Building Tomorrow Update - Jan to Jul 2011 by Maggie Kirkpatrick

Who is Building Tomorrow?

Introducing Building Tomorrow’s staff in the US & Uganda George Srour Founder & Chief Dreamer Maggie Kirkpatrick Jack of All Trades Liz Braden Financial Optimist

Joseph Kaliisa Country Director - pictured Jimmy Luyirika Program Officer Enoch Muhumuza Engineer Jjumba Cyprian Community Mobilizer Henry Katongole Site Manager - pictured Henry Okiror Site Manager

Summer Interns: Estelle Rousseau – Social Media Claire Morgan – Social Media Nicola Kirkpatrick – Digital Media

From our blog… Why we do what we do - by Estelle Rousseau The number of charities and organizations representing various causes can be overwhelming. The search term “non-profit organizations” itself gets 38,800,000 hits on Google. So it’s reasonable for me to consider my position, giving up my summer for no pay as an intern at one of those establishments, and ask myself a fundamental question. “Why?” Among all the things one could devote herself to, is building schools in a country all the way across the ocean actually important? Is it necessary? Is it worth it? And why Building Tomorrow? Education is important. To make that education obtainable, schools are necessary. And if I can improve another person’s life by building that infrastructure, then working at Building Tomorrow is definitely worth it. Read Estelle’s entire post and other insights from our interns at www.buildingtomorrow.org/blog.

we are

January to June

Just a few weeks ago, I had the chance to visit with a local community outside the town of Masaka. Huddled at a local community farm, over 100 future students and parents gathered to hear plans for a new BT academy. On a site of over 10 acres of land donated by a local family, the crowd was electrified by the prospects of a new school--the first in the sub county. Meetings such as this have been taking place with greater frequency as Building Tomorrow prepares to open its 10th academy later this year and begin work on an additional ten over the next several months. While much work remains to be done, we’re thrilled for all that’s to come and our work Building Tomorrow. »

what’s going on in the What does an education cost? On January 25, BT launched an online tool at www.calculateit.org, enabling anyone born before 1999 to quickly calculate the cost of one’s 1st-7th grade education. Using the tool as an awareness piece, the calculator compares the cost of a US education to the cost of educating a child at a BT academy. Through this new tool, students have approached BT asking for ways to get involved, directly resulting in commitments to raise funds for two new BT academies. Check it out for yourself and see how much your education cost.

BT featured in national and local news On May 27th, Matthew Tully ran an article in the Indianapolis Star highlighting BT, Srour, and our work in Uganda. Tully quoted Joseph Kaliisa, our Uganda Country Director, saying “Every family dreams of having a child go to school” and we are working towards just that. BT’s Founder and Chief Dreamer, George Srour, was featured this February in the Huffington Post’s Impact section. As the “Greatest Person of the Day” the article shared Srour’s story of starting BT and the successes he has had in Uganda so far.

How far would you walk for an education? Every year, students in the BT chapter at Davidson College post signs like this one all over campus pointing to and measuring exact distances to dining halls, libraries and student housing. The goal is to make people stop and think...because every day students half their age are walking at least six times the distance to Main St. to get to school. The signs have become the chapter’s most successful recruiting tool as one student said, “I guarantee almost everyone on campus notices them.”

Students use online fundraising to build a school This Spring, Ellie Chernosky visited www.calculateit.org and was floored by the difference between the cost of her education and what it would take to build a school for 325 children in Uganda. She presented the facts to her sorority at the University of Texas at Austin. During the next few months, 30 girls from her sorority set up I am Building Tomorrow accounts inviting their friends and family to learn about BT’s work. So far, they have raised almost $25,000 for this future academy including $7,500 from a challenge grant...a challenge they met more than one month early. We look forward to the next semester as they approach their goal, doing as Ellie stated, “ our small part to ensure more children have access to the education that every child deserves.”

what’s going on in

From our blog...A is for Avocado - May 26th, 2011 Jjumba Cyprian is a soft-spoken man. Three years ago as construction began at the BT Academy of Gita, Jjumba took interest in the work BT was doing and joined our country director as a part-time community mobilizer. First to arrive and seemingly never willing to leave, Jjumba’s determination is still a topic of conversation amongst school management committee members. Today I had the chance to see Jjumba in action. Since work stalled due to paper work at the district office, Jjumba rallied the community of Gayaza to turn out in droves to make a push in finishing what will be BT’s 8th Academy. More than 30,000 bricks have been produced on-site and this week work will begin on a new demonstration garden and teacher’s quarters. While the tangible results are impressive, Jjumba’s real achievements and the key to BT’s successes are the relationships he’s fostered among families, local leaders and even district officials. Living in the community during the week, Jjumba (along with our two Henrys on staff) can rattle off the names of the over 100 community members who work on-site throughout the week, and of course, their kids, too. As we made our way to leave the site, two future BT students, Benedict and Sudayisi, flagged Jjumba and told him to wait. Moments later they handed over a basket full of ripe avocados–a gift from their family–to Jjumba. They quickly darted away and yelled out they’d be back first thing tomorrow. Jjumba smiled as he looked at his new stock and waved. “Me too, me too.”

BT opens its seventh academy After cutting the ceremonial ribbon to officially declare the new BT Academy of Jomba open, community members joined the singing and dancing led by a chorus of future students to celebrate the completion of the area’s first permanently-built school. The BT Academy of Jomba welcomed its first students on Monday, February 21 with the capacity to eventually house 325 kids in grades P1 through P7 (US equivalent of 1st-7th grade). The Academy, a 10-room structure constructed with the support of the City of Indianapolis and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls serves students from the village of Jomba as well as those in the surrounding villages of Kibone, Kitinda, and Kawooya. “The first time I came here, we sat under that tree and had a meeting,” BT Uganda Country Director Joseph Kalisa said. “And today we see the excitement of this place and these people for the opening of this very, very strong academy.”