A couple of months ago, One Day’s Wages, an organization devoted to eradicating extreme global poverty, awarded Building Tomorrow their largest matching grant to-date: $30,000 for the construction of a new school. A pretty incredible gift in and of itself. What’s even more incredible is the fact that once we reach our goal via our One Day’s Wages campaign, that gift will be matched again. This time, by a community partner in Uganda.

In an earlier post, George described his first meeting with community members in the rural village of Bugabo, Uganda. He noted that, prior to Building Tomorrow ever stepping foot in Bugabo, community members pooled their resources and, together, raised approximately $500 (USD). The money is being used to finalize the donation of land, another gift from the community. What’s more? Community members then pledged to volunteer approximately 20,000 hours of self-labor to construct the school; they volunteered to serve on an organizing committee to oversee the entire construction process and, ultimately, management of the school; they committed to put, and keep, their children in school once the academy opens.

At first glance, their commitment is remarkable. Upon closer inspection, its remarkable still.

Consider this: In 2009, the average per capita income in the US was just over $46,000 (current US dollars). In Uganda, the average income was $460. That means that while communities in the US are rallying together to raise $45-60,000 to build a school, communities in Uganda are by all means matching their gift when one compares their giving potential based on the annual income of both nations. And that’s not even including the donated labor and land itself.

Our point is that by contributing to our campaign with One Day’s Wages, we guarantee your gift will be matched not once but twice…at least.

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