Lenten Appeal – Business Boosts for Widows and Struggling Families

Tragedy and adversity hit Ugandans hard. With the economy in a rough place because of years of bad government policies, election violence, and changing climate conditions Ugandans resilience has been eroded. Layer another adverse event and it makes it nearly impossible to recover. Through our business grants we help families recover and start earning again. We give them renewed hope!

In Uganda, they call it being FLAT when your savings are drained, your ability to borrow from family and friends exhausted, and accessing micro loans is complicated. At times such as these we step in with small one-time business grants to help the families take another step forward. Amounts range from $100-$250 dollars. To-date we have given grants to buy an array of items: a bicycle for transporting inventory and reducing transportation costs that eat profits on tight margins, carpentry tools to start one’s own shop, a sewing machine to kick-start making and repairing clothes, a cooking stove or kitchen equipment, or simply inventory to begin a cafe afresh or boost a shop. Would you give today to help a single mother or father after death or abandonment? Or family dealing with a health crises? Or young people simply needing a place to start because the unemployment rate is so high? $150 buys a bicycle; $100-$150 helps with inventory; $200-$250 buys needed speciality equipment Give today!

Ritah lost her husband in January of 2025 to an unexpected death from lung complications. She is now trying to support three young children alone on a teacher’s salary and a side mobile money agent business. Her husband Joseph had a thriving carpentry business earning $250/month. Now he and his income are just gone. Grief and life are overwhelming. We are trying to recover at least 6 months of income that she can invest into her business. Would you help a widow? Give today!

Anna’s finance left her in the aftermath of the pandemic with one young son. She has started a wellness shop providing healthy remedies, food, and medicines for people in her village on the outskirts of Kampala. We helped her purchase a bicycle and hope to help boost her inventory soon. Would you help a single mother? Give today!

Walter’s parents died a long time back. He recently finished a 1-year long apprenticeship that he paid for himself to learn carpentry. However without tools he was left to wait for someone else to hire him for work, which was far and few between. With a small business grant from us he was able to purchase the basic set of carpentry tools and begin to make and sell his own beautiful furniture. With reliable income they have been eating better and his wife was able to conceive again. They just welcomed their 2nd child into the family. Could you help a father? Give today!

Anthony & Stella in their 30s were recently married. He has 2 children from a previous relationship that didn’t workout as originally hoped. They both have previous experience in restaurant work. She got the opportunity to takeover a friend’s local cafe with a great deal. They just needed some capital to buy the first round of food supplies. With this small boost of funds of $150 they could get to work immediately and pay the previous owner slowly overtime. Could you help a newly wed couple? Give today!

George works for the Catholic Church at the Cathedral in Kampala. He only earns $85 per month. He and his wife Catherine engage in agricultural business activities growing maize, bananas, coffee and raising animals to supplement their income. With four children school fees and other costs are now far beyond what he can manage on such a small income. Catherine also started a juicing business. We hope to give them a grant to buy a commercial juicer and related equipment to increase her productivity and customer base. While he leads on branding, marketing and sales. Might you help this family take the next step? Give today!

Dorothy (pseudo name) was walking to the market during 2020 when she was violently gang raped. She became pregnant and was unable to return to high school when the schools finally did re-open. She tried to commit suicide when a stranger found her. We stepped in so she could take a vocational course in sewing, while her Aunt took care of the child. Upon graduation we provided her with the gift of a sewing machine and all the accessories to kick-start her seamstress business. We helped God create something wonderful out of a terrible injustice. Could you help another young unwed mother finish vocational training? Give today!

Joseph has two daughters. The youngest has spina bifida, which in the US is now addressed while the child is still in the womb. In Uganda it took months for them to work out the diagnosis. She is now 8 years old. Her grandmother helps manage her care because her mother was overwhelmed when she was a baby and couldn’t handle it anymore. She left and has yet to return. Joseph also takes care of his deceased brother’s son. With aging parents too, healthcare challenges are constantly bringing the family down. We have provided both health aid, scholarships, and a business grant to get his agricultural activities–mainly growing crops reignited. This feeds the family and if possible they sell to others. More funds for inputs means more returns for his labor. Could you help a single father build his income for the family? Give today!

Would you make a donation today to help a family in a tough spot to renew their hope and press on with their life journey? Give today!

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!

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 TechnologiesMercy 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!

2nd Annual High Tea for High Hopes

You are cordially invited for High Tea at Williams Place

Saturday, November 23, 2024, 3-5pm

Hosted by Michelle Waters Williams & Laura Frederick

R.S.V.P. appreciated by November 17, 2024

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 twenty-eight years of experience working with the poor in East Africa and beyond. She began her 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 YOUFRA Youth Centre in Lira to renovate their solar power solution that provides lighting and security to the building. We are on a long-term development path with Sr. Margaret Awor, LSOSF and the team at the Centre. The next most important element is replacing their electricity, which failed in March of this year. Funds will also be used to begin repairing the walls and foundation in the kitchen and dinning area, replacing windows, and finish building out the plumbing, cupboards, counter tops, painting, and purchasing much needed appliances and furniture. Today the kitchen and dinning hall is an unfinished room (photos below). In a subsequent phase, we will refurbish the two main gathering halls with new windows and doors, add ceilings, lightening, trim and fresh paint.

With these renovations the YOUFRA Youth Centre will be able to host 50-150 young adults in their 20s, 30s, and 40s for workshops, trainings, and retreats. Having a place to take a break from home to gather, sing, pray, laugh, learn and connect with other young adults renews their hearts, minds and dreams. As well they are able to builds and array of skills. These opportunities are a rarity for youth! Retreats are focused on the Sacraments, spiritual formation, and strengthening families. Training covers topics such as farming, shoe making, baking, hair styling, 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!

High Tea for High Hopes

Endeavors Circle

Join us as we launch a monthly giving circle to share our blessings.  We are called to build up the Body of Christ, the Church.  At eChange Endeavors we do this by supporting widows, single parents, orphans and those with disabilities either directly or through local Catholic institutions. We seek to leverage previous investments made in education, personal development or institutional capacities to ensure those at risk won’t fall by the wayside. Together we are helping to transform problems into opportunities inspiring hope and strengthening community!

We help hardworking mothers such as Gloria to ensure they can provide for their children. When she needed a hip replacement surgery due to an accident, we stepped in to help. We also supported Pascal to finish University after his Mother died and his Father was no longer able to generate enough income for both him and his younger brother who was still attending high school. When Esther’s husband died, we assisted with food and helped her start a micro business. Later when the eldest reached high school we helped with the higher fees. We have given a small grant to Children’s Community Care to finish a classroom for children with mental disabilities so that mothers would have a safe, clean, and stimulating environment in which to leave their children while they went to work in the street markets.

We also raise funds for OcerCampion Jesuit College both scholarships and an additional housing for international volunteers to work at the school. We are seeking resources for technology and textbooks for St Athanasius Primary School, which serves mostly poor families living in the slums of Kampala. St. Elizabeth’s Home & Vocational Institute rescues young women from the streets, trafficking and prostitution.  We are seeking to raise funds for a solar solution and sewing machines so that local money collected can feed and support more women. We are seeking to help rural health clinics diversify their service capabilities to create a more sustainable model. None of these good works would be possible without your generous support over time.

So join us today and become part of our circle of giving to ensure we can say YES to helping our brothers and sisters in Uganda when we receive their requests. To join simply click on our DONATE button that will take you to a PayPal payment page. You can pay via PayPal, credit or debit card. Just make sure to tick the box for re-occurring payments and your giving will be automatically processed each month.

$10/month enables an entrepreneur to start or grow a microenterprise

$20/month enables young adults to participate in Catholic youth camps

$25/month provides one teacher with a mini-laptop

$30/month supports a student in primary school

$50/month provides a small grant to a health clinic or partner

Thank you for becoming part of our Endeavors Circle of love and hope in the world!

 

Girl’s School in Uganda Needs Solar Solution to Offset Costs

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QsZ8A7Nb4U&w=560&h=315]

St Elizabeth’s Home & Vocational School gives young women a second chance at life.  The St Elizabeth team rescues young women from the streets, human trafficking and prostitution in Kampala Uganda.  They provide love, a safe place to live, food, counseling, life skills, and income-generating skills, such as sewing and baking.  St Elizabeth’s is seeking $5000 for an electrical solar solution and industrial sewing machines.  Our investment in this solar infrastructure enables them to apply all locally raised resources towards food, mattresses, personal necessities, and teaching resources to increase their outreach and impact.

Will you join hands to help give these young women a second chance at life? Donate Today!

Let Us Join Our Hands Together

Girls leave their homes because of families difficulties, death of a parent, promises of opportunities for work, and the lure of lights for the big city. Yet when they arrive in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, they quickly realize it is not as they had hoped.  They have no resources and no where to turn, so they end up on the streets vulnerable to abuse, domestic servitude, prostitution or trafficking to another country.  Good Samaritan Sisters and their team go out on the streets nightly to find these girls and rescue them.  They offer them a home, medical care, counseling, spiritual guidance, and the opportunity to learn a skill or two that they can use to earn income.  When possible, they help to settle the girls back home in a way that enables them to help the family.  In a nut shell, they restore the girls dignity and renew their hope!

Will you join hands with these deeply committed Good Samaritan Sisters to help give these girls a second chance?   Here are a few ways you can help:

$25 buys supplies for 1 baking, sewing or salon class

$50 enables the Sister’s to take one new girl in from the streets

$60 supports one girl in the program for one month

$100 provides food for seven girls for one week

$200 covers the salary for one teacher for a month

$500 buys one new industrial sewing machine

$3000 covers the cost of solar system

 

Together we have raised $550 for Simon Peter. However, he still needs $850 more to help him finish his University degree and fulfill his dream to become a high school teacher. Please join us by giving or sharing his story with others today!!

Gloria’s Story

Thank you for your prayers and support for our recent visit to Uganda. Here is our first video telling Gloria’s story. We hope you enjoy getting to know her.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B9AtRbzzZg]

 

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Please share the video with your family and friends, as you never know who might be touched and inspired by her journey with Christ.  Her faithfulness and hopefulness in God despite her challenges inspires me daily!

Currently, we have raised $1200 of the $2000 required to cover her hip surgery. Please help us to raise the remaining $800 by giving, sharing and praying for Gloria.

Blessings of Mercy upon you!

When did I see you sick?

Unexpected medical crises send a family quickly into a downward spiral of economic depletion, poverty and hopelessness.   As we enter into Holy Week, the pain of the Passion gives way to the joy of Easter.  Let us help bring renewed hope to our sisters and brothers in Christ suffering with health issues.

“And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did for one of the least of these my brethren, you did it unto me.'” Matthew 25:40

Gloria is a single mother in her early thirties who has been disabled since she was 11 IMG_9712 Gloria face shotyears old.  She was the victim of a traumatic boda-boda accident that shattered her right hip.  Already an orphan, the extended family had no resources for her care, so the hip became infected and dysfunctional.  This in turn affected the growth of her right leg.  In 2011, she was in dire need of hip surgery now for her left hip as it had born the brunt of 17 years of the right hip not functioning properly.  We raised resources for her initial hip replacement surgery.   Since she was forced to leave school after primary three, she is only qualified to do manual labor.  She works as a nanny and sews beautiful bags and clothes to provide an income for her and her child.  This type of manual labor has caused problems and the hip now requires re-cementing.  It costs $2000 for this follow-on surgery in Uganda.  She is living in pain everyday until the surgery can be performed. Help Gloria come pain free again with your contribution today! 

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Simon Peter is another young, dynamic catholic your leader who participated in our Youth Building Peace program.  His Father was diagnosed JPYouth2010 398with esophagus cancer in 2015.  Consequently, all the available family resources have been put towards his father’s surgery and treatments, which he is still on-going.  This has left no resources for Simon Peter to finish his B.A. in Education at St Lawrence University in Uganda.  He is only four months from graduating and being able to work as a secondary teacher, and able to contribute back to his family.   He needs $1500 to settle all is outstanding university fees for the year.  Help Simon Peter graduate in May and begin teaching the next generation of youth!

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Ann Ruth, a dynamic Catholic youth leader in Uganda, only 28 years of age, was JPYouth2010 152diagnosed in November 2015 with 3rd stage bladder cancer after nearly nine months of ill health and testing.  The only treatment available required that she fly to India for innovative surgery and recovery.  This health crisis has put the family in debt $21,000US.  While gratefully she is recovering well, the family is now burden with this enormous debt.  We are seeking to raising $7,000 to cover one-third of it for the family.  Help AnnRuth and her family get out of debt and back to building their family together! 

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With only a little amount you can make a radical difference in the lives of these families, today and for generations to come.  As we close Lent I invite you to inspire hope in these families by giving today!    

Thank you for keeping all our grant recipients and their families in your prayers!