Choosing to give to Beautiful Response this year has helped to transform a community and the lives of hundreds of vulnerable kids in Uganda. We are so thankful for the generous support we received from people around the country and world. It is so moving to see how a diverse group of people has rallied around RUHU to see them flourish and grow.
This year, we put 15 young adults in University or Certificate programs. We sent 52 students to secondary school. Hundreds of students are receiving an education through the RUHU Primary School. Dozens of the most vulnerable are impacted each week through the slum outreach. We have more than 30 people on staff!
In the graphic below, you can see a breakdown of the 2019 RUHU budget as well as a graphic displaying our progress for year-end giving.
As you can see, we have raised $54,000 in the last few months. We are still hoping to raise $46,000 in year-end gifts in order to cover the high-costs of January and put us in a strong position for 2020.
As you can see, School Fees are the vast majority of expenses in RUHU’s budget. When you support a child through RUHU, you are ensuring that we can pay for tuition, room, and board at an excellent school.
A Bright 2020
The picture at the top of this email captures the moment students and teachers at the Raising Up Hope Primary School got the first ever test results for Primary 7 students. Teachers and students hugged and celebrated as they discovered that their students had done exceedingly well on the national standardized tests that all Ugandan students must take. It was validation that the hard work and years of preparation had paid off.
In 2020, RUHU is venturing into Secondary Education. A Secondary School is a major endeavor. Why are we doing it? Practically speaking, we have about 40 students from the RUHU Primary School who will be entering Secondary 1 this year. Once the start-up expenses are met, having our own Secondary School will actually reduce the fees of sending hundreds of children to school. Long-term, RUHU will be a more sustainable organization if they have a Secondary School of their own staff on their own property.
It will also make education possible for hundreds of students who have no other options.
Does RUHU have the capacity to start a secondary school? I would have said they didn’t have the capacity to start a primary school and look at the picture above. We are stepping out in faith with Patrick and William, praying that the financial needs for this new endeavor will be provided.
We anticipate that the Secondary School will represent an increase in this year’s annual budget of about $60,000. This money is in addition to the end-of-the-year fundraising we are doing. Thankfully, we already have a third of that $60,000 raised due to a generous gift.
The truth is…the numbers are daunting but totally doable. We feel entirely in over our heads, but that seems to be the exact place we’re supposed to be. We’re hopeful that over the next few months we will be surprised by the generosity of this community and by God who always seems to provide.
May we capture more moments like that one in the year to come!
