Join Mwebaza Foundation for pizza, music and more

While many school and local events have been postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Mwebaza Foundation is getting creative in gathering the community together for engaging, safe activities.

On Oct. 29, Proto's Pizza will donate a portion of its proceeds to the Mwebaza Foundation's micro industry development plan at its partner school in Gulu, Parents' Junior School. Pick up a pizza, drinks, and dessert from the Gunbarrel, Longmont, or Broomfield locations and mention "Mwebaza Foundation" to support this cause. Dine-in and carry-out options apply.

At 6 p.m., Mwebaza Foundation will host a virtual concert and raffle, featuring performers Christina Huxley and Mo'Sol. Raffle tickets are available for purchase from now until the end of the virtual show. For only $10, participants can enter to win a variety of gift baskets with gift cards from local restaurants, wine, outdoor gear, and more. Find out if you had a winning ticket via email immediately following the event.

Over the past year, Mwebaza Foundation staff and community members in Colorado and Uganda have been collaborating to develop micro industries at each of its four Ugandan partner schools. In Uganda, school is not free and parents must come up with tuition each year to give their children an education. Many cannot afford the tuition and Mwebaza has worked to provide scholarships for students in need.

The implementation and continued development of micro industries at each school campus would eliminate the need for school tuition and Mwebaza's scholarship program by completely covering operating costs, teacher salaries, uniforms, lunch programs, and more. Parents' Junior School created a business plan for an agriculture-focused micro industry that would generate income for the school and income, food security, and job stability for the greater community.

During the late 1990s and 2000s, the Lord's Resistance army, led by Joseph Kony, terrorized Northern Uganda, kidnapping an estimated 66,000 children and enlisting them as child soldiers. During this violent time, parents in Gulu would gather their children under an open-air structure and stand guard while they slept.

When the war ended, parents in Gulu, recognizing the need for education, banded together to incorporate their school, aptly naming it Parents' Junior School. They started by holding classes under the former nighttime shelter while they built a brick school house. Mwebaza Foundation was fortunate to partner with them in 2014 and help drill a well, install composting toilets, fortify the existing school, and build classroom additions.

COVID-19 restrictions are wreaking havoc on Uganda's economy, causing widespread hunger. Recognizing the need for financial independence and food security now more than ever, the community members and Board of Directors at Parents' Junior School created a business plan for an Enhanced Agriculture micro industry.

Due to its remote, rural location, people in the surrounding villages of Gulu, including families at Parents' Junior School, are subsistence agriculturalists and have tracts of arable land that they currently till by hand. Many of these community members with arable land have agreed to donate one to two acres to Parents' Junior School, allowing them to plant and harvest crops which they will sell to various markets. In return, Parents' Junior School will lend their ox and plow to the land owners, allowing them to farm their additional land more efficiently.

In addition to the purchase of an ox and plow, PJS will also construct a grain mill on its campus and open it up for use by local residents. Now, women within the community are traveling seven to 10 kilometers to mill their grain. With this addition, they no longer have to travel such long distances and can efficiently process and sell grain. The school will also mill its own grain to sell to various markets, including other schools for lunch programs.

Through this diverse, agriculture-based industry, the school can become fully financially self-sufficient within just one growing season. Your participation in this event, whether through buying raffle entries, picking up dinner from Proto's, or joining the virtual concert, helps Mwebaza's Uganda partners solidify their access to food, education, and employment.

For more information or to RSVP, visit their website, here: https://www.mwebaza.org/mwebazafundraisers. To keep up with the Foundation, follow them on Instagram (@mwebazafoundation) or Facebook (@TheMwebazaFoundation).