Fiscal Sponsorships & Collaborators

The Bwoga Elementary Library (BEL) is a nonprofit organization (NGO) in Uganda that currently has fiscal sponsorship through The WaWa Project, a non-profit organization registered in the United States EIN 27-3784908.

Donation

We welcome your participation and any contribution. BEL relies on generous contributions from friends and well-wishers like you and every donation is tax deductible through the fiscal sponsorship and partnerships with WaWa project ( https://www.wawaproject.org/).  

WaWa is a 501c3 non-profit organization based in the US that is providing financial support for educational interventions, to children with disabilities in Ghana, West Africa. No act of kindness is too small, and every amount or effort helps and would be greatly appreciated.

Most importantly, you can follow along with BEL progress by signing up for our newsletter.

If you would like to donate via check, the check can be made out to “The WaWa Project” and in the memo line add “BEL Project”. Mail checks to 124 Washington Street, Suite 101 Foxboro, MA 02035.

The mission of the Bwoga Elementary Library (BEL) initiative, an independent NGO in Uganda and housed in the United States under the non-profit WAWA Project, is to build and run a library and educational center in Bwoga, a small village in western Uganda. BEL’s goal is to provide a place for the children of Bwoga to access resources and opportunities, develop useful life and career skills, and improve their prospects in education, career, and civic engagement, in order to benefit the Bwoga community.

BEL was founded by two Bwoga locals, Sarah Kimeu and Peter Agaba, who were motivated by their firsthand experiences and the challenges that face children and parents in their village of Bwoga. While Sarah and Peter were fortunate to complete primary and secondary school locally, attend prestigious boarding high schools in Uganda, and eventually gain scholarships to universities in the United States, many students in their village were unable to complete school due to early pregnancy or needing to work. Together, they have built a coalition of local community members and leaders to implement the BEL initiative and partners in the U.S. to support the project.

The library is already under construction and is expected to reach completion in November 2023. Once the building is complete, the library will be equipped with relevant books, technology, and local staff, including a trained librarian who can lead early-learning programs. The staff will also be a resource for educational after-school and summer programs for the local youth, including reading challenges, computer literacy activities, mentorship, and other skill-building activities. Programming will include preparation for furthering education through secondary school and college, and resources will include entrance exam preparation materials and scholarships. BEL will also have open access hours for youth to use computers, rent books, and access staff and other resources.

In the meantime, BEL programming has already begun and made impacts on the lives of Bwoga’s youth. BEL has hosted two successful reading and character-building summer programs in 2021 and 2022, benefitting nearly two hundred children, and has given out $2500 in scholarships to twelve children with academic potential and financial need, including 7 girls, to help pay for school fees and supplies. Starting January 2023, BEL is launching an advising program for students who are looking for scholarship opportunities abroad, increasing focus on girls’ education and empowerment, and starting adult classes focused on civic engagement, recycling, and business management.

 Given rural Uganda’s challenging context, BEL seeks to improve educational outcomes, gender equality, and civic participation in the Bwoga community. BEL will also help instill the desire to be life-long learners among Bwoga’s inhabitants. This will ultimately help youth in Bwoga not only gain knowledge but also address the community’s trans-generational hunger, poverty, and social stigma challenges, including empowering women, by creating generations of educated leaders who can give back to their community.

BEL Initiatives

 BEL Holiday Reading Program

BEL launched holiday reading program in the April of 2022 and has so far conducted four reading programs. The one-month program builds reading comprehension among the students in Bwoga, and the curriculum and programming were developed in cooperation with the local elementary school. Half of each day is spent supplementing reading skills that complement the curriculum taught during the school year, and the other half of the day is devoted to character and value development and climate, and environment education led by college student volunteers.

Pictures of students during the holiday reading program. On the left are students making crafts and on the right are students cleaning around the local church as part of community service.

BEL Scholarship fund

The BEL initiative started a scholarship fund in January 2022 that is currently benefitting 14 with 6 of them attending high school and the other 8 attending elementary school. The education completion rate in Bwoga is very low, much lower than the national average. For example, less than one percent of families in Bwoga have a child who has completed postsecondary education. The main reasons for this low rate are poverty, absence of role models, and lack of supportive learning environments or infrastructure. The scholarship covers tuition ($300-$400 per academic year), school supplies, and provide access to individualized mentoring from older community members and former students of Bwoga. Priority is given to girls, as they often face steeper hurdles, to reduce gender educational inequality and access.  In the future, BEL hopes to expand the annual scholarship fund aimed at reducing educational inequality among the Bwoga youth.

Community Moms Basket Weaving

As part of the scholarship fund, Sarah (co-founder of BEL) initiated the "Community Moms Basket Weaving" project. This project brings together mothers from the Bwoga community to engage in the art of basket-weaving. In turn, Sarah tries to find market for the baskets, including selling them through her small “SaSa Samosa Kitchen” business in Louisville, Kentucky. Within the community, these moms have emerged as a formidable force, driving positive change throughout the area. Uniting under the shared goal of supporting their children's education and uplifting the community, these women are displaying unwavering dedication. Through their basket-weaving sessions, they not only craft beautiful pieces but also exchange stories, ideas, and strategies for improving their lives and the well-being of their families.Since the inception of the project, these determined moms have consistently gathered, weaving baskets while passionately discussing ways to enhance the Bwoga community. Below are pictures of one of the basket weaving sessions, and some sample pieces of the moms’ work.

BEL Kids Louisville

This year, BEL initiated BEL Kids Louisville as a means of bringing together children of East African backgrounds. What started as a local endeavor in Bwoga Uganda is now growing to encompass a broader scope, extending its acts of kindness to children in Louisville, KY as well. While BEL's primary focus remains providing education to children in Bwoga, it also places emphasis on cultural awareness for the children in Louisville.

BEL in Louisville is bringing together children (primarily from East African immigrant families) and offering them valuable insights into the traditions and customs of their homeland. We strive to facilitate a reconnection with East African cultures, while also promoting cultural awareness among those who have not had the opportunity to visit East Africa. Given the immense diversity of cultures in East Africa, BEL is employing various mediums such as art, music, dance, drums, storytelling, games, and food to convey the rich stories and teachings about the region. Looking ahead, BEL envisions expanding this program to reach a greater number of children, even extending the reach of East African culture within the United States. This may be achieved through music presentations, storytelling, dances, and other creative means, enabling the sharing of East African culture with people across the country.