“A Classroom for Christmas” campaign season is always one of my favorite times of the year. The giving catalog that we send out gives donors a chance to get directly involved in making an impact, and I love hearing testimonies from our donors about how they enjoy going through the catalog and picking out how they want to bless our Simone’s Kids community in Uganda.

Living full time in Uganda is so neat because I get to go out and make these purchases and see their impact on the ground. There are so many great ways to give in this year’s catalog, and building projects are extremely important for many reasons. While not every person can make a financial commitment to something as substantial as a building project, there are several other items to donate towards.

I want to share five items from our catalog that I personally feel will make a significant impact at our school and in the lives of our students. One of the first items that would make an impact is the backpack with school supplies ($30). At God’s Hope Schools, every student uses notebooks to write their notes in, and depending on the grade level, they either use pens or pencils to write those notes. Can you imagine keeping up with notebooks and pens/pencils without a bag to put them in?? While it may seem impossible, many of our students have this challenge. The gift of a school bag will help a student tremendously in keeping up with his/her materials, and will also give the child his/her needed school supplies at the same time! For only $30, it is very affordable to make a big impact.

The second item on my list is a bicycle ($100). Some students that we have at both the high school and primary level walk from distances that are over 5 kilometers each way. In the States, a 5K is a popular running distance, but not a popular distance to walk to school. After doing some simple math, you can see that students walk over 10 kilometers each day. That means they have to leave home before the sun comes up and they get back home after the sun has set. Having a bicycle would not only help them get to school quicker but will also greatly improve their safety on the long journey to and from home.

The third item is a hair-washing station ($160). While this may seem like an odd request, our vocational program at the school is growing incredibly fast, and the hair-dressing course is a popular choice among our students. When students do their exams for hairdressing, they take parents from the community and show the instructors what they have learned by styling the customers’ hair. In these practical exams, the students really get to prove their skills, and having a hair washing station would help them better their skills and the care that they are giving their clients.

The fourth item that I feel is important is the fence ($2,000). This fence will go between the high school and the primary school so that the borders are clearly defined and students stay where they are supposed to be. This will help with security as well as privacy for each of our schools.

The fifth item that would make a big difference is the 21 medical beds with attached drip stands ($5,000). This is a pricey item, but this purchase will provide proper beds for our entire clinic. Currently, the beds that are used in the clinic are short wooden beds that are creating problems for our nurses’ backs because of the constant bending down to treat patients. The new beds will sit at the correct height for our nurses to treat patients efficiently. The attached IV stands will make administering IV fluids easier as well. This is a much-needed purchase that would significantly improve our medical clinic.

While all the needs are in our giving catalog are there for a reason, and all purchases make a difference in our schools, these are some of the needs that I feel could really make an impact on the ground. We are praying for all needs to be met, and that through “A Classroom for Christmas 2018”, both Simone’s Kids and our incredible support system will be blessed beyond measure. If you haven’t already, check out our giving catalog and see how you can make a difference this holiday season.

Mason Satterfield, Director of Programs