 Most Americans will never know what it is like to find themselves with thirst. Sure, we get thirsty some times, we may eat something salty, or we worked hard and feel parched; but majority of people in well-developed countries such as the United States will never know the feeling of true thirst. To know there is no water for miles and miles. The act of getting water takes an entire day and it is all that consumes the mind. This is true thirst. And this is the reality for many millions of children and families around the world. This was the reality for the community of Kayunga, Uganda. Set members of families would go and search for water and bring it back to their families in order to sustain them for that one day. All too often, the water was found in drainage ditches, run-off from rain or local agriculture. The water that was found, was often not safe to drink. But what can one do when they are desperate, and thirsty? When someone drinks unclean water, it can cause many types of diarrheal diseases, including Cholera, and other serious illnesses such as Guinea worm disease, Typhoid, and Dysentery. Water related diseases cause 3.4 million deaths each year. This is 100% preventable. Since 2014, AIDSpirit USA, alongside very generous donors, have provided the community of Kayunga and surrounding villages with water pumps, or bore holes, to be used to pull clean water from the ground. One pump can help an entire village, and provide this basic right to everyone living there. As of now, the goal is to provide 40 wells to this area, so no child will have to die from a disease and is so easily prevented. Many world health agencies indicate that when there is clean water readily available to children and their families, there is a 50-85% reduction in disease in that area. This is a true miracle. Consider what happens to the child that no longer has to spend their entire day searching for water. What else could they do with this time? Now that they have access to clean water, they are now healthy enough to go to school, help on their families’ farm, learn a trade. When someone is no longer desperate to meet their basic needs, they can focus their energy on bettering themselves and their communities. This is how the cycle of thirst is broken, provide clean water, but also provide an opportunity for hope. This is the true value of water. How can you help? Click the link HERE and discover ways you can provide the true value of water to this community in Uganda. You can also view our progress by clicking the video below!
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Many awesome things have been happening here in Uganda. It is truly amazing how the people on our team are lending their talents, skills, experience, finances and hearts to observe the operation we have been building for the past 12 years. This year our vision has been to focus on the health of our children thru nutrition provided by proteins and animal products, while Learning techniques for sustainability and less waste. Already we have children captivated by the process and our goal is to send them to a farming school to be trained further.
Our children have had the opportunity to speak freely in open forum classes that touch on social issues, health issues and wellness of mind, body and spirit. Our Tender Mercies farm is producing very well, having cash crops and produce for daily living. The older boys work hard helping the TM family while home from school and there are many opportunities for villagers to assist in the maintenance and upkeep. Already we have had a beautiful well dedication which can only be described as MOVING and EMOTIONAL. When you see hoards of children in a parade of song leading our bus in a procession of thanks. The joy is overwhelming when you see the affects on 1000’s of people. The sickle cell clinic treated over 160 people, hundreds came with sick children in tow. I was unaware that AIDSpirit USA was the only non profit organization that has picked up the torch for sickle cell awareness and care all the while we are sitting in the Hotbed of the world for this disease. Children used to not live past 18 and many are maintaining health due to our program. We have Sicklers now well into their 70’s of age. There is so much more to report, but today we celebrate the success of of children graduating from university. This means so much to them, so much to us and THE WORLD to their family and communities!!!! Check back soon for more details. With love from Kayunga! The travel team for this year's Uganda trip is absolutely ecstatic to see our children and get back to work, but we need your help! On Saturday April 27th we will be packing close to 30 over-sized totes with supplies for our family, friends, and community members in the Kayunga District. Check out the Facebook event details here!
We still need supplies! Consider collecting and donating the following essentials:
We're excited to announce our participation in a successful community event coming up on May 2nd! Here's a little bit more about this event:
#YVGives2019 by the Billings Community Foundation will start at 12PM on Thursday, May 2nd and end at 6PM on Friday, May 3rd, 2019. The Billings Community Foundation's Yellowstone Valley Gives initiative is a powerful 24+ hour online and on-site Live Celebration of Giving focused on connecting Community Members with area Nonprofit Organizations - reinforcing the value of Philanthropic Giving, Community Engagement, and Collaborative Impact for the benefit of the Greater Yellowstone Valley Region of Montana! The Billings Community Foundation’s Yellowstone Valley Giving Day is a powerful 24+ hour online and on-site live celebration of giving, focused on connecting community members with area nonprofits! We are reinforcing the value of philanthropic giving, encouraging community engagement, and strengthening collaborative impact for the benefit of the Greater Yellowstone Valley Region of Montana! Consider making your contribution and visit our organization's page! CLICK HERE!  "It has been 3 years since I traveled overseas, for the first time in my life, to meet and fall in love with the people of Kayunga, Uganda. As I pack my bag of belongings, trying to remember only the essentials, and look back on the photos I have from my last adventure, I can't help but think, 'What do they look like now and how have they grown? do they all remember me? will I remember all of their names? how can I make this trip more impactful than the last? I hope I can take more pictures and capture more stories this time...'" -Morgan Ditto The memories, stories, and experiences of the travel team members are so important to us. They help us share the love, the heart, and the compassion of this organization that engages new supporters and warms the hearts of all of our faithful donors and volunteers. This year we will be collecting more photos and more stories from each person who is traveling with us, and posting them for all of you to see! Want to see all of our updates? Follow us on Facebook And follow us on Instagram! Sign up for our email list! We hope to post daily (internet and electricity pending) starting May 6th! We can't wait to share with all of you!  Our Dollar for Dollar campaign, spurred on by a generous supporter of AIDSpirit USA, was a complete success! This was our organization's first time working together with various fundraising events working towards one common goal, GET TO $50k. There were garage sales, bake sales, wine tastings, peer-to-peer requests and outreach, and SO MUCH MORE! Together our AIDSpirit family of supporters raised over $51,000. The Jenken's family started this challenge by matching the first $50k and with everyone's fundraising efforts and overwhelming generosity, we raised over $100,000 thousand dollars! Since this campaign has ended, we have been able to secure a farm vehicle, provide drip irrigation for 4 acres of farm property, secure an additional 2 acres of farm land, recognize and start restoration of 4 water wells and start construction on a new Tender Mercies Infant Home which will provide a more comfortable atmosphere for those abandoned and vulnerable children under the age of 3. In May our Team will travel to see the beautiful children at Tender Mercies Home. As we travel as a team we will see the fruits of your generosity and view the progress made for the sustainable farm project, share in the Celebration of these 4 wells, start with the construction of an outdoor covered patio at Tender Mercies and check on the progress of the infant home. So many wonderful things have been accomplished with this goodwill, STAY TUNED FOR OUR BLOG UPDATES WHILE WE TRAVEL IN MAY!!!! We have so much to be grateful for and one thing is certain, THESE REMARKABLE PROJECTS ARE HAPPENING BECAUSE OF YOU! Please keep an eye on progress by following our Blog and encouraging others to get involved. Enjoy the photos attached of some of the projects we mentioned above. Sincerely, AIDSpirit USA Team  Paul and Sally Jenkins, lifelong friends of Sister Mary V. and longtime supporters of AIDSpirit, are no strangers to the inspiration found in knowing Sister. When they were watching a documentary of how, through Sisters guidance and inspiration, AIDSpirit USA is changing the lives of orphaned and abandoned children in the Kayunga District of Uganda Africa, they knew it was time for them to act.
Paul and Sally are challenging each and every one of us to raise our hands and say YES. For every dollar you donate from now, until October 31st, Paul and Sally will MATCH IT, dollar-for-dollar up to the first $50,000 contributed. Your contribution today is DOUBLED! Together, we can raise $100,000 and change the world! To find out more about how you can help click here! Hello AIDSpirit supporters! We've got our digital newsletter available here for you to review! Also, check out this great little infographic we put together, showcasing just how your dollars are used to impact Billings, Montana and our beloved children and their community in Kayunga, Uganda. Download the newsletter, share and comment on this post, and contact us for more information about how you can get involved or donate!  Thanks to you the supporter, we make a big difference, and can do so much more! 
Wednesday, 1/31/18 We are coming away from a HUGE clinic day yesterday and most of us are dragging just a bit. The respiratory monster that has taken hold of so many of us is finally fleeing the country! Every Z-pak and Cipro prescription has been used this go around. Our troubles all initiated by the pollution (burning plastic and debree) and red dust in the air. Our lungs were not quite ready for all this dryness. In spite of our dragging backsides, we plan our day each morning around the Dining table for breakfast.
We are winding down to depart Kayunga district on Friday, early a.m. Then we are off to Musindi. This process takes a lot of readiness, emotionally, physically and spiritually. I mention this because there are people, dozens and dozens, that we have shared life with. Hugs, smiles, morning and afternoon, evening greetings, sickness, riches and poverty all shared experiences of each and every day makes leaving on Friday very hard. This is how our day was laid out: Tom and Charles take older boys to farm to complete the huge fencing project. Today the young doctors will take a trip to the farm with our men. Later in the day they report back to the rest of our team that they thoroughly enjoyed their experience. They are amazed at the hand-dug 70 ft well, the abundance of crops and all the fine fencing work completed. It was a scorcher today and the gang of Muzungues came back burnt and our Ugandan brothers were. So, the Muzungoos came back burnt and our Ugandan brothers came back tired and HUNGRY! With the men off to the farm, that left us women with all the children. We had a Beauty day and the kids fixed me hair with 50 little pony tails. I looked like a cute little rag doll. Sue spent almost all day sewing on the old Singer manual sewing machine, everything from work sleeves for garden pineapple picking to alterations and repairs of SO MANY ARTICLES OF CLOTHING!!! We have one young lady, hearing impaired, that helps sew. Her trade will take her far and nothing holds her back! Her name is Shameek. Sue took our young John under her wing all day, by the end of the day with our hyperactive son, she was willing to walk 1000 miles for a warm adult beverage to ease her frazzled nerves, LOL! Momma Gretchen and Momma Jean lead a parade of children and staff through our Library full of surplus shoes, clothes and extras. I don't know who was happier, the kids or our Mommas! Linda sat patiently telling stories, doing crafts and corralling as many attentive and interested children she could find. They made bracelets, made drawings, read stories and learned many valuable lessons for their upcoming new semesters at school. Linda's husband, John, has been our resident mechanic, electrician, plumber and so much more. You guys can't imagine how important it is to have male mentors come on these trips. He and Tom have helped the children learn lessons that are priceless and completed projects that have been recurring each and every year we come back to Uganda. There is no shortage of handyman work and these two men are great teachers and mentors in every department. It is so hard to explain in words what an average day in Africa consists of, as it is unlike anything you have experienced personally in the U.S. But know this, each and every day is received as a blessing and we certainly are not going to change a perfectly wonderful and optimistic philosophy! Goodnight from Uganda..... The Team We had a special day today, we were fortunate to meet one of the most powerful women in the District of Kayunga. Her name is Momma Birungi (Woman who makes all beautiful). Her real name is Rose "What AIDSpirit is doing in Kayunga is REAL!" Momma Birungi says we are "most welcome" in her District and the bodyguards that protect her each moment also makes certain that our visit is safe in their District. I hope to write more about this visit, but tonight I must retire. Uganda is a complete sensory overload at times. Thanks for reading our blog. Stay tuned for more.
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