Photo by Daniel Juare

This past October we celebrated our 5th Annual Gala: A Hand Up, Never A Hand Out at El Cortez in San Diego, California. We are happy to report that we were just shy of reaching our goal of $300,000.  We would love to reach this and even go beyond, please continue to read to see how you can help.

The evening could not have been made possible without the generosity of El Cortez for its fabulous space as well as all guests present. MBK Associates went above and beyond to ensure a beautiful event occurred and Jared Cohen, our keynote speaker and founder of Google Ideas was the icing on the cake.

Mr. Cohen spoke of the huge impact technology is having in Africa and how we will all benefit from the growth of entrepreneurship and creativity on the continent while embracing their innovation. Our Master of Ceremonies Joseph McClendon III was amazing and on fire. Our other guest speakers Brendon Burchard (Global Humanitarian Sponsor) and David Smotrich, MD (Donor of The Smotrich Kitchen) were fantastic and helped emphasize the importance of our Hand Up and Never A Hand Out philosophy in developing countries such as Uganda.

Photo by TRJ Photography

We honored three very talented and important women who have supported Just Like My Child extensively. Dr. Puja Shah was honored as a woman changing the world in the category of children’s health because of the tireless work and effort she has put forth at the Bisop Asili Hospital dental cllinic in Luwero, Uganda; we honored Monica Nyiraguhabwe for her work empowering girls who’s voice would often never be heard without her help; and we also honored Judith Akware, our extraordinary head teacher at The Children’s Academy for the Collective Heart. Judith has chosen, against all odds, to be different, we celebrate the life-saving differences she makes in our communities. We honored these women for their astounding work and contributions to The Just Like My Child Foundation.

Photo by Daniel Juare

Professional entertainment provided by Pro Motion Entertainment and Rezident Management was incredible and the food was memorable.  Fiscal Sponsors and donors of food and beverage include: The Burchard Group, The Collective Heart, Bert Lei Family Jewelers, The Lost Abbey, Bice, Magners Irish Cider, The Cosmopolitan Restaurant and Hotel, Solare, Culinary Concepts, searsucks, Mitch’s Seafood, Catalina Offshore Products, Coast Catering by Barry Layne, Stone Brewery Co., Twin Treats, Nika, Cien Anos, Cupcakes Squared, Sweet Thoughts, Todd Ichinaga, Green Beans Coffee, and Sushi James.

Photo by TRJ Photography

We had the best photographers in San Diego to capture the evening and make everlasting memories: Daniel Juare Photography, Christalle Clear Photography, and TRJ Photography.

I hope I didn’t forget anyone. Thank you everyone for the awesome turnout and supporting Just Like My Child Foundation. Also, please help us reach our final goal of $300,000 by donating here. Small or large amounts go a very long way in rural areas of Uganda and assist us with showing Ugandans how to create sustainable businesses, educate children and adults, and maintain healthcare, to name a few.

Wekembe!

George William

Construction Supervisor

George William was the fabrication Genius behind JLMCF’s Universal Education Program. He worked with our Project Coordinators to create school building plans and then transforms those creations into safe and shining learning environments where eager and knowledge hungry Ugandan children can thrive.

George William was a person whom you would never hear gloat, but we will not hesitate to brag about the wealth of experience that this accomplished man brought to our team. A moment in his presence told the story of an individual with a steady and true wisdom that comes with years of life and building experience. He was well known and respected within the communities we serve and came highly recommended by our Project Coordinators. Before joining us on our first ever school building project, George William worked for decades in building schools with Plan International. He never failed to continually design feasible and appropriate blueprints, budgets and plans that incorporate JLMCF’s methodology and vision. He commanded a quiet respect within every community he worked with, while at the same time setting an essential standard for ethical building practices. George William had a knack for transforming perceived community constraints and limitations into opportunities for creative building solutions. He acted as a professional mentor and guide to both skilled labor and unskilled volunteers, who were contributing to the building process with an aim to achieve capacity building, community ownership and participation. Since joining our team as Construction Supervisor in 2008, he had proven an efficient builder, maintaining quality and safety, while still coming in under budget, which allowed for JLMCF to spread our resources across a larger population of communities in need of school buildings. George William had a gift for turning our big ideas and inspirations into real life sanctuaries for learning. Our favorite grandfather who certainly got the job done will be greatly missed and always honored.

George William’s capacity building contributions to our programs and his expert building plans will continue to be drawn upon by JLMCF. Our school building projects are currently being carried out by his skilled apprentice, Mr. Akwong Janan Wilson, who has now graduated to Construction Supervisor through George William’s guidance and support.

Sara and Maria

Todd was a Peace Corps volunteer in Armenia training and consulting with local non-profits on project management using a gender lens and educating teachers and children on environmental issues.

Todd’s professional experiences inspired her to dedicate her career to serving marginalized groups and advocating for justice, which makes her a perfect fit with Just Like My Child Foundation’s initiatives and goals.

Todd also has a personal blog called My Life in Uganda.

In Luwero district in rural Uganda, we are so excited that a new partnership with Heifer International will bring even more dignity and “wekembe” to our families. Over the next three years 740 families will receive goats and vegetable, bean and nut seeds and fruit seedlings for passion fruit, oranges and mangoes. We can already see those new trees blossoming along with this project!

The 740 families join 20 other families already benefiting from Just Like My Child’s Project Grace Initiative. Project Grace empowers rural Ugandans to create and sustain businesses.

The 740 families help support about 5000 men, women and children in this area of rural Uganda. They will be trained in animal husbandry, building and managing the animal pens, business building/savings, and other skills. As their businesses and animals grow, the families will proudly pass on more goats and business acumen to other families in Heifer’s “Pass on the Gift” model.

Anatolia will be one of our first Project Grace superstars to help other families succeed. When we first met Anatolia, all she wanted was the freedom to live out the rest of her days in peace. Now she has a bright future and enough money to pay for her children’s education. Anatolia has bred and sold two pigs – for a $30 profit. She’s wisely re-invested most of her profits into other pigs and pens to grow her business. She shows her children each day what empowerment looks like.

“My dream now: to build up my project to a level that I can provide for my family for generations to come,” Anatolia says. “I want to ensure that my children and grandchildren are happy and healthy and have the opportunities for a good education. I’d also like to repair my family home, so it’s suitable for my family far into the future. I am now confident that we will all have access to proper hygiene, health care and good nutrition.”

Now that’s what we call “Wekembe!”

We went to many of the holiest cities in the North, including Rishikesh made famous by The Beatles. They wrote many songs during the brief time they were there, including “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road,” – a paean to the many monkeys who do whatever they want “in the road.” We also traveled to Haridwar, and to the ultimate in overwhelming Indian chaos: Varanasi.

Varanasi is famous for its “burning ghats” – funeral pyres along the banks of the River Ganges where holy pilgrims come to die so they can have their ashes released in the Holy (and dirty) Ganges.

It is fantastically surreal and challenges everything we think we know about death, spirit, and the importance of a sanitary environment.

Throughout India, men who have taken a vow of poverty to pursue spiritual transcendence are revered as a national treasure – the soul of India’s collective body.

But my most spiritual moment did not come in the presence of a Holy Sadhu, but rather through the radiance of a simple woman who had likely spent her entire life’s savings to travel to Varanasi. On this day, she joined tens of thousands of women on the banks of the Ganges for “Women’s Day” – a holy day to celebrate motherhood and the power of the feminine.

When I met her, she was freshly bathed in the Ganges, her head just shaved as she offered the only thing of value she owned to the river of life – her beautiful hair.  In her eyes, I saw deep serenity; radiance and oneness that resulted from her pilgrimage and sacrifice.

The buoyancy of her spirit was so large and happy that I imagined she was taller than me as I posed by her to take a photo. I was stunned when I looked at my photos later that night and realized that I dwarfed her by nearly a foot!

She is the spirit that I conjure up each day when I bring attention to my own spiritual core. I won’t leave my yoga practice until I bow to the full radiance of her feminine power.

She is the spirit that I bring to our Project Justice work and our Girl Power Project: fully maternal, fully fierce, fully loving, fully healing. This spirit can, will, and has healed the planet.

On Thursday, October 13, at our fifth annual gala, we will pay homage to this fierce and healing feminine essence as we honor three amazing women who sacrifice and love every day in order to bring joy and empowerment to others. Read below about one of our amazing honorees: Monica Nyiraguhabwa, leader of our Girl Power Project. She is power and grace in action!

Please join us for a Hand Up, Never a Hand Out.

Namaste!

Tessa Davis greeting Nyangoma Rachaels mother, Florence.

Catching up with our “on-the-ground” team in Uganda can prove difficult when it comes to the Just Like My Child Foundation’s blog but we caught Program Manager and former Peace Corps volunteer, Tessa Davis for a brief moment to answer a few quick questions via email.

Tessa has been the foundation behind many of Just Like My Child Foundation’s programs in Uganda. In her current position as Program Manager, Tessa inspires us all with her ability to successfully navigate and inform on the ground projects that translate JLMCF’s guiding principles into relevant and community-led solutions.

What is your fondest moment/memory from the recent trip you took to Uganda with Vivian?

My fondest memory of the May trip was witnessing Vivian’s son share learning materials that he and his classmates in California had worked so hard to raise money for. It was an experience that for me was significant for many reasons. First, being on the ground in Uganda is overwhelming, when abject poverty is all about you and cannot be ignored. It was revitalizing to escape to a moment that replaced all of that frustration with the elation that comes from witnessing beaming Ugandan children meeting an American classroom’s generosity. Without these learning materials, this group of children would have been prevented from enrolling in school the following Monday!

Ugandan children leveraging the contribution that this boy’s classroom back home made as a means by which to invest in their own bright futures through education is a good example of the hand up versus hand out philosophy that makes JLMCF’s strategies so sustainable and inspiring. Secondly, it was incredible to see Vivian’s son at such a young age, sacrificing his comfort zone for the greater good. It too, I imagine is an experience that he will not soon forget! Going back to his American classroom to share what he has experienced in Uganda is a rare, beautiful and life-changing responsibility. Thirdly, and perhaps most significantly is the bridge of opportunity and understanding that has now been built between American and Ugandan children, a connection built on love and participation that in every respect has changed the world for the better.

Left to Right: Nyangoma Rachael, Namata Josephine, Tessa Davis, Nalubombwe Josephine & Kiberu William

If you had one story to tell about your most recent visit, which one would it be?

I was seated at my computer at the guesthouse table, working on some boring budgets for the Universal Education Program. Suddenly I heard Maria, the Ugandan caretaker of the house, scream at the top of her lungs. “Nambooze!!! (my Ugandan name) You Come!!” “Now Now! It’s a snake!!!” Everyone in the room quickly glanced at each other and we ran outside to see what all of the commotion was about. We found a group of Ugandans just outside of the fence gathered around a snake that they had beaten to death with a metal panga (garden slasher tool). It was a thick snake, at least a foot long, black in color with a large head. Some Internet research confirmed that it was indeed a black mamba, one of the most deadly snakes in the world. Maria continued to freak us out by jumping, startled, and rushing us to the side of the house, convinced that the dead snake’s wife or husband was nearby looking for some vengeance. Mary, a new Ugandan doctor of the hospital joked that the cold weather would lead any living snake into our guest house beds, she’d seen cases a million times, but we shouldn’t worry too much because she could save us from death. We all screamed and jumped and ran several times to the porch in between bouts of bravery and curiosity that found us tip toeing back out into the bush for another peak at the dead snake. It was an adventure far more stimulating than those pesky budgets!!

What was/is an average day like for you with JLMCF?

It’s a lot of work! Vivian has extremely high expectations, which is why she is able to get so many amazing results! There is a tiny team of incredibly dynamic and organized people that are all putting in a lot of creativity, humor, time and energy to keep everything propelling forward. My day to day as Program Manager looks a great deal different from those spent as Country Director, but a daily reminder of those past experiences inform my work tremendously. These days I spend a lot of my time having conference calls and dialoguing over email, providing support, planning strategically and acting as a bridge. But with all of that work comes a great deal of laughter and reward. My heart genuinely swells up with absolute joy at least twice a week!!

Did you partake in the May Mango Madness? If so, what was your favorite mango fever moment?

Yes. It was really fun to take Vivian’s son outside for a tour of the hospital gardens in the wee hours of the morning, before anyone else was awake, on his first day in Uganda. Tara Hixson and I walked with him through the compound pointing out all of the fruit trees and checking out the livestock the sisters are raising. We got a huge kick out of the calf, bunnies and baby pigs they currently care for. When we were all tuckered out we sat down at the guesthouse table together and cut up his first Ugandan mango ever. It was very sweet indeed.

Why JLMCF? I am incredibly proud to be a part of an organization that not only aims to empower people with sustainable and Uganda-relevant solutions, but also one that cultivates results by building partnerships with a range of stakeholders whose voices and suggestions become a part of the strategy. I get a great deal of joy out of my job. That’s not something that a lot of people get to say.

Nearly 30% of her neighbors were infected with HIV, she was surrounded by dozens of orphans, and she was going to a school that had no books and barely a roof on the structure.

Recognizing her intelligence and drive, Just Like My Child Foundation, through the generous help of one donor, Jim K., began sponsoring Nalubombwe at one of the best elementary schools in Uganda.

Flash forward four years: Nalubombwe excelled so far in school and scored so well on her end of term exams that she was just accepted into THE best high school in all of Uganda.

Left to Right: Nalubombwe’s mother, Namagembe Topista, Nalubombwe Josephine, Tessa Davis

It’s almost incomprehensible to the residents of her village, Kikoiiro that a girl born into such a dim reality could be walking into the brightest future possible.

Thank you Nalubombwe for all of your very hard work to make this happen!

And thank you, Jim, for believing that the fire of knowledge can change the world. To be like Jim click here.

Please start a dialogue with us by commenting on the stories. We want to know what you think and what’s important to you!

You know how every time you go to a conference; you’re given a mass-produced tote bag with the logo of the sponsoring organization?

Well, this year, Traffic Geyser, Inc. did something a little different — and it created a BIG change. Exhibiting it’s commitment to global consciousness, Traffic Geyser purchased conference bags for its Social Media Marketing Machines event from women at the Asili Hospital in Uganda who are on AIDS treatment and ready to come back to life!

Each bag is handmade, and through this income-generating project women are sending their children to school and supporting their families. Each bag represents a woman whose heavy load has been lifted just a little bit by being given the opportunity to create her own solutions.

But Traffic Geyser didn’t stop there! The Social Media Marketing Machines event and Main Street Marketing Machines events were held this past Spring and helped raise enough money for the Just Like My Child Foundation to purchase a desperately-needed new vehicle for Asili Hospital in Uganda, invest in small businesses for over 500 families recovering from AIDS, and helped to fund badly-needed medical equipment!

Entrepreneurs on this side of the world helping entrepreneurs on the other side of the world to be self-sustaining are one of the fastest ways to alleviate poverty. So thank you, Traffic Geyser!

For more information please contact us by clicking here or just donate here.

and we would love for you to be a part of this special evening. On Thursday, October 13th, 2011 from 6 – 9PM, we will celebrate at the historic and iconic Don Room at the El Cortez on 702 Ash Street, San Diego, CA 92101.

The attire is Black Tie OR your most fun cultural garb that you never get to wear!

Opened on Thanksgiving Day 1927 and nestled atop San Diego’s Cortez Hill stands the historic El Cortez. The carefully restored landmark is this year’s host to Just Like My Child Foundation’s annual gala.

In one of the most exquisitely designed rooms in the state of California, we will honor those individuals who have truly helped us make a difference on the other side of the world. Since 1927 Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, William Jefferson Clinton and Barack Obama have all entertained in the 24k Don Room.

And stars from Elvis Presley to Spencer Tracy to Jimi Hendrix have spent time in this amazing space.

In attendance will be an intimate host of celebrities, spiritual and personal development experts, and passionate supporters. Join us for this exclusive autumn gala and enjoy an intimate audience with VIPs from Hollywood, publishing, personal development and more.

Plus, you’ll learn directly what life is like in the field and how your contributions are eradicating poverty permanently for thousands and thousands of people.

Please take a moment to secure your admission by clicking here.

Once you register, we will keep you updated on confirmed celebrity attendees, event details and the unbelievable live auction items we’ll have for you that money just can’t buy.

CAPACITY IS STRICTLY LIMITED TO 230!
(NOTE: We have had a waitlist of 100 in the past – Tickets will sell out rapidly and we cannot increase capacity.)

My husband, an entrepreneur, was so blown away by how we’re helping to create thousands of entrepreneurs on the other side of the world, that he created this video:

And he’s helped us to raise thousands of dollars to give people the hope, dignity, and freedom of economic independence. You can too by clicking here, just a little goes a long way in Uganda.