Run for Nyaka
Tax deductible
My Story:
Last August, I moved from New York City to a small village in rural Southwestern Uganda as a Princeton in Africa fellow. The program works to pair young professionals with organizations across the African continent dedicated to creating meaningful and sustainable impact. I lived in Nyakagyezi, Uganda for almost seven months working for a small nonprofit called Nyaka before COVID-19 shut down my program’s operations. While in Uganda, I worked to manage communications and marketing for the organization, so most of my time was spent speaking with community members, getting to know them and what they value. I met countless kind, intelligent, and innovative individuals who were eager to connect and tell me about their lives. Moving from busy New York City to a small village in Uganda was challenging for a multitude of reasons, but something that consistently grounded me was running. The terrain was rocky and hilly, with an altitude that was much higher than I was used to. I also had my fair share of running partners. Anytime I went running I was joined at some point -- by Nyaka students, random community members, and many grandmothers. I mostly got used to the interruptions, sometimes even enlisting friends to run with me and push my pace. When I learned that Nyaka was expanding their presence at the New York City Marathon, I jumped at the chance to be on the team. Even though the physical race was cancelled, I am still planning on running 26.2 miles to raise money and awareness for this incredible organization I've come to care so deeply about!
About Nyaka:
In 2001, Nyaka was founded by Twesigye Jackson Kaguri in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in East Africa to provide free education to those orphaned by the disease. Almost 20 years later, Nyaka has grown from a two-room schoolhouse to two primary schools, a secondary and vocational school, two clinics, nutrition and clean water systems, a micro finance program that helps provide income for 15,000 grandmothers and a substantive Sexual and Gender Based Violence program that is working to combat sexual abuse throughout Southwestern Uganda. I’ve included links below if you are interested in learning more because there is no way I can cover all of the incredible things that Nyaka does in this brief explanation. Nyaka is a true grassroots organization and the most beautiful example of what happens when one person commits to making a difference in their community. Working for them has been an extremely humbling and rewarding experience and I hope to return to Uganda once international travel is open again to continue with this work.
More Information & A Disclaimer:
Please visit their website to learn more about Nyaka’s programming. Watch this short video to hear directly from Founder and CEO Twesigye Jackson Kaguri. Please reach out to me if you want to learn more about my personal experience or more broadly about Nyaka.
I realize these are extremely challenging times for many people for a variety of reasons. While I am so grateful for any help in reaching my fundraising goals, I realize this may not be a priority for many of my friends or family at this time. I also want to be explicit that as a white American I am dedicating time to working within my own community and supporting local charities that are working tirelessly to help in the fight against police brutality against Black Americans. Nyaka does not operate within the US, but it stands up for injustices everywhere. If you are interested in learning more about what I’m doing, please contact me!
Last August, I moved from New York City to a small village in rural Southwestern Uganda as a Princeton in Africa fellow. The program works to pair young professionals with organizations across the African continent dedicated to creating meaningful and sustainable impact. I lived in Nyakagyezi, Uganda for almost seven months working for a small nonprofit called Nyaka before COVID-19 shut down my program’s operations. While in Uganda, I worked to manage communications and marketing for the organization, so most of my time was spent speaking with community members, getting to know them and what they value. I met countless kind, intelligent, and innovative individuals who were eager to connect and tell me about their lives. Moving from busy New York City to a small village in Uganda was challenging for a multitude of reasons, but something that consistently grounded me was running. The terrain was rocky and hilly, with an altitude that was much higher than I was used to. I also had my fair share of running partners. Anytime I went running I was joined at some point -- by Nyaka students, random community members, and many grandmothers. I mostly got used to the interruptions, sometimes even enlisting friends to run with me and push my pace. When I learned that Nyaka was expanding their presence at the New York City Marathon, I jumped at the chance to be on the team. Even though the physical race was cancelled, I am still planning on running 26.2 miles to raise money and awareness for this incredible organization I've come to care so deeply about!
About Nyaka:
In 2001, Nyaka was founded by Twesigye Jackson Kaguri in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in East Africa to provide free education to those orphaned by the disease. Almost 20 years later, Nyaka has grown from a two-room schoolhouse to two primary schools, a secondary and vocational school, two clinics, nutrition and clean water systems, a micro finance program that helps provide income for 15,000 grandmothers and a substantive Sexual and Gender Based Violence program that is working to combat sexual abuse throughout Southwestern Uganda. I’ve included links below if you are interested in learning more because there is no way I can cover all of the incredible things that Nyaka does in this brief explanation. Nyaka is a true grassroots organization and the most beautiful example of what happens when one person commits to making a difference in their community. Working for them has been an extremely humbling and rewarding experience and I hope to return to Uganda once international travel is open again to continue with this work.
More Information & A Disclaimer:
Please visit their website to learn more about Nyaka’s programming. Watch this short video to hear directly from Founder and CEO Twesigye Jackson Kaguri. Please reach out to me if you want to learn more about my personal experience or more broadly about Nyaka.
I realize these are extremely challenging times for many people for a variety of reasons. While I am so grateful for any help in reaching my fundraising goals, I realize this may not be a priority for many of my friends or family at this time. I also want to be explicit that as a white American I am dedicating time to working within my own community and supporting local charities that are working tirelessly to help in the fight against police brutality against Black Americans. Nyaka does not operate within the US, but it stands up for injustices everywhere. If you are interested in learning more about what I’m doing, please contact me!
Organizer
Katie Yeagley
Organizer
Berwyn, PA
The Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project
Beneficiary