uganda – Planet Changer

Let’s Build A School

Lena Baunsgard, Director of Planet Changer

Nakalado needs a new school.

In this classroom 50 children sit on the dirt floor of an old pig pen to attend classes. There are hundreds of children in this community who attend this school. We at Planet Changer have been a presence in this community for over 10 years, as they were selected as one of the first to receive one of our cistern wells (pictured below still running clean, image taken Feb 22, 2024). We have brought several groups of visitors and they have been extremely hospitable. When the head teacher presented to us their students and their joyful welcome, he also shared their plea, they are long overdue a new school building and latrines for students. This message was echoed by many.

When we entered the newest of their classrooms (presented in image above where I am speaking), I knew it had not changed in the past 4 years since my last visit. I also could see on the teachers faces a fear that my words would be empty. We even visited their dying elder of the community, a man I remembered as having been in better health 4 years ago, and he made the same request, “Build us a school and latrines!”

My friends, the time is now. There is no reason why this community where there are hundreds of healthy children trying to learn, a place where they have had clean water for over a decade, there is no reason why they shouldn’t have a nice school. It doesn’t have to be outrageous or fantastical. It needs to be clean and functional. They need to not sit on dirt floors. They only ask for meager wooden desks, simply and locally made. They deserve chalkboards that are not broken. They deserve lesson books for students (which literally cost $5 a piece). They are asking to demolish the old pig pen their kids are learning in and put up a solid and “modern” structure that can provide protection from rain and empower learning.

Wouldn’t you want this for your children?

Let’s come together and inspire hope for this beautiful community. The teachers work hard. The students desire learning. The families want hope for a better tomorrow. We will soon have the figures available to plan funding, but we are tentatively asking to raise $40k. Together we can get this project started and we can show this community that they are not forgotten.

Spring Protection | Uganda

Planet Changer has been asked by local residents in Eastern Uganda to protect springs, beginning with the Tororo District. This will bring clean water to communities for the first time. Over 40 springs are currently identified.

Only local labor is used during the protection of the spring, and each community is required to be involved with labor and providing locally available materials (sand, stones, etc). Surveys show that community involvement drastically improves the long term success of the project.

The cost to protect each spring ranges from $650-$950 depending on the size of the spring (some springs are large and serve the needs of over 800 people). Each spring protection project offers a sustainable solution for clean water and includes hygiene and sanitation workshops for the community, water testing at the completion of each project, and regular inspections to ensure the integrity of the protected spring.

“Protecting water springs for families in Eastern Uganda, will enable them to begin accessing clean water and thus help them in overcoming various water borne diseases such as malaria, bilharzia, dysentery, among others, which they are currently suffering and which has on several occasions led to death of many people majority being children, as a result of them using dirty water drawn from unprotected community springs which is unfit for human consumption.

Protecting water springs for families in Eastern Uganda, will enable the families to begin accessing clean water within the vicinity of communities where they stay, this is not the case today, as many hundreds of communities lack clean water and therefore have to walk for a distance of over 7 miles if they are to get some how clean water in towns.

Thousands of Pregnant mothers and children in Eastern Uganda, are always sick due to water borne diseases they get from consuming dirty water drawn from unprotected water springs, they are too poor to afford drugs in health centers and their lives are at risk, protecting community water springs for them, will greatly enable them to overcome these diseases and improve their lives.” -Moses Hategeka, Ugandan Farmer and Project Coordinator

Planet Changer invites you to invest in our clean water projects in Uganda. People/families/groups donating $500 or more will receive recognition as special thanks on the completed project. Donors of $100 or more will receive pictures of the completed project, and a copy of the letter of thanks from the receiving community.

100% of all public donations will go to the project or fund that the donor designates (minus transaction cost, if applicable). Donate to protect springs in Uganda now.

Improved Vegetable Seedlings | Uganda

In March Planet Changer purchased organic vegetable seedlings that were distributed to multiple small-holder farms. These seedlings were an improved variety that can better withstand drought and insects.

Spring is the most favorable season in Uganda for planting vegetables. These seedlings have thus far been highly successful. The plants are growing and producing well. The lives of the farmers have already begun to improve.

“the first round of vegetable seeds that we distributed to the grass root farmers are doing well and the beneficiaries are full of joy and praise of planet changer help, because with these vegetables, they are affording to meet the nutritional needs of their families in addition to getting some small money through the sell of these vegetables. since then, many farmers have appealed to me to give them more vegetable seeds and i have been telling them that i tabled their request to planet changer. in the first round, hundreds of farmers in each region were left out as the first round could not purchase enough seeds to cover all of them. In the second round, am proposing that thousand of farmers can be covered.” ~Moses Wiseman, Ugandan Farmer and Planet Project Coordinator

Join Planet Changer in empowering Ugandan Farmers to create sustainable food sources for their families and surrounding communities. $1000 will complete our effort to provide all of the farmers we are currently working with a first round of seedlings.

100% of all public donations will go to the project or fund that the donor designates (minus transaction cost, if applicable).

Donate now.

This is one of the communities that will receive seedlings. Join us in empowering these families to feed their children and implement sustainable hunger solutions for their community. See additional pictures here.

Dairy Goat Program | Uganda

Planet Changer is excited to announce our newest project to eradicate hunger – establishing a dairy goat breeding program in Uganda!

Many Ugandan families live on less than $1 a day. Raising and caring for dairy goats brings immediate and positive change to these families. The level of nutrition in their home increases significantly. Surplus milk can be sold at market, a high demand for goat milk already exists. A revenue stream is created allowing farmers to send their children to school and improve their farming techniques to increase their yields. This impacts entire communities as they are empowered to begin to raise themselves out of abject poverty.

To ensure program sustainability, Planet Changer is securing land to establish a goat breeding and training center. Farmers will receive training in how to properly care for the dairy goats by a local goat breeding specialist. Upon completion of training and proper preparation to care for the goats, the farmers will receive a goat. When the goat reaches maturity the goat will be bred and the offspring will be given to another farmer who attends training. This goat will also be bred with its offspring given to a new family, and the cycle will continue. With this model, Planet Changer increases our breeding capabilities and farmers actively assist each other. Long term, this program will benefit thousands of grassroots farmers across hundreds of communities.

“Once again thank you for your initiatives with us. we appreciate your efforts … am committed like always to for ever work with you in eradicating hunger and poverty in grass root communities in Uganda and Africa. farmers here are excited and are looking forward for your programs to start being implemented.” -A note from Moses, a Ugandan farmer who is working closely with Planet Changer

The start up cost of the goat breeding program is $16,000. Planet Changer invites you to partner with us to to save lives in Uganda and help farmers create positive futures for their families and communities.

100% of all public donations will go to the project or fund that the donor designates (minus transaction cost, if applicable).

Donate now.

Small-holder Farmer Support | Uganda

Planet Changer is partnering with a cooperative of 1000 farmers in over 100 grass-roots communities to enhance their capacity to improve crop quality and quantity as well as increase their efficiency in accessing markets. Small-holder farming is the major economic activity for over 80% of the Ugandan population. Most of the farmers live in rural areas that are characterized by endemic poverty.

First steps include providing improved seedling varieties and drip irrigation systems to increase produce and empower them to fight hunger in their communities. Improved fertilizer and a co-op shared tractor are included in future goals.

Long term this project includes education in agribusiness; best practices to limit climate change complications, how to build community buffer stocks of surplus produce, and how to work together for sustainable solutions to eliminating hunger.

100% of all public donations will go to the project or fund that the donor designates (minus transaction cost, if applicable).

Donate now.

Planet Changer is empowering this community to implement sustainable hunger solutions to provide for their children, themselves, their families, and their surrounding area. Will you join us?