A Letter from Kaitlyn Phillips, our new Operations Director

My first UG trip, reviewing papers with Teacher Joshua, 2016

In the summer of 2015, I was sitting across from Jayme Ward in a Starbucks – right out of my freshman year of college, in a second-hand blazer I had bought the day before –  interviewing for an internship that would become the first of many job titles I’ve held as a long time supporter of Far Away Friends. 

One year later, we would be sitting in that same Starbucks, looking back and forth between our coffees, each other, and the table, trying to avoid the truth in front of us: if we were going to open Global Leaders Primary School on schedule, we needed to raise $25k. In just under two weeks. 

We’ve come a long way since those coffee shop interviews, meetings, and meltdowns; Global Leaders, as you know, did in fact open its doors in 2016, and now educates more than five hundred students, employs and houses over thirty full time staff members, and boasts a 95% Primary Leaving Exam (PLE) success rate. In my capacity as a long time supporter of Far Away Friends, I have had the privilege to watch this story unfold over the years, and watch Far Away Friends become an unstoppable force for good in rural northern Uganda. 

And so, it is with an immense amount of gratitude (and a little bit of disbelief) that I am able to accept a full time position working as Far Away Friends’ Operation Director, beginning June 2022. 

Me and former GLP student Rochelle, 2019

I am passionate about investing in young people, locally and globally, to break cycles of generational poverty and make the visions of these future leaders a reality. I was very fortunate to be able to carry out this work in my tenure as a middle school English teacher, and am thrilled to continue to do so in my new position.

This organization and I grew up together; side by side, Far Away Friends and I have stepped out of adolescence and into adulthood, have made mistakes and grown from them, and have ultimately come into our own over the years. I am honored to continue this work beside Jayme, Collines, our entire team on the ground in Uganda – and each and everyone of you.

With gratitude,

Kaitlyn