Dear Donors, Sponsors and Supporters of Yamba Abaana (“Help the Children”),
The Board of Directors of Yamba Abaana would like to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas
and holiday season! As 2022 draws to a close we hope you will keep the school in mind as you
consider your choices for yearend giving.
The school administration has worked diligently to ensure the students have been affected as little as possible by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, we feel you should be aware of another very serious problem facing not only the children at the Rubanda Solidarity Primary and Nursery Schools, but those across all of Uganda right now. Inflation in Uganda in 2022 has had a crippling effect on the economy, especially in regard to affordability of basic food items. The majority of our students board at the school and receive all of their meals there. The academic
school year just ended on November 25, two full weeks earlier than usual, largely due to the food budget for the year having been exhausted.
The children get 3 meals a day usually consisting of posho (corn meal similar to grits), beans, a few local vegetables and fruit when available and only occasional meat or eggs. Posho makes up more than 50% of the students’ daily diet. The cost of food for each child has doubled in just the past year. It would seem like so little money to most of us, but it adds up to a critical amount when you have the responsibility to feed 325 children at a daily price increase of $81 per day compared to prices a year ago.
When the children return for the start of their new school year in Rubanda in 2023, they face an uncertain future largely driven by the critical shortage of these basic food items. Food insecurity has plagued Africa for generations but worsening drought, disruption of the global food chain due to COVID-19, wars, and now inflation are directly impacting the nutritional needs of the children especially. To help augment the daily diet, a project to have the school grow their own vegetables supported by Yamba Abaana has been underway for the last few years (thanks to YA Board members Daniel Bedard and David Sharp, PhD). We feel this is the best way to help the school be more independent of the market fluctuations in the future, but the efforts are not yet sufficient to alleviate the critical food shortage now.
The coming year will be very difficult for the children unless we can find additional funds to help the school. Rubanda district sits in one of the most impoverished areas of Uganda and the families of our children are already contributing as much as they can towards the expenses at the schools. Our goal is to ensure that the days the children are able to attend school in 2023 will not be cut short again.
Please help us supplement their diet through your compassion and generosity. We ask you to consider this: A donation of $65 (approximately 25 cents/day) will make up the price increase in 2023 for a student at either the nursery or primary school for an entire school year. A donation of $325 will supplement the diet of 5 children for the year. Any donation of any size will be greatly appreciated.
Please mail your check payable to Yamba Abaana to: PO Box 880, Grants Pass, OR 97528.
We know that economic situation worldwide is at a critical point right now.
The Board of Yamba Abaana assures you that every dollar donated for this and all projects at our
school will go for the purpose intended. Not only is Yamba Abaana a registered 501(3)(c) non-profit, but those of us on the Board work as volunteers to keep our overhead at zero (even mailing costs and bank wire transfer fees are paid for by Board members). Very few other international NGOs can make that promise.
Thank you for your time and your continued support of the Rubanda Solidarity Nursery and Primary.
Father Dominic Tumusiime adds his Christmas blessing and gratitude to all of our sponsors, donors, and friends. As 2022 comes to a close, may God keep watch over you and may 2023 be filled with God’s blessings!
The Board of Yamba Abaana:
David Sharp, PhD (President)
Daniel Bedard (Vice-President)
Philip Busch (Secretary)
Theresa Hurtt (Treasurer)
Bruce Murray, MD
Lauren St. Clair
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