$4,500.00 |

|school) | | | |

|14 Secondary schools in Kanungu District (114@ each |1596 |$0.50 |$798.00 |

|school) | | | |

|27 Churches of all denominations and mosques |5400 |$0.50 |$2,700.00 |

|Building an additional two classrooms |1 |$5,000.00 |$5,000.00 |

|Miscellaneous expenses | | |$1,500.00 |

| | | | |

|Community Health and Medical Intervention | | | |

|Nurse Visitation (1/week) |52 |$25.00 |$1,300.00 |

|Medicine and First Aid Supplies | | |$5089.00 |

| | | | |

|Total Annual Program Costs | | |$42,000.00 |

The first year will cost 42,000

Second year will increase due to the number of students and teachers and inflation to 52,500*

Third year will increase also due to more students and teachers to 65,500

*Estimated based on the average price of books, supplies, teacher salary and inflation.

Budget Justification

Nyaka School is currently serving only 2% of the total AIDS orphans in the district where it is located. No other free education programs are available to these orphans in neighboring regions. Thus, expansion of our currently successful programs is desperately needed for the orphans living destitute lives in the region. STSAD, Inc. has been successful at raising funds on the grassroots, community and international level to sustain programs at the school since it officially opened in January 2003. These funds have been generously supplied by the following donors:

• African Students Association Education Initiative – Indiana University

• Bloomington Adventist Academy and Pathfinders – Indiana

• Bloomington Montessori School – Indiana

• Bloomington North Rotary Club – Indiana

• Bloomington United Presbyterian Church – Indiana

• Heights Cumberland Presbyterian Church – Albuquerque, NM

• Led by the Spirit Church – Little Rock, Arkansas

• People’s Decade for Human Rights Education – NY, NY

• Riverside Sharing Fund – NY, NY

• Rockefeller Foundation (Matching Grant)

• Sacred Heart Parish and School – Farmington, NM

• Steven Lewis Foundation - Canada

• Seed and Light International – Albuquerque, NM

• Woodland Adventist Academy and Pathfinders – California

• Individual donors – Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio

Program Monitoring and Evaluation

The following efforts will be made to evaluate the efficacy of Nyaka Programs and to revise efforts as needed to increase effectiveness:

Objective Provision of Formal Education

Evaluation: This objective will be assessed by the averages obtained by Nyaka students of the government year-end examination. Comparisons to regional, district and national averages will be determined

Objective Community Anti-AIDS and Nutrition Education Programs

Evaluation: Community education efforts will be assessed by determining the number of citizens in attendance at such programs. Feedback will be solicited from attendants to gain insight into satisfaction with the information presented.

Objective Adult Evening Literacy Education Program

Evaluation: Adult education programs will be assessed by determining the number of citizens registering for the programs and the retention rate of students in the program. Feedback will be solicited from students to gain insight into the usefulness of the program.

Objective Community Library and Computer Training Program

Evaluation: The library and computer training initiatives will be assessed by determining the total number of citizens participating in each effort. Feedback will be solicited from participants to gain insight into satisfaction with the information presented and suggested improvements.

Annual Evaluation and Dissemination

At the completion of each school year, Nyaka students will complete the government-approved examination for their grade levels. The score averages and district ranking will be compared to other regional schools and the prior years performance for the Nyaka School to evaluate the effectiveness of the instruction provide. Additionally, at the end of each program year, an annual report will be compiled including information on the performance of students on district-wide year-end examinations, the number of students retained, the number of performances presented by the Nyaka Anti-AIDS Club and community feedback from the community education initiatives. The annual report will be posted on STSAD, Inc.’s website for access by donors and other interested parties

Personnel

1. Board of Trustees of Sponsoring organization

Beronda Montgomery PhD

Twesigye J. Kaguri

Judge Aimé Wata

Jennifer Thomson

A. René Montgomery

2. Board of Advisors

William Baldwin M.D.

Jude Mugerwa, M. D.

Matthew Fulekeza PhD

Frank Jones

Dale Val PhD

3. Name and credentials of Trustees and Advisors of sponsoring organization

Beronda L. Montgomery, Ph.D. - Executive Director (2004 - 2007)

Beronda L. Montgomery graduated from the University of California, Davis with a Ph.D. in Plant Biology and completed a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management at the School of Public and Environment Affairs at Indiana University. Her experience in academic biology has been as student, researcher and instructor. She has published several peer-reviewed research articles related to plant biotechnology and has been the recipient of numerous honors including a John B. Ervin Academic Scholarship, a National Science Foundation Plant Cell Biology Training Grant Predoctoral Fellowship and a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship. Dr. Montgomery’s interest in nonprofits developed from her studies of the relationship between agricultural biotechnology and economic development. Her specific nonprofit interests include technology transfer, networking and generally helping those in need gain access to scientific and educational information and expertise.  In addition to her work as founding Executive Director of STSAD, Inc., Dr. Montgomery is currently a faculty member at Michigan State University.

Twesigye J. Kaguri - Programs Director (2004 - 2007)

Mr. Kaguri is a native of Uganda in East Africa. He has been at the center of nonprofits since 1992. In Uganda, Mr. Kaguri co-founded a human rights organization called Human Rights Concerns to help victims of human rights violations in Uganda and to educate the public about their rights. Mr. Kaguri came to the U.S. more than six years ago as a visiting scholar studying Human Rights Advocacy at Columbia University in New York. Since that time he has been actively involved in international community efforts as a Programs Director for People’s Decade for Human Rights Education (PDHRE International - New York) and as a volunteer for various nonprofit organizations. Mr. Kaguri was instrumental in drafting resolutions that were adopted at the United Nations Youth International Conference held in Braga, Portugal in August 1998. Having lost two family members to HIV/AIDS and having watched countless others suffer from losses to this disease, Mr. Kaguri wanted to become officially involved in an effort to combat the disease and alleviate the plight of those affected by the disease, such as the millions of orphans suffering from homelessness, poverty, hunger and the lack of educational opportunities.  As Programs Director of STSAD, Inc., Mr. Kaguri has initiated a project building an orphanage school in a rural village of Uganda to provide free education, housing and support to orphans who would otherwise not have access to both formal and informal education. The effort has involved not only Mr. Kaguri’s participation in community service for the orphans of Uganda, but through his fundraising efforts in the U.S. has heightened the awareness of cultural issues that the majority of the world’s citizens are facing for many of those who have become active donors and supporters of this project.

René Montgomery - Director (2004 - 2007)

Ms. Montgomery resides in Little Rock, Arkansas and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Henderson State University of Arkansas.  She currently serves at the Community Education Director for a local hospital in the Greater Little Rock metro area were she oversees the hospital’s community relation and physician’s referral program. She also holds program certificates in the areas of Professionals in American Healthcare Management and the Council for Organizational Continuous Quality Improvement. 

Ms. Montgomery has worked in the field of managed care and health services administration for several years and has over 10 years experience working with nonprofit organizations in various areas of policy development, contractual development and implementation, community education, provider relations, and compliance reporting to state and federal entities.  She is currently an active member of several healthcare organizations and committees including the SMH Community Relations Development Council and the American Society of Minority Health Care Services & Procurement Professionals.  Her community involvement has included being a program advisor for an after school tutoring program and also being a volunteer and trainer for an adult literacy program.  It is through her affiliations with nonprofit, community-based volunteer programs that she understands the positive impact community involvement can have when individuals choose to give of themselves for the purpose of positively impacting social causes.

Jennifer Thomson – Director (2004 – 2007)

A 1997 graduate of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, Ms. Thomson holds a Master of International Affairs (MIA) degree with a concentration in Economic and Political Development (EPD) and African Studies.  She completed an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and African Studies from Smith College. 

Ms. Thomson currently serves as Senior Program Officer for the African Woman Food Farmer Initiative (AWFFI), The Hunger Project.  Between 1999 and 2001, The Hunger Project launched AWFFI, a “micro-credit” program for women farmers, in seven countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Ghana in West Africa; and Malawi, Uganda and Mozambique in East Africa. 

Ms. Thomson previously served for three years as the Coordinator of the Micro-enterprise/ Small Business Program at a Community Development Credit Union (CDCU), the Lower East Side People’s Federal Credit Union (LESPFCU).  As the Coordinator, she designed and managed the Micro-enterprise/ Small Business Program to provide credit, technical assistance, Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) and other financial services to low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  She started in that position in 1998 as a Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA). Ms. Thomson currently serves on the LESPFCU Board of Directors (since 2002) as well as on the Credit Committee (since 2001).

Ms. Thomson also lived and conducted research in Senegal, West Africa in 1991 during her junior year of college with Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID) at the University of Minnesota.  The program in Senegal entailed a six-month internship with the local development agency, African Environment and Development – Third World (ENDA-TM) while living with a family and conducting primary research.  Her research focused on the economic, educational, and social activities of the youth in the peri-urban shanty-town where she lived.

Aimé Wata - Director (2004 - 2007)

Aimé Wata is a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is a lawyer by training from the University of Kinshasa (1982-1988) and attended the 1996 Columbia University and 2002 Geneva University human rights programs. Mr. Wata worked as judge in Kivu Province from 1989 to 1997 in the country that was then recognized as Zaire. He worked also for various NGOs at the grassroots level and later for international agencies including the International Committee of the Red Cross (1997-1998), Amnesty International (1999) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2000-2001). Mr. Wata has lived in Geneva, Switzerland since 1999 where he writes novels and studies human rights at Geneva University with a focus on refugees and the1969 OAU convention.

William Baldwin, M.D. - Advisor

Dr. William Baldwin served as the former President of the River Blindness Foundation in Nigeria.  He is an Indiana University Distinguished Alumnus.

Matthew Fulakeza, Ph.D. - Advisor

Dr. Matthew Fulakeza, a native of Malawi, graduated from Florida State University with a Ph.D. in Meteorology. He is an expert in the area of regional climate modeling, with a special focus on African regions. Dr. Fulakeza’s work includes studying the interaction between land surface (particularly soil moisture) and atmosphere, which leads to the understanding of mechanisms of climate variability and predictions. He has published his research findings in several peer-reviewed research publications. Dr. Fulakeza received a 2-year National Research Council Award in 1998 to work as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at NASA/GISS in New York City. Currently he is working on West African and Southern African weather systems at the Center for Climate Systems Research at Columbia University in New York. Dr. Fulakeza is interested in both the scientific component of STSAD, Inc. and it’s educational project of helping HIV/AIDS orphans around the world beginning with those countries that are most highly affected.

Frank Jones – Advisor

An Indiana University Distinguished Alumnus, Mr. Frank Jones retired after 43 years, 20 of which he served as the University's Director of Alumni Affairs. Mr. Jones's wife, Marie, also serves on the Board of Advisors of STSAD, Inc. 

Jude Mugerwa, M.D. – Advisor

Dr. Mugerwa is a native of Uganda, East Africa. He is a board-certified physician in Internal Medicine. Having graduated from medical school at Makerere University in Uganda, Dr. Mugerwa moved to Cleveland, USA where he successfully completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at University Hospitals of Cleveland - Case Western Reserve University. His academic interests span both research and clinical care in the field of HIV and cardiovascular diseases. He has published some of his work in peer-reviewed journals both here in the USA and abroad. He is currently pursuing a fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at MetroHealth Medical Center - Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Mugerwa’s interests include global networking and technology transfer in the field of health care access, health management and health informatics. It is his goal that one day, the average citizen of Uganda will have access to basic health information and modern health facilities at a reasonable cost.

Dale Vale, Ph.D. - Advisor

Dale is a native of Australia, currently living in Northern California.  A dedicated fundraiser for the Nyaka School, Dale was in attendance at the opening ceremony and helped prepare the foundation for the second set of classes on site.  As an elder and leader of the Pathfinders at Woodland Adventist Church, Dale is dedicated to working with youth in the United States and abroad.

4. Names and credentials of project staff

a). H.N. Museka – Chairperson of the management committee at the local level.

Museka is a retired grade three teacher who has been at the center of primary education (elementary) since 1966. He taught primary schools in the District for thirty years and retired because he had completed the required years for education service in Uganda. When we told him about Nyaka AIDS orphans School, Mr. Museka said he would volunteer just for the children’s sake. He is the chairperson of the local council at the village level He has also served as the chairperson of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) of another local primary school that has been in existence for 45 years.

b). Christine K. Turaysigura is the treasurer of the school. She is now completing her diploma as a grade five teacher specializing in primary school education. Christine taught all the songs and plays that were staged at the school opening. She has been a teacher and development officer of Ishaka Christian Academy since 1989. Her valuable experience will continue to benefit Nyaka AIDS Orphans School for very long time. Christine is an outstanding Christian, mother of three (10, 14, 16) and she and her husband have adopted the school as another child. She has been our treasurer since the inception of the project and we have no regrets.

c). Furidah Byaburakidya is the headmistress of the school. She is a mother of seven grown up children. She had retired after serving required years in education service and just accepted to come and serve these orphans out of her passion for children. She is a qualified grade three teacher, a mother and outstanding Christian.

The expertise of these two women and man, will take this project a long way. We have also 3 other teachers currently.

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