Dear Friends:

As many of you know, Empower African Children is a nonprofit organization based in Dallas that serves orphans and vulnerable children in Uganda. Many of you saw one of their programs, Spirit of Uganda, when the dance troupe visited Parish and House of Blues last year. The students you met, and many more, are supported by Empower African Children to attend schools and receive help to make sure that they have every opportunity to develop their talents and become successful adults and leaders that can make Uganda a better place.

I am going to Uganda over Thanksgiving with my family to visit the kids. I am really excited to see everyone. I am also excited to kick-off some projects that I am calling ‘ReThink The Possibilities’. This is something that I want to do, and it would truly help if my friends pitched in.

The first project is something that I think will benefit the kids for a long time. I am setting up a learning lab for Empower African Children. The lab will start at the Kisugu House which is the training center and home for the students. The students attend boarding schools but go to the Kisugu House on the weekends and during school breaks to train in performing arts, receive counseling, get tutoring, participate in workshops, and just relax and have fun. The House provides safe shelter, hot meals and a sense of family and community. It is the place where Empower can work with them closely as individuals and as a group. All of the children supported by Empower have come from challenging backgrounds that most of us can’t imagine. This can make it difficult for them at school and limit their growth and development. I have decided to help set up this learning lab at the Kisugu House where the students can continue learning while they are at home in a fun and interactive way. I am bringing over a computer for the house and loading it up with educational games and activities so the students can learn technology skills while also learning to type, surf the internet, do school work, and play games. We are hoping to collect board games, educational tools, books, magazines , CD’s and other learning tools that will make this house a fun place for them to live and continue learning. I will negotiate with a Ugandan furniture maker to build us a desk, shelves and workstations for our lab. I will put up bulletin boards to display pictures of all our American friends who have helped to make this learning lab a reality.


My second project is also something that I feel will be life changing, not just for me but for a students family, Sharon’s mother and siblings. Many of you met Sharon when she was here in Texas on tour. She is bright, speaks great English and is a leader at school and within EAC. Her mother is very poor and needs help. The village where she lives is not a safe environment for the family she cares for. When Sharon goes to visit her mother, she is also put into a vulnerable situation because her mother’s house connects to a bar. Her home is one room, loud and not suitable for young children. I plan to help get Sharon’s mom moved into a safer village and home. She is late three months on her rent ($30 USD/month). I will raise the money to take care of that and also pay for her rent in a new home for the next year ($60 USD/month). I would like to also help her start a small business to get her on her feet. This would consist of a ($750 USD) start up fee. By doing this and providing some basic training, Sharon’s mom will be able to provide for her family and soon be able to pay her own rent. I hope with the help of some friends who would like to get involved, we can change this family’s life.

I’ll be leaving for Uganda on November 18th. I would really appreciate it if you could donate items, gift cards or donations. Please let me know and I am happy to collect any and all items by Nov. 14th. Here are the types of things that could really help:
· Magazines and novels for fun reading, helping learn English, and exposure to new things (anything suitable for ages 10-18)
· Games like chess, trivia, board games, etc
· Flashcards, crossword puzzles, other educational materials
· Educational software for a PC
· Whatever you think! But keep it fairly small, we have to carry it all in our suitcases.
· Gift Cards to Target, Toys R Us, Lakeshore Learning or any bookstore – I will purchase the items needed to take to Uganda
· Cash or check donations
· Pictures of you and your family and notes and letters to post in the lab

Empower African Children is in the process of building their own secondary school (middle school and high school) and the materials we donate will be transferred over to that campus when it opens in 2012.

I will make sure to keep you in the loop and document our progress while I am in Uganda. Thank you for everything and helping me ReThink The Possibilities!
Ford Noble