Musana Newsletter February 2018
We Are Team Bukona! 
“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” –Colin Powell
In May 2017, we started our campaign to build the second campus of Musana Nursery and Primary School after turning away hundreds of students at our main campus because of space. Thanks to our incredible Musana family that supported the vision, in late October, we broke ground on the new school in Bukona Village. In just over three months of construction, the school became a reality. On February 11 th , the energy around Musana was like no other as our Primary 5 to Primary 7 students moved to the new campus. Now, we can continue to open our gates to additional children and mold more future leaders with the skills and values that Uganda needs. This year, we will have 1,200 students in just our nursery and primary school! We are overflowing with excitement and the feeling of accomplishment. The journey has not been easy, but we did it!
Building in rural Uganda is not an easy task, especially during the hottest months of the year. Tasks like bringing electricity and water to the site, as well as providing road access, transporting all the building materials, etc. were difficult endeavors. The obstacles were continuous. Fortunately, the incredible Musana leadership was committed and determined, faithful that God would provide. WE WOULD OPEN OUR GATES IN FEBRUARY. There was no stopping us.

Opening the Bukona campus was EVERYONE’s project. Even our Primary 5, 6, and 7 students felt ownership of their new school and continue to FEEL the pride. “Team Bukona” they call themselves, and that is what they are, part of the team. The week before the move, Musana was bustling with activity and EVERYBODY took part. The administration, the teachers, the students… everyone was involved in the move. For days, children and adults worked together to move furniture, clean the newly constructed classrooms, organize school supplies, the list goes on and on. It was a team effort and it was incredible to see Musana’s core value emerge- local ownership. Everyone involved knew that they were part of this project. In fact, Musana’s Human Resource Manager, Yona, described it as “making history.” He even slept on campus the first night to make sure that he would forever be part of the school.
The children have now been going to school at Bukona for three weeks and they LOVE it! One of the best parts about the new campus is the nursery section. One of the dreams of building a school in Bukona was providing pre-school education to the most vulnerable children in the community. In Uganda, only 10% of children aged 3-5 receive formal education to learn the foundations. Bukona is a rural village with very few social services. With this school, we hope to provide the children of Bukona the foundations of education; offer health services and health education to them and their families; provide two nutritious meals a day (malnutrition and hunger is extremely high in Bukona); and give children a safe place to spend their days (it is very common for young children to be left idle while their parents tend to their gardens). A few weeks in and already there are over 50 nursery children enrolled in the school. The majority of the students are malnourished and come from extreme poverty. What a blessing it is to serve them! Over the course of the next couple of years, we will provide free education to over 200 pre-school aged children. We cannot wait to see how a foundational education at Musana will transform their lives and their families!

There is SO much to be thankful for this month with the opening of the new nursery and primary school campus at Bukona. GOD IS GOOD! Thank you again and again for supporting this project and being part of us. We are all Team Bukona! 
Did You Know??
Did you know many employers will match your donation to Musana? And some will even match your volunteer hours, including trip hours to Musana. Talk to your company about how you could double your impact in Uganda. Below are simple steps to submit your matching gift to Musana.

How it works:

1. IF you make a gift online or send us your check, or volunteer your time to Musana, send notice to your company of your time or donation.

2. Send us your matching gift or volunteer hours form, if required, to Susie Knight, our Stateside Administrative Coordinator. Forms can be accepted via email or by mail.

3. We will take care of the rest!

Companies currently matching gifts include: Encana, Xcel, Microsoft, Oracle Corporation, PG&E Corporation, Amgen Foundation, Ball Corporation, IBM, Medtronic, and organizations using the Benevity Community Impact Fund.

Don’t see your employer? Check with your Human Resources department to see what is required to match your gift or submit your volunteer hours. We will take care of submitting any forms needed or documentation, just let us know.

Every little bit counts towards our vision of seeing the most vulnerable in Uganda have access to sustainable solutions that give hope and dignity.

Have questions? Contact Susie .