The purpose of my trip was twofold:

1) Gather inspiring and informative stories to help our supporters feel more connected to the people, places and challenges in our project communities and 2) Consult with our gifted Ugandan leadership and begin planning for a new funding and project environment in 2016.

1) Connecting a new generation of Canadians to an unfamiliar problem experienced by strangers in a distant land—in our case, water as a source of disease and needless labour in Uganda—is a significant challenge.

For this trip, we contracted Britney & Jordan Berrner, a talented storytelling duo, to travel to Uganda with me and capture some of the faces and places of both past and future project communities. We returned with a reservoir of rich, thoughtful stories that we’re so excited to share over the coming year. Stay tuned!

2) With the decision by the Canadian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade & Development (DFATD) to drop Uganda from its list of eligible beneficiaries, we’re entering a very different funding paradigm in 2016. Uncertainty abounds, but so does opportunity.

Private funding has the potential to be much more efficient, with fewer bureaucratic hoops and side trails. With some savvy planning, we can actually serve more people with less money.

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