The Project

As many of you may know, Stacy worked with Washington and Lee University's Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability (http://shepherdapps.wlu.edu/default.asp) for 3 years. During that period she helped create and develop the Elrod Fellows Program (http://elrodfellow.wlu.edu/) which places Washington and Lee graduates in public service sector jobs after the graduate. After volunteering at Kinship House, Stacy suggested creating a new Elrod Fellowship at Kinship House to her former colleagues in the Shephard Program. After careful consideration and planning with the staff of the Shepherd Program and those at Kinship House, it was decided that a 2007 Washington and Lee graduate, Walker Williams, would be the inaugural Elrod Fellow at Kinship House. Walker will arrive at Kinship House in October and stay on for 6 months. Walker will perform the duties of past volunteers such as helping teach the children at the local school, taking them to the hospital for medical care, and looking after their dietary needs. As well as these important duties, Walker will also seek out new projects for the children of Kinship House and other ways to improve the facilities and living conditions of the children. Walker's 6 month placement also occurs during an important period (October-March) because Kinship House oftentimes receives the majority of its volunteers in the summer months.

To make Walker's time at Kinship House a reality, we need your help. Washington and Lee University and The Shepherd Program do not have sufficient funds at this time to sponsor Walker's Fellowship. Therefore, we need to raise enough money ($5,500) to ensure that Walker can indeed spend 6 months at Kinship House.

Kinship House is a children’s home managed by Kin Initiative, a Christian, community-based NGO situated in Gganda, Wakiso Uganda. The home cares for orphans and less fortunate children from the surrounding region. Presently there are 21 children at Kinship House, 12 boys and 9 girls, ranging in ages from 6 to 15. Kinship House works to assure the best possible future of each child. This means providing the basics such as food, shelter, clothing, medical care, and schooling. However, we also work to provide further support such as individual care and attention, which can be offered through the volunteers in our program.

Volunteers are integral to Kinship's success and survival. Kinship began accepting volunteers over 2 years ago and during this period the volunteers, whose average stay at Kinship is about month, helped construct a water purification system, test the children for HIV/AIDS and malaria, mosquito proof the children's rooms with new windows and mosquito nets, compile detailed medical records for each child, install solar panels so that the children could have light in their rooms to do their homework at night, take the children on a trip to the nearby Nile Rivier that included a guided tour of the surrounding forest, and much, much more.

Volunteers ensure Kinship's continued existence and success for 3 important reasons: 1. Volunteers pay a small fee for room and board at Kinship (around$100 per month) and because the US dollar goes a long way in Uganda, this fee helps pay for the children's food and school expenses. 2. Volunteers themselves donate $250 of their own money to Kinship that they spend as they see fit. Therefore, most volunteers speak with the existing staff at Kinship and the children to find out what is the most pressing need and then find some way to solve it (such as some of the past projects listed above). 3. Volunteers bring new ideas and energy to Kinship to help improve the children's lives and offer a level of attention and love to each child that is equal to that of a parent.