Our Goal

We provide support, collaborate, and employ locally. We are focused on creating a self-sustaining ecosystem to provide opportunities and income for our kids and families. Our goal is to lift up our community, and give watch the next generations thrive. 

I first traveled to Uganda as part of my university education in 2012 and I have been back every year since! I’ve been fortunate to form deep connections within the community and with individuals I met along the way. Some of the children I have met over the years are orphans. However, many were sent to these institutions because their families could not pay the steep school fees. Most of these children lack basic resources such as food to eat, clean clothes and access to education. We are able to identify these children within the community and offer assistance to obtain these resources. 

Project Shine Uganda (PSU) was founded in response to the systematic flaws and corruption that I witnessed since I started visiting Uganda in 2012. Unfortunately, there were challenges along the way. For years  people who did offer support, also ended up taking advantage of the children. I want to ensure that these kids, who already have so little, are truly getting the resources, time, respect and help that they deserve, but are so often denied. I hope to protect them from the ailments that a corrupt system has inflicted upon them. Ultimately, I want to protect their basic rights as young human beings.

While visiting Uganda, I would see parents visiting their children at the orphanage. When asked, many kids said yes, they had families who loved them, but they just could not afford to help them. At PSU we empower and support children and families. Families are torn apart because of financial difficulties. Some children go to the streets and hustle everyday to find their meal for the day. We focus on the community and provide small business grants to create opportunities and financial independence. We strive to offer the resources needed to reunite children with their families for the long term. We also focus on educational opportunities, to open doors for these kids to have a chance at a self sustaining future. We commit to continuously evolving and expanding our understanding to better meet the needs of both children and families.

My perspective is that help is not singular. We have all needed help at one time or another in order to learn how to stand on our own. Throughout the years I have come to truly believe that all across the world we are connected. Helping others impacts us all, no matter how far apart we are. I hope to bridge this connection from New York to Uganda. 

“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – M. Williamson