ChangeALife Uganda
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Mission Statement
Our mission is dedicated to improving the lives of orphaned and disadvantaged children and their families in Uganda through quality education, health care and income generating programs. Our Vision: Educated, healthy, and empowered Ugandan children as agents of positive social and economic change.
About This Cause
Africa is a place that needs help. How best can we help? The best way is to empower people with education and involve them in the planning process of their development. The vision is to have an educated, healthy and economically empowered child as a catalyst of change. They then become the hope of their community and advocates for their own issues. Let us sponsor these children and put them in school. Educating Ugandan children requires supporting their families as well, in order to change the child, the family and the village. This is why we also focus on family healthcare and income generating opportunities. We are dedicated to giving each child the rare opportunity – a quality education and a chance to make a difference and become an agent of change. How? Education is the cornerstone of our mission. Our child sponsorship program, DollarsForScholars enables disadvantaged and orphaned children to attend school. These programs work to increase primary, secondary and university school attendance, leading to higher graduation rates. In addition to education, we empower our students by supporting their families with programs designed to provide access to healthcare and income generating opportunities. These programs, QuartersForWater and MoneyForMedicine, address local health issues such as clean water, sanitation, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, diarrhea, and various respiratory diseases. Our microfinance programs and Functional Adult LIteracy offer training and economic stability for families. Who We Are In 2006 Jean Semler, a retired nurse and husband Dave Thelen, a retired educator, traveled to Uganda and saw both the need and an opportunity to help. After meeting Ugandan children, parents, teachers, women’s groups and seeing the schools, the health centers and the lack of resources, the couple committed to helping the children and their families in Nabbingo and at the St. Lawrence School in Migyera. With the help of friends from New Jersey and Uganda, Jean and Dave began what would become ChangeALife Uganda by sponsoring the education of 10 Ugandan children. ChangeALife Uganda was incorporated in March 2007 and became a a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2008. Today it is a nonprofit, nondenominational organization located in NJ. Our Ugandan implanting partner is GTI – Grassroots Transformation Initiative Uganda, a NGO (Non-government organization). Geoffrey Okello is GTI’s Executive Director. In 2020, in partnership with CALU, GTI began implementing programs in GULU, northern Uganda while completing the educational sponsorship of children in Migyera and Nabbingo. Our Impact With the help of our partners and donors, life has changed in Migyera and Nabbingo, Uganda. Below are a few of our achievements since we began our work in 2007. • Vast improvements in education - St. Lawrence School has grown from 90 students and 4 teachers to 600 students and 20 teachers and is ranked #2 in the district - 750 children, teenagers and young adults have participated in our sponsorship program from primary school with many continuing on to secondary school, post secondary programs and universities. • Increased access to healthcare - Opened St. Francis Health Center, the first health center in Migyera - Family health, maternity care; minor surgery in 2017; deliveries in 2018 • Increased access to clean water - Constructed a 512” well and 50,000L water tower - clean water for the school, health center and village. Now a self-sustaining water company. • Adult literacy program launched in 2013 in 2 villages in central Uganda, expanded to 9 in 2018, to Gulu in northern Uganda in 2019; 75% women • Improved family incomes: 141children participating in microenterprise program – Funds for Farming animal project In 2020 GTI received an ongoing USAID grant to implement a WASH program in 20 villages in GULU.