Every Donor Means the World to Us!
May 5, 2018
And we love sharing their stories!
In 2012 a long time donor from Texas contacted us about coming to visit. When making plans to pick him up at the airport, he described himself as 6'4", 240 lbs and clad in a blue shirt. Needless to say he was easy to spot! We soon came to realize that his heart was as big as his stature.
Jerry Hietpas learned about Connect Africa in 2007
  Jerry  found us through his daughter and immediately began sponsoring a student through secondary and law school, a total of 10 years. At age 75 he came to meet Sayid Bangi whom he had come to regard as a son - tough love and all!  Tears Tears Tears by everyone! In 2012 he and his wife Rita were our first  visitors to the Guest House in Joggo.   What a time it was!
 Books and Bucks
Upon returning home he immediately wrote to us that he wanted to do more and did we have a list of possibilities? Jerry chose our dream for a library.  Jerry fund raised at 10 different venues in 6 days for the construction of the library. That wasn't enough! He went about securing 1000 books and shipped 80+ boxes to Uganda. 

Striving to Do More                           Click here to see more
While in Uganda Charles and Jerry had many conversations about our mission of providing economic opportunities to Ugandans. With Jerry's hobby in carpentry, vocational training moved him. As plans for our vocational institute evolved he began amassing carpentry and metal work tools and machines.  2000 lbs later we received a box that six very strong Ugandan men COULD NOT move. 
Vocational Training Institute 
  
The tools are now an integral part of our newly built and recently opened vocational institute.  Jerry would like to come and teach in our carpentry program though he feels unable to join us at this time.  We will dedicate the carpentry and metal rooms in his honor.
THE TRUTH....once you visit Connect Africa, you will be amazed and overcome by the work being done. Our visitors always express the same sentiment: feeling even more deeply their commitment to their student yet wanting to help others. It's often upon returning home that they discover opportunities for contributing to Connect Africa in new ways!
As you can see Jerry has a heart as big as Texas!

All of us at Connect Africa rejoice in the day he and all our donors came into our lives...thank you Jerry Hietpas!

Warmly,
Lynn, Charles and the Board of Directors