Send Up the Fireworks!
Hilda with Ruth and Silvia in our multi-purpose office space
This week, we were officially recognized as a Community-Based Organization in Kamuli District, Uganda! This is a big deal for our team, acknowledging all their efforts and the work they have done for the past nine years!
As our outreach and success in the Kamuli town and the surrounding villages has grown over the years, the local council members (politicians) approached us and we were invited to formally register CLP as a Community-Based Organization (CBO). Our team was thrilled to have their hard work and progress seen as making a real difference for the most vulnerable.
This recognition may also make us eligible for more partnerships and grants in Uganda so we can help lift more children and families out of poverty.
We have been operating under the Kamuli Area People's Integral Development Association, a local NGO. This has been a wonderful collaborative relationship. Now, we are at the point where our outreach needs to be under its own organization, and we are very honored.
Thanks to all of you, our donors and supporters, you made this happen by giving to help the most vulnerable in Kamuli district.
Obtaining the CBO certification was a process that took a fair amount of work, and there are several people who made this possible.
First, the work done by Alibonaki Proscovia (Prossy) for our first eight years in Uganda built the foundation upon which CLP has grown to where it is today.
Prossy had the vision for starting our Girls' Vocational Center and brought that from an idea to reality. She was also instrumental in coordinating our other projects, including school gardens, smaller kitchen gardens, and tree planting for reforestation.
Prossy is working on other projects outside of CLP right now. She is an avid gardener and has become very knowledgeable in sustainable growing practices. She has a passion for helping families improve food security, and we look forward to having her expertise in this area in the near future.
Our team members Aminsi and Hilda also worked many hours meeting with the local council representatives, gathering the necessary documents, and getting our central office set up, which was one of the requirements. The office is doing double-duty by adding space to our tailoring program, and a play space for the children while their mothers learn.
Our other team members, Betty and Annet, also work hard serving in the rural communities and running programs. These are areas with no other services to help families.
Thank you also to Ssozi Joseph for his guidance on the paperwork. Joseph is the founder of the Gorilla Hoops Basketball Academy, one of our partners in Kamuli.
Our team is very excited by being granted CBO status, and they were even invited to an upcoming meeting of other organizations to talk about our work.
As always, it's the Partnerships in CLP that make us effective and stronger.
Thank you for continuing to partner with us and invest in the future of the children!
With Gratitude,
Mary
P.S.- If you're feeling inspired, you are welcome to pass this email along to friends and family! We'd love to introduce more people to CLP and we could use your help!
