STEPPING STONES FOUNDATION OF HOPE

Our goal is to uplift the standard of personal lives and families in rural areas surrounding Bunnamweri, Uganda. There are three core avenues toward this goal: Health/Water resources improvement, education provision, and faith facilitation. Thus, we set out to extend piped water throughout the sub-parish of Bunnamweri in Mpigi, Uganda. In June 2011 we started SSFOH’s “Pennies for a Well” project. The goal was to access clean and safe water for the people of my village (Bunnamweri) and the surrounding villages. New Jerusalem well was completed in August 2011. Since then, we have constructed and completed a total of eight wells in six villages. We have accessed piped water to at least 10,000 people, including two schools, Kkonge Parish and numerous homes.

Regarding SSFOH’s education facilitation program, our focus group is needy girls and orphans. For orphans, the need for education and living support is self-explanatory. For needy girls, our focus is upon them because in rural Ugandan communities like Bunnamweri, girls tend to be left out when it comes to higher education. Many girls will go to grade school but few finish high school or go beyond high school. Currently, in our education facilitation program we have 32 children.

Over the past few years, we have been especially blessed through our children. Flavia graduated (2011) and was certified as an electrician. This is achievement is quite unheard of for a woman in rural Uganda. Thanks to SSFOH, Flavia is now one of very few women with such a career in Uganda. In addition, Tonny has graduated from University (2014) with a bachelor of Business Administration. Mugagga has graduated from Vocational School with certificates in Electrical Installation and Electronics Repair and Maintenance. Joan is starting her final semester of College in January. These are few are only highlights. Each of our children grew and advanced greatly throughout last year. Several are starting College, others are continuing or going to start high school and others continue to do well in elementary school.

Regarding SSFOH’s education facilitation program, our focus group is needy girls and orphans. For orphans, the need for education and living support is self-explanatory. For needy girls, our focus is upon them because in rural Ugandan communities like Bunnamweri, girls tend to be left out when it comes to higher education. Many girls will go to grade school but few finish high school or go beyond high school.


The deep roots of SSFOH’s work are in our faith. Before anything else, this is what we strive to deepen in the small Christian communities by promoting Christian values and devotion. These enable us to overcome negativity, progress-hindering practices such as witchcraft, which remains deeply rooted in the imaginations of many of our beneficiaries and to nurture a sense of true hope among community members.

Our strategy for 2014 has stood as follows:
We have aimed at accomplishing two projects: 1) Establishing a Library to improve literacy especially among the young people of Bunnamweri and surrounding villages, 2) Establishing a health center to bring health services and care near to the people of Bunnamweri and surrounding villages. An elaboration follows:
1.
The children of Bunnamweri and surrounding villages did not have access to any library - not even through their schools.
Across the road from Saint Raphael Health Center, SSFOH has established a library for the children of Bunnamweri, especially the Stepping Stones Children. We recognized that our children were often not able to perform as best as they could because of lack of reading materials. For this reason, the culture of reading and comprehending was hardly present.
With the Stepping Stones Library in place, now our children have more opportunities to read for school work and for leisure.

The students are encouraged to use the library and they are using it. We are always collecting all kind of Books to inspire and educate the children and their parents. Please support Stepping Stones Library.
The funds that we used to establish Stepping Stones Library came from SSFOH's fall concert of 2013.
2.
In June 2011 we started SSFOH’s “Pennies for a Well” project. The goal was to access clean and safe water for the people of my village (Bunnamweri) and the surrounding villages. New Jerusalem well was completed in August 2011. Since then, we have constructed and completed a total of eight wells in six villages. We have accessed piped water to at least 10,000 people, including two schools, Kkonge Parish and numerous homes. The need for clean and safe water is very well known. However, we embarked on the “Pennies for a Well” project as a preventive measure in the fight again the loss of life due to lack of basic necessities of human existence. With the wells projected completed, in 2014 we have embarked on another phase of the fight. This time, we confront the reality of loss of life due to lack of access to even the most basic health services. It is one thing to fall sick and another to be helpless about one’s sickness. This often is the case for people in Bunnamweri. The nearest health service facility is about five miles. But when one is dying or in labor or faced with a life-threatening emergency, five miles without a car is like a thousand miles.
On March 16, 2014 SSFOH hosted its 3rd Annual Fundraising Luncheon: “Journey to Wellness.” The proceeds have been used to establish St. Raphael Health Center in Bunnamweri. After a long process of planning and putting all pieces in place, St. Raphael opened on November 2, 2014. It is the first Health Center in the area and the difference between living and dying for thousands.

SSFOH depends on the generosity of the poor. Unlike other foundations or charitable organizations, SSFOH has not gotten funding from big money sources. Rather, SSFOH activities are the results of sharing the little one has with those who have a little less. The purpose is always to help the less fortunate to help themselves. Because SSFOH does not have deep sources in the terms of finances, SSFOH struggles to accomplish its goals. Nevertheless, in every circumstance the accomplishment on our long list have been attained in the midst of struggling. In a way, SSFOH's greatest resource is faith,undying faith and trust in divine providence.
We hope that in the future, we can get a hand or two from deep sources in terms of finances. In any case, we will continue to do the best we can by the power of faith in him who is always faithful.

The following were accomplished in 2013:
• Construction of four safe and clean water stations, namely, St. Casimir’s Well, Marian High School Well, Janet’s Spring, and St. Joseph’s Well. We accessed piped water to least 5000 people including two schools, a hospital, Kkonge Parish and numerous homes. With these we finished our wells project with a total of 8 wells, 12 kilometers of piped water, serving at least 10,000 people.
• We installed new portraits for the Divine Mercy Way of the Cross at Kisubi Seminary.
• We beautified the courtyard at the Grotto of Our Lady of Perpetual Help near Bunnamweri sub-parish church.
• We helped various causes in charity, sorrowing with the sorrowful and laughing with those in joy, reaching out young and old to make a difference.
In 2014, the following are in progress:
Stepping Stones Library
St. Raphael Health Center
Sponsoring and facilitating education of the Stepping Stones children.