We’re Going the Distance!
“Distance means so little when someone means so much…”
This quote has been part of our DNA at Far Away Friends since we first began working in Uganda in 2014 — but this year, it’s become a mantra. At the start of the Pandemic, we asked you to help us keep our Teachers employed & housed through this crisis and you SHOWED UP! Because YOU poured so much love & devotion into keeping our Teachers employed through this difficult season, they too have SHOWED UP in big ways, quite literally “going the distance” to ensure that our school and our students are cared for.
The love our GLP Teachers have for their students is unmatched. Over the past month, GLP Teachers have been logging up to ten miles per week walking & riding their bikes to conduct 1:1 tutoring sessions with their students to keep them excited about learning during their time at home under lockdown. Not only are these visits enabling students to continue their education — they’re keeping them safe, too.
In a recent interview, Teacher Judish told us about a potentially abusive situation she encountered while conducting a home visit of one of her students. “The step mother was working the girl too hard, giving her almost no time to eat or read her books…she even said, ‘Why invest in this girl when she will only get married and not bring our family anything?’” This particular student told Teacher Judish that she couldn’t wait for the pandemic to end and to come back to GLP where she could “find peace”. After this visit, Judish was able to schedule a conference with the student’s step-Mother and advocate on her student’s behalf. Together, the family & Judish developed a healthier schedule for her student and scheduled several follow-up visits. “This student said she can’t wait for me to come back and continue helping her with reading,” Judish told us.
Owning Our School — Teachers Use Extra Time to Sanitize and Maintain the GLP Campus
Head Teacher Tom Richard isn’t afraid to put on some work boots and wash the veranda!
GLP Teachers work on sanitizing the student dormitories while school remains closed
While many educators throughout the district have been laid off and schools remain empty, the Global Leaders campus is bustling with life — even while students remain at home. Because GLP is one of the few schools in our area which provides Teachers with free housing on our campus, our staff has a high level of ownership of our school. ALL have been highly engaged in cleaning and maintaining their classrooms and even student’s dorms while school is closed, going above and beyond to care for what they’ve helped to create over the years.
The extra work our Teachers have been putting in to sanitize and maintain our school during closure has even attracted attention from local news media! Country Director & GLP Principal, Collines, wrote in a recent report, “The staff of Global Leaders have not stopped doing the general cleanliness of the school ever since they started back to work, which has made Global Leaders to be mentioned as ‘one of the most well maintained schools during this period of lockdown’ by the local Radio in Amolatar District which was very exciting news for them!”
We are SO proud of our incredible GLP Staff and their dedication to our school. This is possible because they are paid FAIRLY and ON TIME every month thanks to the support of our Advocates!
Going the Distance and Creating #PathwaysToEducation, Together
Earlier this month, we launched our #PathwaysToEducation campaign to raise $10,000 and equip our Teachers with the tools they need to visit, tutor and conduct home visits with every student in the GLP network on a weekly basis. Through this campaign, we hoped to buy two motorbikes, a 3-Day Trauma Informed Care/Child Protection Training conducted by the Amolatar District’s Lead Social Worker, as well as fund distance learning materials for the rest of 2020, with the goal of keeping our students engaged, challenged, safe & protected until schools reopen in Uganda.
Considering the challenges we’ve faced during this season (having to cancel both our annual Trip & Opportunity On Tap Gala) we were unsure of whether or not we’d be able to raise enough support to make this program possible. But once again, the FAF Community showed up to support our Teachers & students in the most magnificent ways! Together in just TWO WEEKS (omg?!) we raised over $10,400 taking “Dares For Donations”, running/walking/biking our miles, and sharing with family & friends on Facebook to FULLY FUND this program!
Because of all of YOU and your willingness to Advocate for our Teachers & Students in Uganda, ALL of our GLP students will now have access to their Teachers/Mentors during this unprecedented time. Your friendship, passion and dedication has made an incredible impact on the lives of others around the world. Words cannot express our gratitude for this community. Thank you!
