“I did it for the next generation.”

John, one of Christine’s twin sons, is a member of the generous family who donated the land for the site of the BT Academy of Bugabo. He does not have any primary-school-age children of his own and actually spends a lot of his time in Kampala. However, John is the ultimate community man.

Over the years, John and his family have donated over 100 acres to community projects – churches, mosques, secondary schools and primary schools. He seems to find it necessary to share his fortune with others.

For the BT Academy of Bugabo, John decided he had to donate the land because he has seen too many young children have to walk 3km or more to school. He simply said “the small children could not make it” and that often when it rains the roads become impassable, especially at night.

The school, he promised, “will uplift the social environment of the area” and that’s a good enough reason for him.

While education is important to him, John has also shown his commitment to the community through a small lending program he’s created for the young men in the area. Farming is the most common means of generating income in the area, however many young men do not yet have the funds to purchase land to farm. John therefore lends out acres of land to young men for 3-4 years until they have generated enough income to buy their own land for themselves. He’s giving them the small opportunity to make something for themselves – truly changing lives.

In telling our group all of these amazing things, John was not seeking praise but instead was encouraging us to be advocates for his community and his country. He simply stated “we need you to advocate for support [for Uganda].”

–Liz