Published Fri, May 27, 2022
Written by Maddy Sheppard-Perkins
Howdy friends and family,
I hope your summer is off to a lovely start and you’re finding some time to decompress.
First off, yes, this is one of my semi-annual fundraising pushes for CAP AIDs Uganda, however, this one is a little different - I’ve finally made the long trip to Northern Uganda and am reporting to you LIVE from the Home of Hope!
As a brief reminder, the Home of Hope is a vocational training centre for young women and children affected by HIV in Northern Uganda. It’s been so exciting to watch Naomi, the incredible executive director of CAP AIDs Uganda, and the team on the ground help grow this initiative exponentially over the past few years - all we need to do from the Canadian side is try fundraise to help support the Ugandan team make magic.
Being in this special place and seeing the day-to-day operations has been such a privilege; it’s also made both the wins (newer facilities, a higher capacity for beneficiaries in each training cohort, new vocational training options, building plans for a community “safe space” counselling centre, and a paint job in march.. to name a few) and the needs much clearer to me.
During my time here, I spent time with Joan, the Program Officer, who makes leading all on-the-ground operations seem like a breeze. We discussed at-length the community-identified priorities for the HOH, especially as she welcomes the new training cohort this coming Monday. Unfortunately, the HOH has had some theft in the past few months, making security for the girls a major key issues they’re hoping to address; with that said, I’ve made it my personal mission to raise funds to build a solid fence around the property before the end of the year.
This year, I’m once again participating in the Bike Rally in early June to fundraise for CAP AIDs Uganda. If you have a couple bucks to spare, we’d be so grateful for the support; other ways to support are awesome too - sharing on social media or by word-of-mouth, participating in the rally (free of charge!), or just joining us for our next online event!
You can find my campaign page here: https://capnetwork.reachapp.co/campaigns/maddy-sheppard-perkins-s-cap-ride-2022-campaign-for-cap-aids
Thanks for taking the time to read this short essay.. I know you’re all busy and I’m so appreciative.
Big hugs all around,
Maddy