Before you start your back-to-school shopping, I wanted to tell you about two new ways you can support the kids at the schools I visited in Uganda. Please take a minute to read this blog post and help if you can.
FIRST WAY TO HELP: BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING
Three things go through my mind when I hear Back to School:
Yay, school supplies are on sale!
No, summer can’t be over yet!
My classroom is not ready!
Let’s focus on the positive! It’s my favorite time of the year for shopping. One can never have enough brand new supplies! But this year I’m not really shopping for my own classroom. I’m gathering supplies for the students at Nkumba Christian Primary and May Christian College. They require all the basic supplies you’d see in any classroom: pencils, pens, pencil sharpeners (I saw a surprising lack of these), crayons, markers, etc. There is also a great need for socks. Many of the younger children were wearing socks that had no toe or no heel left; pretty much just the leg.
My plan is to collect as many supplies now while they are on sale. If you could grab an extra pack while shopping for your own child or classroom, that would be great. You can also use the lists I created and shop online.
Here are the links:
If you prefer to send money, contact me and I will tell you how. I know we are all busy right now, but that one pencil sharpener or pack of pencils will be used by an entire class of students who simply can not afford the $2 it costs.
SECOND WAY TO HELP: HELP PAY FOR SHIPPING TO UGANDA
During my visit, I saw students using World Book Encyclopedias from the 1960s. They were learning and doing research with materials (and information) over five decades old. Fortunately, I’ve found several sets of newer (from the 2000s) encyclopedias plus a bunch of other books that will greatly enhance the library at the schools. The difficulty lies in getting these much-needed texts to Uganda.
I have been in contact with a company that transports large shipping containers to Uganda and we can include smaller boxes at a reasonable price (it used to cost over $100 just to ship about 20lbs worth of supplies). Here is the current pricing:
One 60 lb. box (12x12x16) – $95
Four boxes, max 60 lbs. each – $225 ($56.25 per box at this bulk rate)
I’d like to ship at least four boxes, but truthfully we can send a LOT more if we have the funds. There are plenty of books that I can get donated for the school but I have to find a way to get them there. These prices don’t cover the import duty but I’m expecting that to be fairly reasonable. Please contact me directly if you’d like to help sponsor one or more of these boxes.
BONUS WAY TO HELP: DO BOTH #1 AND #2
Of course, I’d love it (and I’m sure the students in Uganda would too) if you could provide some supplies and sponsor a shipping box.
No matter how you choose to help, thanks for your support!!