Peter Kamuhanda and Mwebaza Days

In the February 5, 2020 edition of the Left Hand Valley Courier, an article was published about a young Ugandan boy named Peter Kamuhanda, who was a recipient of the Mwebaza Foundation's scholarship program. This program provided for his schooling, whereas in Uganda, insufficient funding for schools forces citizens to fill the financial gaps.

Tragically, Kamuhanda was orphaned as a child and vulnerable to losing his scholarship. His current guardian had planned to send him to live with his grandmother in a remote village, where educational opportunities were scarce.

The Mwebaza Foundation, a local non-profit organization focused on educational opportunities in Colorado and Uganda, raised enough money so he could remain in town with a new guardian, Julian Owomugisha, who would raise Kamuhanda alongside her three children, enabling him to continue schooling.

So, where is young Kamuhanda today? Thanks to the comprehensive scholarship granted by the Mwebaza Foundation and made possible by donors, Kamuhanda remained at Mwebaza Primary School until he graduated in 2022. He then went on to attend secondary school and is now in his second year.

Last year, he received a Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Performance from his school. He is an active church choir member, playing drums and learning the piano. During school breaks, he works as a busboy at a local hotel to earn money.

The Mwebaza Foundation is a nonprofit organization started by former Niwot Elementary School teacher Dale Peterson in 2008. It began as an avenue for penpal friendships between elementary students and became a larger cause.

Uganda is beautiful, with fertile soils, high biodiversity, rich vegetation, and abundant water resources. Like many African countries, Uganda continues to grapple with the legacy of colonialism, which has left behind socio-economic inequalities, political instability, and cultural disruptions. These factors have fueled the second-highest population growth rate in the world, post-conflict conditions in the north, land degradation, malaria, and HIV, helping to contribute to a school environment where tuition fees are charged for public education.

Mwebaza has developed an innovative business model that utilizes social enterprises. These social enterprises foster economic opportunity without relying on generational dependence on non-profit aid. The social enterprises unite local community members and schools through the establishment of small businesses.

Mwebaza achieves this by supplying seed money and a structured business plan format to the community members and schools, which they must complete. The format requires the proposed social enterprise to consider market forces such as demand, competition, production, and much more. The revenue generated from the small business is shared between the local community members and the school, lowering the school's operating expenses and reducing students' tuition. Startups have included creating a well for pumping and selling water, raising passion fruit, constructing a grain mill for flour, and raising oxen for plowing in the northern rural area, split into four zones, two oxen per zone.

In the realm of education, Mwebaza partners with 11 schools in Colorado and Uganda, including Niwot Elementary School, utilizing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. In this collaboration, the non-profit hosts a lively event called Mwebaza Days.

A Mwebaza Day was recently hosted between Niwot Elementary School and a Uganda partner school, where the children explored global issues and their impacts through local and international lenses. With this knowledge, students can apply their learning to the world, get involved in their communities, and realize they have the knowledge and power to be change-makers.

The Mwebaza Foundation believes that engaging our children in activities that promote global citizenship is important for several reasons. It is crucial in the 21st century to develop an awareness of other nations and cultures, particularly from a country with abundant resources. As the world becomes more interconnected, global citizenship among children instills empathy, understanding, and appreciation for diversity, empowering individuals to become proactive global participants rather than feeling powerless in the face of negative news.