Want to help?

If you'd like to help support either the OCA Computer Centre or the African Child in Need Street Kids Centre, you can do so by donating to an organization called Chi-ki Children's Charity.

Click here to see the three payment options available (sending a cheque, depositing directly into the Chi-ki bank account, or online via Paypal). Simply note where you would like your money to go: the options are African Child in Need or Orphans for Christ Computer Centre. (If you're submitting a donation via Paypal - please make sure you e-mail Sylvia the name of the project you'd like your funds earmarked to, so that they're applied accordingly!)

Donations to the computer lab help pay for teachers salaries, rent, educational supplies, and electricity. Donations to the street kids centre go directly towards school fees for the boys (approximately $600 per boy per year), food and hygiene supplies, and the centre's rent.

Chi-ki is a registered charity and tax receipts will be issued for contributions in Canada and/or the United States.

Canadian Charity#: 837976273RR0001
USA: 501(c)3 EIN #: 30-0394759

Additionally, GuluWalk has a walk every year in 17 cities in Canada, 28 cities in the USA and 14 cities globally - this is an 11 km walk to raise funds for abandoned children of Northern Uganda. This year's walk is on October 25th, 2008. In support of the victims of the LRA conflict, of those who commuted every night to escape abduction, of the 1.5 million who are still displaced today, collect your pledges and get walking - you can walk solo, join an existing team, or create your own team.

I'll be at the Toronto Walk - email me if you'd like to join my team. GuluWalk is an endeavour of a charity called Athletes For Africa, and has already raised $1M in support for the children of Northern Uganda in previous years.

Since Uganda...

Since Uganda...I've been working furiously on this blog. My goal is to make whoever reads it feel as though they were there with me. Or at least get a good feel for what I felt when I was there. A lofty goal indeed - I've always set high standards for myself, I guess. Heh. To everyone who's been waiting for its completion, thanks for your patience. And please feel free to share this blog with anyone you think might be interested in reading it.

Another thing that's happened since I got back: I resigned from Softchoice. I realized I'd been spending forty hours a week plugging away at things I didn't really care at all about. And I'd been trying to make myself care for far too long. So, I'm heading back to school, to do something I do care about: training to work as a technician in a vet clinic. Which is going to make me happy even though it won't pay me much. And I'm finally okay with that, and not afraid of it any more. Life's too short not to do what is going to make you happy.

Good news also, from Softchoice: they've decided to give $10K to support the OCA computer lab. Anthony can finally hire qualified teachers. And, the lab is finally internet-enabled, which means access to so many more helpful resources. We hear from Anthony regularly with updates.

Outside of Softchoice Cares (who's mandate is really about bridging the digital divide exclusively), efforts are underway to get Milton's boys in school. Anthony and Milton have teamed up so the boys will get to take Saturday classes at the Computer Centre to learn some skills there. A local charity, Chi-ki, has taken African Child In Need under their wing and will issue tax receipts for any donations. The boys from the centre have all been HIV tested, and though the majority are clean, sadly, one boy tested postive and will be beginning medical care.

Individually, we are all brainstorming ways to help. We don't dare let what we started over there die.