Local Supporters Go Beyond Uganda

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by Amy Sullivan

WHAT’S YOUR BEYOND?

For Capulan Gurrola, It’s Beyond Uganda

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“I DON’T WANT BOYS, I WANT SCHOOL, I WANT TO BE A nurse. I want school, I want to be a nurse.” 12-year-old Jennifer persisted, shadowing Capulan Gurrola and her family, pointing to their shoes. It was 2011, and Capulan, her husband, three daughters, and son, had seized the opportunity through Heartland Church to cross off an item from their bucket list: to travel to a faraway country to visit the children they had been sponsoring for several years in Uganda. But Jennifer was not the Gurrolas’ sponsored child, and they couldn’t understand what she was trying to tell them. During their daily debriefing, Capulan shared this experience with the group. To her surprise, she learned school is not free for Ugandans. They must be able to pay for school fees and a uniform and must have a pair of shoes. Jennifer was asking for a pair of shoes to be able to attend school. Otherwise, when she reached the age of 15, she would be married off and given no other choices for her life. This made an overwhelming impact on Capulan’s daughter, also 12 at the time, who realized she probably had 30 pairs of shoes at home, while just one pair would help Jennifer and others attend school. She continued to remind her family how they could help—to do something “beyond Uganda.” When they returned to the states, the Gurrolas shared Jennifer’s story with others. Within a month they collected 271 pairs of shoes, as well as clothing and money to pay for school fees. A year later, in 2012, they filed for 501c3 status to establish the organization “Beyond Uganda.” Initial funds raised allowed Jennifer to enroll in school, and she was the first graduate of the program sponsored by their organization. Sponsorship of a child also provides meals and medical assistance, as well as a “nest egg” to begin saving towards their college or vocational school education. If not, a sponsor’s support can later help the child negotiate a plot of land to begin living independently. Jackie Harris and her husband, Roger, began sponsoring two children in 2015. In April 2022 she took a “vision trip” to Uganda, which takes place every spring and summer, to see what Beyond Uganda is doing now and to continue to develop a vision for the future. Though she also spent time helping a family who had been building for almost 10 years to complete their

 Serving a “Center Day” meal to approximately 250 children at the Bugiri outpost.

home and visiting other project sites, the highlight of the trip was finally meeting their two sponsor children. “When I met them it was unlike anything I had ever experienced before,” Jackie reflected. “I loved them as soon as I saw them. They had these smiles! The time I spent with them, learning what they like and what’s important to them, was priceless. We shared a meal and got to know each other a little. I had come to Uganda to see the vision and liked what they are doing but didn’t think I would go back. Now that I have met the children, I know I will go back.” Jackie says it was easy to distinguish which kids were sponsored and which weren’t. “We served food for 250, 400, and even 650 children. It was easy to see the benefits of sponsorship. Those kids have hope for a better future, getting what they need to live now beyond merely surviving.” Supporters still collect shoes to help educate kids, but Beyond Uganda has expanded greatly over the past ten years. With the help of Laura Roberts of Starfish Orphan Ministry, Beyond Uganda set up the infrastructure, and with the collaboration of many ministry partnerships they have been able to grow to four sites including a project center. Aiming to be self-sustainable, they later acquired 47 acres in a neighboring city and now have a primary school, a church, and land plentiful with crops to feed staff and children and sell at market to raise funds. They have two project sites in the east and other sites in the capital city, with a total of four project sites and 147 children enrolled in the program. Every Saturday is “Center Day,” where the Jackie Harris “absolutely falling in love” with her sponsor children, Proscovia and Franco

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Visiting the children of Suubi Christian Primary School in Namayemba. Funds to construct the school were raised at the 2019 “reverse auction.” / Suubi school student giving thanks to Symsonia students for participation in fundraising for clean water.

gates are open to the community kids to enjoy a piece of meat, a luxury most families don’t regularly get. Within Beyond Uganda’s walled compound, approximately 250300 children not only have a chance to eat a nutritious meal, but also have a safe place to learn and play games. Three days a week, around 125 adults can participate in life skill lessons, including storing water, business and financial training, and parenting classes. Women enrolled in these classes also have an opportunity to apply for a loan through Beyond Uganda’s Empowering Women program. Nearly 89 percent of women in Uganda earn only an average of $400 annually, just enough to live in sub-poverty conditions. In the interest-free micro credit loan program, women are given $50 to start a business which they pay back in six months. During that time, they come in three times a week for business classes, life classes, and bible study. When their $50 is repaid, the women then help choose another woman to invest in, teaching them to invest in one another. Beyond Uganda volunteers also help build houses for families, which can take several years since you build as you get the supplies and help. Each project is a partnership. Ugandan families build a foundation and make bricks year-round until they have enough, and volunteers help build the homes. “We bring 80% of the needed resources, but we require the family to step up with the other 20%, which is not always money – they make bricks and provide food to feed the workers,” says Capulan. Back in Paducah fundraising is ongoing, with t-shirt, jewelry and handbag sales, store collaboratives, food sales, and regular donations. But Beyond Uganda specifically raises money for buildings at its annual “Reverse Auction.” Instead of obtaining donations for bidders to purchase and take home items, guests buy windows, doors, the foundation for a home or school, and even the desks for school classrooms. Plaques with donors’ names are hung in the rooms of these structures. “That’s the best part of being a team leader taking groups each spring and summer,” Capulan exclaimed, “when we witness the donors’ excitement of standing in a classroom seeing their name on the wall. This happened this past April when donor Amy Brock yelled to her husband, ‘Look, Joe! Here’s our room! Come see the classroom we helped build!’ as she stood in that very room and could see the fruits of their donation.” Though not everyone is able to visit Uganda, Capulan encourages everyone to reflect upon what their “beyond” might be. “When we see a person in need, it’s a reminder to do something bigger outside of ourselves, even something small. For us, that was Uganda, but for others, it may be helping their neighbor across the street, or coming together as a community like many did for Mayfield when the tornado hit.” Visit beyonduganda.org to learn how you might help find your beyond.