Q2 Impact Report | 2021
Teacher Dickson celebrates a surprise arriving to campus with GLP students
What’s all the excitement about?!
Collaborating for Impact: New partnerships bring BIG changes to Global Leaders Primary School
Over the past three months, our team has been quietly working on a large scale development project at Global Leaders with a new corporate partner who shares our deep passion for local leadership, do no harm development, and equitable access to education for everyone. While we can’t share too much quite yet about the details of this new project, our Media Director, Sean Korbitz, will be putting together a brand new video premiering soon (!!!) about this project and the incredible ways it will change access to quality education for children in Namasale.
Make sure you’re signed up for our email list to see the video announcement as soon as it premieres!
Mentorship, Empowerment and Menstural Health Training for 264 Girls in Namasale
Far Away Friends Uganda Country Director, Collines Angwech & Expert Community Trainer, Rachael Okuja lead a Mentorship and Empowerment Training for 264 girls in Namasale as part of Far Away Friends’ School Outreach Program
In Uganda, 1 in 4 girls will drop out of school due to their period, and another 25% will become pregnant before age 19. Our vision at Far Away Friends is to equip girls with the empowering tools they need to change the trajectory, stay in school and confidently pursue their goals.
This Quarter, our Ugandan team was able to host our annual Mentorship, Menstrual Hygiene & Empowerment Training, reaching 264 girls at our partner schools across Namasale. This annual workshop brings girls together to call out the struggles faced by young women in rural communities and provide real-world tools to address them, including the distribution of menstrual hygiene kits from our friends at AfriPads.
Miles & Gabby educate their student body about the effects of period poverty on girls’ education in rural Uganda
To lead this workshop, we had the privilege of bringing Rachael Okuja to our partner schools as a special guest speaker. Having grown up in Amolatar herself, Rachael -- a Community Engagement & Training expert -- deeply understands the struggles faced by girls in rural Uganda.
During her time in Namasale, Rachael spoke to girls from Global Leaders Primary and Agwinigiri Girls School about a range of topics from sexual health & consent, managing your period while in school and having the confidence to chase your biggest dreams. We are so proud to have had the opportunity to work with her as a mentor and visionary for young women in Amolatar District who can see themselves represented in strong women like Rachael and Collines!
This workshop & sanitary pad distribution was made possible by the efforts of the Rancho Bernardo High School Far Away Friends Club (@farawayfriendsrbhs) in collaboration with That's On Period (@thatsonperiodpusd) -- who, in their LAST MONTH of school, raised over $1,000 to ensure 100 girls in our school networks wouldn't miss a day of school due to her period!
Are you a student or Teacher in the USA or UK interested in starting a club at YOUR high school and making a global impact? Learn more about how you can get involved!
Our School Clinic is Completed!
In June, President Museveni re-imposed a nationwide COVID lockdown amidst rising numbers of cases across Uganda, which required all schools to close our doors for another 42 days. During this time when COVID cases are surging, we asked all of YOU to join us in rushing the completion of the Global Leaders Primary School Clinic on our campus, and help outfit it with everything our students and staff need — from fever reducing medicines to new mattresses — to keep our community healthy once they return to school.
Thanks to the quick response of 13 very special donors, we were able to raise the $2,500 needed to completely FINISH our clinic! We are so grateful for your unwavering support during this second-wave lockdown which will undoubtedly keep our students healthy and safe when they return to school later this term!
Special thanks to Sue C., our friends at Arvada United Methodist Church, Fynn F., Julie P., Carolyn W., Corey W., Erika & Dennis O., Arianna H., Gina M., and Elizabeth B. who made this last push to finish the Clinic possible!
We are so thrilled to share the incredible impact we’ve made together as a community over the past three months. Thank you for being a part of the Far Away Friends community and working alongside us to equip children across Amolatar, Uganda with the tools they need to break cycles of poverty forever.
