When natural disasters strike, we naturally think first of the people and families made homeless, penniless, ill, or injured. We don’t often think of the impact on the local people and organizations that aim to help in both good times and bad.
Floods recently swept through many parts of central Africa, with northern Uganda one of the worst affected areas. At right is a photo of the offices and community center of Meeting Point, a small non-profit in northern Uganda that (before the floods) served over 2000 HIV-positive clients and 900 AIDS orphans and their guardians.
Ketty Opoka, a close friend, founded Meeting Point in 1994 to provide friendship and care to people dying of AIDS in her community. She is a tremendous woman who has overcome war and poverty to build a national organization to help AIDS victims and orphans.
Right now, however, she could use some help.
With the holiday season approaching, we’re hoping to rally some support.
My wife Jeannie and I are trying to help raise $20,000 to help rebuild meeting Point’s community center and offices. If you think you would like to help, tax-deductible donations can be made through Givemeaning.com, with 100% of the funds going directly to reconstruction.
Town engineers now think that Meeting Point’s land is now in danger of recurrent seasonal flooding, and the organization will have to relocate. Land has been donated to Meeting Point locally for this purpose, and we are trying to help them raise some of the funds for the new building and community center—a building that will provide nearly 3,000 persons living with HIV with needed services in a place of comfort and privacy.
$20,000 will provide at least one-third of their material and building costs to provide. The remaining two thirds will be sought from other donors.
If you are interested in giving or learning more, please go to the Meeting point giving site for pictures and details. Please also feel free to pass on the site and the appeal to your own family, friends and colleagues.
Last year, we raised nearly $30,000 to provide employment and education to youth affected by the war in northern Uganda. If you are interested in seeing pictures, photos, stories and accountability for that program, please visit our ugandan youth Givemeaning page.
The seed funding for the youth organization we have supported (NUCRA) has not only given schooling and employment to dozens of youth, but has helped NUCRA grow into a self-sustaining organization with new donors, new projects, and great prospects.
We hope to give the same support to Ketty’s organization, and bring back happier times.
Thanks so much for anything you can give—every little bit counts!
