education – eChange Endeavors

New Year, New Hope with Catholic Education

As we begin a new calendar year, Uganda also begins a new academic year. Following the election violence and the eroding economy families continue to struggle and suffer greatly. Children then miss out on education and the pit of poverty deepens. You contributions help transform difficult situations into new avenues of hope for these families. Would you consider support a student for one year or even one term?

We collaborate with four partner schools and organizations in Uganda to ensure children are able to access quality Catholic Education. We are super excited about launching our new partnership with the Missionary Sister of Mary, Mother of the Church and Bishop Caesar Asili Primary School (photos above) located in the Lira Diocese (central). Lira is one of the poorest dioceses in the country due to nearly two decades of conflict driven by Kony’s Lords Resistance Army. YOUFRA Lira is partnering with the school to support 12 primary students whose parents are small holder farmers in their agricultural program. The cost per student is $150 per term and $450 for the year, which covers studying and boarding. Will you sponsor a primary student today? Donate Today!

Our partner Ocer Campion Jesuit College in Gulu Diocese (north) has 1,000 plus student with one in four students on scholarship (photos below). St Joseph College, a Franciscan high school in Tororo Diocese (east) has 150 students with nearly half of the students full scholarship. (photos above.) Most of the parents are farmers struggling to eke out a livelihood. Without your generous support these youth would be growing up without an education. Catholic education is key to helping children become fully who God desires them to be! OCJC’s motto is beyond academic excellence. For only $50 per month, or $200 per term, or $600 for the year you can help one high school student to keep learning and striving for his or her dreams. Graduating from a Catholic school experience is transformative in their lives and has a ripple effect across their families for generations to come. Collectively we help bring a brighter and more faith filled future to all of Uganda. Will you help one high school student reach their dreams? Give Today!

We are sponsoring Sr. Jackline of the Little Sisters of St Francis to complete her bachelors in education which will enable her to join St Joseph’s College as a social studies teacher. We are supporting Deputy Head Teacher Simon Peter Omollo to complete a MA in Education Leadership & Management. This will qualify him to become Head Teacher for the College one day soon. University costs on average $1,000 per term. Will you help the Little Sisters build their skills? Give Today!

Along with YOUFRA Uganda in Lira & Soroti we are helping young girls whose educational journey were disrupted by an unplanned pregnancy. After the children are born and reach 6-12 months we sponsor the girls to learn vocational skills such as sewing or catering. This will enable them to find employment or build their own business and earn enough to support themselves and the child. Counseling is also provide to the young mothers along the way. Courses last 6 months to 2 years, costing between $600-$2400. Once graduated they receive a sewing machine or similar. Would you help a young mother learn a vocational skill? Donate Today!

Alternative Christmas Market

November 15th & 16th, Saturday 4-7pm, Sunday 8am-2pm @ O’Donnell Hall, AMC Manhattan Beach, CA

American Martyrs is hosting their annual conscious Christmas Market for meaningful holiday shopping experience, offering a unique opportunity to support fair trade artisans, non-profit initiatives, and socially responsible businesses.

Find beautiful, handcrafted gifts while making a positive impact in the world. Every purchase helps support sustainable livelihoods, empower communities, and promote ethical practices around the globe. Let’s celebrate a season of giving that truly gives back.

eChange Endeavors will have a table offering three wonderful opportunities to support families and missionaries in Uganda!

It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35

You can donate to our Christmas Dinner initiative $25 dollars which provides a family of 5 a dinner with meat, sides, soda and Christmas cake or cookies. Bless a family or 2 seniors with unexpected joy this Christmas. Give today! Learn more.

For the Diocese of Lira and YOUFRA (Young Franciscans) Advent Retreat program we are seeking $2,000. This will provide 500 young adults between 25-35 with a 1-day opportunity for prayer, reflection, healing and community across 4 deaneries bringing peace, hope and joy to their Advent journey to Christmas. Give today! Learn More.

Give the gift of education this Christmas and receive a Wearable Blessing bracelet handmade in Uganda.

Support our scholarship program with Ocer Campion Jesuit College, St Joseph College (Franciscan), Children’s Community Care, and YOUFRA. $200 sponsors one high school student’s tuition for a term, $600 covers a full year. Alternatively, $200 supports one primary student for a year with all their personal requirements. We currently support 30 students ranging from primary 5 through university who otherwise would not be attending school. It is our generosity that makes education possible for the students and their families.

If you make a scholarship donation of $200 or higher, we will bless you with a thank you gift of a My Saint My Hero Little Saints bracelet with hand casted metals from Italy and handmade by women in Uganda.

Give today!

High Tea for High Hope

We have raised $6,000 half of our goal of $12,000! Will you collaborate with us to help St Joseph College acquire solar power that will power a new computer lab with 20 PCs? This will improve the quality of the student’s education, attract more paying families, and drive the school’s sustainability. Read more below.

Donate!

You are cordially invited for High Tea at Williams Place

Saturday, November 22, 2025, 3-5pm

Hosted by Michelle Waters Williams & Laura Frederick

R.S.V.P. appreciated by November 20, 2025

Join us for a lovely British High Tea to hear Laura Frederick, Founder of eChange Endeavors, share stories of the missionaries and families in Uganda we have touched by our support. She has 30+ years of experience working with the poor in East Africa and beyond. She began her missionary journey as Jesuit International Volunteer in Belize from 1990-1992. Laura has been working in Uganda since 2000 and lived there between 2006 to 2011. She continues to collaborate with various missionary partners remotely and through visits.

We are seeking to raise $12,000 for our partner St Joseph College in Padhola, Tororo district of Uganda that provides high school education with a Franciscan spirituality. The College serves rural families, mostly whose parents are farmers and their income is too low or inconsistent to afford the cost of education. The initial community school was started by a German Franciscan along with health facilities and related community programs. He bequeathed the land and facilities to the community upon his retirement back to Germany, who in turn invited Sr. Margaret Awor, National Director of YOUFRA Uganda to run and develop the school anew. In 2020, it was re-opened as St Joseph College Padhola a challenging year to begin. Funds will help install a new solar system for the College to power even more engagement!

We have helped the St Joseph’s College to operate through out the shutdowns and beyond with 6-8 scholarships per year, which has paid teacher’s salaries and purchased needed educational supplies. We funded the renovation of the College’s pit latrines upgrading them with a new modern design, disability access, easy cleaning and maintenance. In 2023, when the roof blew off their main classroom building we stepped in to fund the renovation of the whole building along with a brand new roof. We upgraded doors and windows to glass for better lighting. Added electrical capabilities and finished off 3 small rooms for science & computer labs, along with ceilings and a wide verandah for quieter atmosphere and extra space during heavy rains. We gave the building a new coat of paint inside and out.

Later when the borehole their main source of water for the school and community became spoiled we funded the substantive repairs and replacement parts. We helped purchase 10 new triple decker beds for the dormitory allowing 30 students who live to far away to commute to board at the school. We have also partnered with Farmers Oversees Action Group (FOAG) to build a fence around the College gardens to protect the crops they grow from wandering animals. Food grown on campus helps to greatly reduce the cost of education and boarding for the parents, as well as, a great learning and service opportunity for the students.

Now we are working with St Joseph’s College to implement a solar power solution for the school. They have 20 computers, a printer, and projector that was received in 2019 when they were still at the Eastside location (photos above). Since the campus is off grid with nominal power at the school it is insufficient to run the computers all at once. Getting the full lab working again will enable the students to learn computer skills necessary for today’s jobs, assist the teachers with richer lesson planning and ease their work. The school currently has just under 100 students. The computer lab will also enable the school to attract more paying students, which will help with their overall viability and sustainability. One day they hope to expand to a full vocational college.

Will you join us for High Tea and make a gift of $100 to $1,000 or more now? Donate! or R.S.V.P. with Michelle.

Before and after photos below of the toilet and classroom renovations.

3rd Term Final Push Before Exams

We have raised nearly two-thirds of our 2025 scholarship fund target of $15,000. We are still seeking $5,500 more to help students finish the academic year. Will join your hands and hearts to ours to support these well deserving students?

Our partner Ocer Campion Jesuit College in Gulu northern Uganda offers high quality educational opportunities with Catholic formation to youth whose families were negatively effected in the region by the conflict years. At least one-third of their students are on scholarship. They have 1200 students between high school (O-levels) and junior college (A-levels). We sponsor 3 students at $600 per year and we would like to support more! Faith is central to the students learning experience. Students participating in choir at Mass (photo above), learning & service projects (photo below), and academic work. Wonderful opportunities that are not common at public schools in Uganda. Could you give a full or half scholarship $600 or $300 today to give a student an opportunity of a lifetime? Give Today!

(Photo above.) Students help attend the maize for elderly sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. They easily slip out of their school shoes so as not to spoil them while working in the garden.

St Joseph College, provides high school education with a Franciscan spirituality school in Tororo district eastern Uganda. They have nearly 100 students with ALL on partial or full scholarship. Most of the students’ parents are farmers struggling to eke out a livelihood. Without your generous support these youth would be growing up without a proper education. As we know, Catholic education in collaboration with the Holy Spirit is key to helping children become fully who God desires them to be. For $50 per month, or $200 per term, or $600 for the year you can help ensure one more youth is able to reach their dreams. Will you help to transform their lives and the whole family? Give Today!

The YOUFRA Youth Centre in Lira Town (photo below) is helping 15 primary students with boarding and accessing a quality school, which they are not able to do living deep in the rural areas.

Their parents are former war victims and abductees who lost their chance at education leaving them with farming as their only source of income, which is unreliable and limited. We are making sure the next generation doesn’t also loose out on education. It costs $50 per term per student for boarding and requirements. Can you help us with food, backpacks, uniforms, shoes, school books and other school requirements for one or two students? Give Today!

In Kampala, Children’s Community Care (CCC) empowers families with children that have disabilities through medical support, community awareness, and educational scholarships. We help provide scholarships because the higher costs of the children with disabilities puts their siblings at risk of not attending school. In order to affirm the dignity and worth of all children, we sponsor 3 students through CCC: 1 high school student and 2 A-level students at $600 each annually. This helps honor their assistance in helping care for their siblings too. Will you help ensure these hardworking students have a chance to reach their educational dreams? Give Today!

Lenten Appeal 2025

We are seeking to raise $12,000 for our partner YOUFRA Youth Centre in Lira to renovate their indoor kitchen and dinning area. We are on a long-term development path with Sr. Margaret Awor, LSOSF and the team at the Centre. Funds will be used to repair structural issues in the kitchen and dinning area including the foundation and walls, complete the ceiling, replace windows, and finish building out the plumbing, cupboards, counter tops, painting, and purchase much needed appliances and furniture. Today the kitchen and dinning hall is an unfinished room. In a subsequent phases, we will refurbish the two main large gathering halls with new windows and doors, add ceilings, lightening, trim and fresh paint.

With these renovations completed the YOUFRA Team will be able to host 50-150 young adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s at the Youth Centre for workshops, trainings, and retreats. This provides the youth with a place to take a break from home to gather, sing, pray, laugh, learn and connect with other young adults and renew their hearts, minds and dreams. As well youth will be able to build an array of skills. These opportunities are a rarity for young adults! Retreats are focused on the sacraments, spiritual formation, and strengthening families. Trainings covers topics such as farming, shoe making, baking, hair styling, entrepreneuship, team building, communication, reconciliation, financial management, and beyond. Will you join us and make a gift of $100 to $1,000 or more today? Donate!

2025 Academic Year Begins!

I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. Isaiah 49:6

We support students with scholarships in Uganda to ensure the next generation of children become fully who God desires them to be. Our partners include: Ocer Campion Jesuit College (OCJC), St Jospeh College Padhola (SJC), the Little Sister’s of St Francis (LSOSF), Young Franciscans (YOUFRA), and Children’s Community Care (CCC). We are currently supporting 15 students high school or higher with tuition and boarding, and another 24 primary students with boarding and personal requirements.

At the YOUFRA Youth Centre students are orphans or selected from struggling families of former conflict abductees that participate in the YOUFRA Agriculture program seeking to improve family livelihoods. (See top photos). This is another way that we ensure their children don’t also loose out on education. We are seeking an additional $700 to buy sufficient mattresses and backpacks, plus $500 for uniforms, socks, books, notebooks, pens & pencils, and personal requirements for the children for the first term.
Would you give something today to right an injustice and keep these children attending school? Donate Today!

At St Joseph College we support 6 scholarships a year, which costs $300 per student per year. We are also seeking to raise $600 to repair their bore hole and other minor improvements to the campus before the year begins. Could you contribute something today to help grow student enrollment? Donate Today!

Ocer Campion Jesuit College in Gulu northern Uganda which offers high quality educational opportunities to youth whose families were negatively effect by the conflict years. We sponsor 3 students at $600 per year. Donate Today!

We support education for the professed Little Sisters of St Francis to finish their A-levels. We currently sponsor one sister at a cost of $750 per year.

Children’s Community Care in Kampala empowers families with children that have disabilities through medical support, community awareness, and educational scholarships. We help support 3 scholarships for 2 A-level student at $600 each annually and 1 student for a Diploma, which costs $750 per term. Donate Today!

We also have 3 students working to complete higher education. Gerald is studying for a Diploma in Laboratory Technologies. Mercy is completing her BA in Education this year. Emilly is to complete her Master’s in Family Counseling to enable her work with families traumatized by the war years. Cost ranges from $600-$750 per term for university fees.

Would you help ensure these hardworking deserving students have a chance to reach their educational dreams? Donate Today!

Fall Scholarships to Finish Strong!

Fall is here! While that means the start of new academic year in the US, it is the final term in Ugandan. We need to raise $4000 for our scholarship fund to clear the students fees in time for exams. Will you help us and contribute $200 for one needy high schools student per term? Without your generous support these children would not be studying, causing the cycles of poverty to persist in their families.

We support 3 students at Ocer Campion Jesuit College in Gulu, which has 600 plus student with one-third on scholarship (top photo). At St Joseph College, a Franciscan high school in Tororo with 150 students and nearly all students on partial or full scholarship we support 6 students. (See photos above.) We have another 6 female students we support at various Catholic Schools, including Sr. Jackline, LSOSF. Most of their parents are farmers struggling to earn a basic livelihood. Without your generous support these youth would be growing up without an education. For only $600 per year, $200 per term, or $50 per month you can help a youth stay in school and reach their dreams. Graduating from a Catholic school experience is transformative in their lives and that of their families for generations to come. Collectively we help bring a brighter and more faith filled future for all of Uganda. Will you help a high school student reach his/her dream of education? Donate Today!

In Lira diocese, we are helping to support 20 students in primary school with boarding at the YOUFRA (Young Franciscans) Centre and personal requirements. Their parents are former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) abductees whose lives and education were disrupted when they were captured, dragged into the bush and forced to fight or assist fighters under the threat of death. While the conflict is over many years now, the parents have yet to recover–emotionally, educationally, socially, and especially financially. We are working diligently with Sr. Margaret Awor, LSOSF, and staff of the YOUFRA Youth Centre to help improve their livelihoods, heal their traumas, and ensure a next generation does not also loose out on education. Will you help us compensate for a great injustice by supporting their children’s education? Donate Today!

Personal requirements for the primary students includes meals, mattresses, sheets, blankets, school uniforms, sturdy shoes, socks, books, paper, pencils, pens and markers, and sports gear. We are seeking $500, $25 per student, per term for these children, plus an additional $750 for one-time purchases. Will you help the parents redeem and reclaim their hope and dreams for their families and a good future? Will you help ensure their children have access to quality education? Donate Today!

We also support three students engaged in university studies. (photos above) Mercy is studying for a Bachelors in Education to become an English teacher. Gerald is seeking a Diploma in Laboratory Technologies to step his way to becoming a doctor. Emilly is working on a Master’s in Family Counseling to empower her to counsel the families she is working with at the YOUFRA Youth Centre. It costs $700 per term, $120 per month to support them. Will you make a contribution today to ensure their dreams and a better Uganda? Donate Today!

Solar Power Solutions for Growing Souls

Three of our partners are in need of electricity to power their activities. We are seeking to raise $30,000 for solar power solutions for them as they are off the main power grid. Will you make a contribution to help switch on the lights, showers, appliances, and technology so as to create better living and learning opportunities for these communities?

Young Franciscans of Uganda (YOUFRA) has a Youth Centre in Lira town that provides counseling, livelihood training, agricultural demonstration gardens & partnerships, personal skills & communication training, and spiritual formation. As well, they board 20 students attending public school near by because the parents are former abductees of the war and live in rural areas not accessible to schools. YOUFRA is helping ensure the next generation will not loose the opportunity for education as their parents did because of the internal conflict. The simple solar power solution they had died back in March. Consequently, they have been without power and lights for 4 months, which is the only source of security for the facility. We are seeking $8,000 to complete wiring of the building, buy a higher power battery and inverter, and increase their solar panels sufficient to run day and night lights, 4-6 computers, photocopier, projector, sound system, kitchen appliances (blender, mixers, refrigerator, oven etc.), and charge phones and devices for the team, plus 20 students and up to a 100 guests. Will you help us light up the facility anew? Give Today!

St Joseph College in eastern Uganda, Tororo region needs sufficient electricity to power their student computer center with 20 PCs, plus computers for administration and teaching staff, printer, photocopier, projector, sound system, irons, and security lights for the classrooms, dormitories, and offices. Plus power for the kitchen appliances and health center equipment. We are seeking $10,000 for a new solar power solution for them, battery, inverter, solar panels, and accessories. Will you help the staff & students get back to using technology as part of their curriculum? Give Today!

Chiro Camp serves two youth movements the Xaverians and the Catholic Scouts. The have a large hall containing a kitchen and dining area to host 100-200 youths at a time. They offer weekend and week-long training camps for the children who sleep in small camping tents. They have a herd of goats to keep the place well groomed but also provide income for the facility. We are seeking $12,000 to make the camping experience more impactful for the youth. The camp needs enough power for the commercial kitchen appliances, office equipment, sound system, and projector plus a solar pump to get water up from Lake Victoria for the kitchen, outdoor showers, gardens and goat care. Will you help Fr Ceaser Matovu build up Chiro Camp so more youth can grow up to be great disciples, citizens and leaders? Give Today!

Summer Fun Dancing, Drinks, and Donations!

All proceeds benefit our needy scholarship students in Uganda through our amazing partners. Without our support these youth would not be in school. We are helping to make their dreams of education and a better life come true! Pay at the door. Cash appreciated.

Thank you everyone for attending!! We had a lot of fun cutting up the dance floor thanks to DJ Mike Leach and Rockette Becky Stout MacIntyre. We have raised $3,800 towards our goal of $5,000. There is still time to support our scholarship fund and help us close the gap. Use the our secure PayPal link for a one-time or monthly contribution. Your dollars transform lives and families!

Donations Accepted too!

Scholarship recipients include Emmanuel (red shirt) whose mother was abducted by the LRA and spent 3 years living in the bush under the threat of being killed. She lost her chance at an education and struggles now to support her children as well as carrying the memories of that trauma in her life. Through the Young Franciscan of Uganda (YOUFRA) Youth Centre in Lira Emmanuel’s boarding and personal requirements are provided as he attends a local public school. His mother has received counseling and additional training in shoemaking to supplement her agricultural activities from the Centre.

Shaddrach was about 8 years old when his father Francis a primary school teacher died from liver cancer, which came from hepatitis C not being probably treated. He is now a 2nd year student at Ocer Campion Jesuit College as high school student with our support. Also, thanks to our support his sister Mercy is studying education at University to become an English teacher. She is following in her father’s footsteps. Her mother a widow only completed 2 years of high school struggles as a farmer to meet the family’s basic needs.

St Joseph College has a majority of the current students on scholarship. We help with 6 of the students and further development of the school. Their parents are farmers barely eking out a living and cannot even afford to provide for all the basic personal requirements of the students.

Lekebwam is an amazing individual with a very positive outlook on life and concern for others. Through our support with Children’s Community Care he is working to complete a diploma in communication and journalism. We cover tuition fees, personal requirements, boarding and the cost of a care assistant.

A big THANK YOU To our event Sponsors:

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Easter Tidings! Bees Bring Sweet Honey. Will you too?

May we all contemplate during this Octave of Easter the beauty and mystery of Christ’s Resurrection!

During this Easter season will you help us to transform the lives of these children and their future?

Give a Hand Home

For nearly two decades Gertrude Aketch has been taking orphans in to her home from her community in Tororo. She has gathered donations, grown crops, and partnered with local schools, like St Jospeh College to see that these children are fed, loved and receive a good education. She has even managed to push a few through university and one on to the seminary. To help with stability for the children she is seeking to start a bee keeping business on their land. This will create on-going reliable income for the home and children. Plus provide the region with essential honey and bees wax candles. We are seeking $600 to help them get started with their first 4 hives, gear, and flower field.

Will you join us this Easter season to raise $600 to launch a Bee Business for the children’s future?

Donate Today!