Pre-school Educator Moved By Recent Trip To Uganda
Pre-school special education teacher Laura Kelly (left) took a trip to Uganda in June. She is holding a fundraiser in Glenwood Aug. 10 to help support the development of wells to bring clean water to Uganda.
Some of Laura Kelly’s photos of ceremonies to celebrate the opening of wells in the African nation of Uganda.
A local educator got a first-hand look at the living conditions in some of the remote villages of Uganda during a recent visit to the African country.
Laura Kelly was among 13 Americans that made the journey in June with Heal & Thrive Global, a United States-based nonprofit organization working to improve the lives of vulnerable women and their families in the Teso Region of Uganda in eastern Africa. Most of their time was spent in villages outlying the city of Soroti in east central Uganda.
“I went on what I would call an immersive trip (not a mission trip) to Uganda with an organization called Heal & Thrive Global,” Kelly said. “I have been financially supporting a literacy center for widows and single mamas there for a few years. On this trip, I was able to see first hand the impact of all the various programs of Heal & Thrive, including literacy centers, well openings, safe house for teen moms, support for children in child-headed households and support programs for teenage moms who can still live at home.”
The 10 days spent in Uganda was an enlightening experience for Kelly, a preschool special education teacher at Longfellow Elementary in Council Bluffs.
“Going to Uganda was a bucket list trip for me as I have always wanted to go to Africa,” she said. “I was looking for an experience that was more immersive than touristy, and this trip was exactly that.”
For Kelly, one of the biggest takeaways from the trip is the importance of having access to clean water.
“I came back determined to raise money to provide another well in Agirigiroi Village, the village that I support financially,” she said.
As part of her fundraising effort, Kelly is giving a special presentation about her trip to Uganda - specifically as it relates to the impact the various programs Heal & Thrive Global supports – at Parea Cocktail Lounge in Glenwood on Thursday, Aug. 10, beginning at 7 p.m. In conjunction with her presentation, Kelly will also be holding a silent auction of items made in Uganda and Togo. All proceeds from the auction will go directly to support the well project in Agirigiroi Village.
Additional information about Heal & Thrive Global is available on the organization’s website – www.healandthrive.global.