THE JOURNEY TOWARDS MY DREAMS HAS BEEN A LONG HARD ONE!

To all the lovers all over the World......................

I am reaching out to ask for your support in a project that is very dear to my heart, a dream that I truly believe that God wants me to fulfill. I am hoping that you will take the time to read this email and be willing to meet with me, in person, so that I can explain to you how your assistance in my mission can have a huge impact on one small village in Uganda.

 

I have been working in the social services field (juvenile system, group homes, CYS, and, currently for a domestic violence and sexual assault shelter). I love to volunteer for any organization that allows me to connect with others and make a positive difference in others’ lives. I have volunteered as a teen mentor, for soup kitchens, holidays in homeless shelters, building projects and many others, and very much enjoy being able to help to support anyone who needs a helping hand.

 

I have but two goals in life, to travel and see all of God’s natural and beautiful creations, and to serve others in the process. This has caused me to want to follow my own vision and mission while fulfilling the goals that I believe that God has put me on this Earth for, to serve, support, and uplift others.

 

A few years ago, I began teaching myself and attempting to start up my own non-profit because I believed that this was the only way to gain financial backing that would allow me to follow through on my dreams. These goals were put on hold while I cared for my mother who was dying of stage four lung cancer. Her death fueled my passion and, shortly after her death, I began pursuing my dreams once again. I educated myself on what it takes to obtain non-profit status in the business world, doing tons of research and reaching out to mentors and others who could assisted me in the process. I ran myself in circles and gave up many times because it was very daunting  for just one girl (myself), to be able to accomplish  in order to gain the knowledge, legal assistance, persons, and resources to become 501c3 exempt.  Without being able to apply for grants and donors due to not obtaining 501c3 status, again, my dream went on hold. The third time that I attempted to fulfill my dream, I went out into the local community where I was living in West Virginia, seeking donations for a fundraising event that would allow me to auction off things, such as, dinners at local restaurants, fun activities (such as bowling tickets, concert tickets, skating passes, arts and crafts, etc.). Although the local community was very supportive, with over 10 local businesses donating certificates and items, the process was very slow moving and I realized that I was not going to gain the financial assistance that I needed to back my project. Again, my dream seemed unattainable and my passion was put on hold.

 

My next “bright idea” to following my dreams was to earn the money for my project through my own saving and hard work; however, in order to do so, it would mean that I would have to move up the ladder in my position (which I believe myself capable of doing) into admin roles that were much better paying. The only problem with this idea is, although I would eventually make more money and be able to save for the Katosi village project, it would mean that I would have to give up my role of working in direct services with my clients. I know, in my heart, that I want to work right alongside those individuals to whom I serve; therefore, even though I would make more money, I would miss the connection and relationships that I currently build with those I serve. Once again, I am discouraged and cannot see a clear path to realizing my dreams.

 

At this time, I am attempting to realize my dreams once again, which is why I am reaching out to all of you. I am hoping that by reaching out to the local churches in the area and people all over the world, explaining my project and mission, and offering you any time or services that I have to give back, that you will allow me a few moments of your time to meet with you (in person or by phone) and explain how a small act of kindness from each church in the area can have the ability to, not only help me to realize my dreams, but to change the future of a small fishing village in Uganda for many generations to come.

 

I am praying that I can get each local church in the area and people who wish to make a difference in the world to agree to sponsor one woman from the Katosi Village in obtaining training that will allow her to gain a sustainable skill, sewing, that will allow them to provide for their village. The Katosi village is currently overran by the many orphans who have been left to these few women by parents who have died from the HIV virus, a huge epidemic in the area that is currently growing. There are over 100 + orphans and only a handful of women to care for and provide for these children. Once these women are taught the skill of sewing and obtain their own sewing machine, they will be able to provide clothing to everyone in their village, as well as to provide nearby uniforms to a school in the area that is willing to trade their services for educational programs to teach the village’s many orphans. Also, by gaining the resources for the trade of sewing, they will be able to provide food for the many orphans by exchanging garments and clothes for fish and other food items to local markets and fishermen. As these orphans gain schooling, they will be able to gain even more knowledge and skills to support their village, helping to make it sustainable, as well as the knowledge to help to protect them from the AIDS virus and the many other health concerns that are preventable.

 

As you see, if I am able to get approximately 20 women sponsored for a sewing machine and training, we have the ability to change the fate of this village forever. If each church were willing to sponsor one woman ($300.00), we can all come together and change the entire future of this village. This donation would not be a hand out, but rather, and offer of love and hope that has the ability to create healthier individuals, sustainability, and, more importantly, hope in our fellow mankind. Your $300.00 donation, half of a month’s rent for many of us, will provide a life changing event in these women and children’s lives.

 

Besides the opportunity that this money will provide for these women and village, I hope to use my skills as a writer and journalist to document every step in this journey with hopes of inspiring people all over the world that, by uniting for a common purpose, the sky is the limit and any dream can be accomplished. I want to share my failures on this journey, my hard work, tears, and sweat, my fears and doubts in myself, and how I overcame all of them in order to inspire and motivate others who have a calling to serve God because I truly believe that a life with purpose means a life of gratitude and joy.  I also hope to mentor, and share my knowledge, skills, and resources to equip others with what it takes to accomplish their goals and dreams. I want to share our story with the World and do everything within my power to see to it that others have the same love, support, and resources to follow their dreams so that we can prove that one small act of kindness can have a tremendous and positive ripple effect that will touch lives all over the world. And, most of all, I am hoping that my story will inspire others to never give up on their dreams and to face their fears because, if you can envision it, there is a way to make their dreams a reality!  

 

With that being said, I truly hope that you will at least give me the opportunity to meet in person  or discuss the project by phone and explain the good work that am hoping to do in the Katosi Village. With your open mind and ears, I hope to prove to you that your good will and support will allow this village to grow and thrive, while giving me the opportunity to visit the village and to teach and support these women and children. I plan to visit the village and deliver the good news, in person on a mission trip with Step UP Uganda. During this trip, I will live, work, and grow alongside them. I plan to teach them everything I know (from medical and health, to psychology and counseling, standard education, agriculture, proper hygiene, AIDs awareness and prevention, and even how to play and have fun).

 

For $300.00, a drop in the bucket for a large church/some individuals, we can unite, people and churches to prove that, together, anything is possible, no matter what laws, guidelines, or obstacles stand in the way. Those many drops in the bucket from each church can provide a river of love and inspiration that can touch the lives of those from the USA to Africa!

 

If you would like to learn more about my mission OR would like to sponsor the project, you can do so at:

www.mentors-moving-mountains.com

 

I very much appreciate your time in reading this heartfelt post and hope that you will give me the opportunity to show you that how, by working together, we can achieve the impossible, reach the ends of the Earth, and touch many lives!

MY DREAM IS TO MAKE A LIFE OF MISSIONARY WORK! PLANT A SEED AND THE DREAM IS BORN!

            Mentors Moving Mountains has partnered with StepUp Uganda to bring education programs and trade skills to individuals in the village of Katosi so that the community can become empowered and self-sufficient. By raising the funds for educational programs for the children and valuable trade skills for the women, we are empowering them with the knowledge necessary to earn a living so that they can meet the basic needs of the people of the village. We know that if we were to provide the people of the Katosi village with the things that they need, like housing, food, or clothing, the joy would be short lived; however, if we supply them with the knowledge to earn these things on their own, they are able to envision a life or promise. When they realize that the skills and knowledge that they can obtain through these programs gives them the ability to provide for themselves and others, for years to come, their eyes light up with the endless possibilities and hope for the future. With this realization and hope for the future comes an unquenchable eagerness to learn that many Americans may find anomalous of what we are used to witnessing in our country; however, it is this unquenchable thirst t that drives these women and children to share their knowledge and skills with others within the village. By teaching just one individual, we can cause a ripple effect that has the ability to bring about a major change in the economic and health status of the village of Katosi.

            The Katosi village mainly consists of widowed women and young children. AIDS, a prominent health concern that affected over 92% of the population, had left many children orphaned and many women lost, without their sole supporters. The widows and young women were expected to care for the old and dying, as well as the many children of the village, without the skills or means necessary to care for themselves, much less the many orphaned children. After a visit to Africa, in 2005, StepUp’s founder and President, Kathy Darnell, knew when she first stepped foot in the village of Katosi, that she had found her calling. After almost a decade of dedication to her work in the Katosi village as director of the Ssejinja Children’s Foundation-Durango (SCFD), in 2012 StepUp Uganda was formally founded. StepUp Uganda’s quest is to encourage the growth of the community and culture by providing basic funding for sustainable projects. Unlike many organizations, the success of StepUp relies on the village’s participation in the projects; thus, strives to promote a difference that is both self-sustainable and designed by those who are affected by the change, the people of the Katosi village.

            Since Kathy first started her missions in the Katosi village in 2006, the movement towards growth and prosperity of the village has grown immensely; however, there is still a major need for funding for several of StepUp’s projects that will allow for the community to thrive, the Widows Group Sewing School and the John Bosco School for the orphans. The Widows Group Sewing School is a means for vulnerable young women from the village to gain a trade skill that will allow them to earn an income that will help them provide for themselves and to  meet the needs of the many orphans in the village. By providing education and the skills in the trade of sewing, these young women are able enter into contracts that allow them to make uniforms for local schools which helps to provide a sustainable economy for the village. We pray that you will help us raise the funds necessary to send thirty of these vulnerable young women to trade school and supply them with the means necessary to provide for their village.

            The second project that we need help funding is the John Bosco School for Orphans. The school is a small wood structure that was built by the Sekalalas, a local family, was intended to be a place where they could help by teaching a few of the local orphans. In 2010, when the school opened, 87 children, ranging in ages three to twelve, attended the first day of school. Within three months, there were over 365children attending the school, and within that year, another grade level was added, bringing the total attendance to 435 students. As you can probably imagine, the good intentions of the Sekalalas were overshadowed by overwhelming demand for more teachers, more supplies, and a more suitable building to house the many orphans. The small, seven room, wooden structure with dirt floors could no longer sustain the schools needs for the amount of children who wished to attend the school and have an opportunity of a better way of life.

            With the funds you help us raise in this campaign, you will be playing a major role in the development of the Katosi village. $15,000.00 will go towards the Widows Sewing Project. It will cover 30 vulnerable women’s tuition to attend a year of sewing classes and provide each woman with their own manual sewing machine upon graduation. These women will then have the skills necessary that will to provide food, adequate healthcare, education, and shelter to the people of the Katosi village. These women also promise to “pay it forward” by helping to educate and mentor other young women from their village by sharing the skills and knowledge that they were blessed to be given the opportunity with this campaign. The other $15,000 will go towards the John Bosco School for Orphans. The money will be spent on bringing the building up to code so that it can be registered with Uganda’s equivalent of the Board of Education. This would include a new tin roof and replacing wood walls and dirt floor with blocks and concrete. We hope that by including the young men on the construction of the project, we will be able to equip them with valuable masonry skills that could also help them to earn a living. Any money left over from the construction of the school would be put towards books and other materials for the school.

            Just imagine a place where children are huddled on a concrete floor, around a teacher, who is showing them pictures of the births of all types of life forms, explaining how each came to be. That spark of excitement in the child’s eye as he/she makes the connection that we all started from something so small and became something so great. That excitement that makes him/her run to explain what he/she has learned with his little brother or sister. Imagine the children holding hands, running out into the World to discover and observe those same origins in nature that caused their excitement and wonder. The next day, they bring in their object of fascination to share it with others in their class, causing and uproar as they realize the connection from what was taught to them the day before and what they were now holding in their hands and sharing that knowledge with the class. It is that same wonder and excitement that we have the opportunity to share with the people of the Katosi village as we come together, as humanity, to give birth to something truly beautiful. It is not what the money will provide, in materialistic sense, but rather, the hope and wonder it brings. With that wonder comes faith and it is faith that will sustain all that is good for evermore. Just as with anything that God has ever created, we must rely on the love and giving of our surroundings if we are to grow and evolve. With kind actions and love of others, we are all given hope, and when you have hope, you dream. When a dream is born, it is love that blossoms.

Now imagine that you are one of the people who helped to plant that seed of hope!