Send Fiston to college

Sometimes you meet a person destined for leadership and you want to make sure the way is open. That's what we're doing for Fiston. Forced to leave his village in war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo as a young teen, Fiston made his way to the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in southwestern Uganda. There, he emerged as a brilliant, articulate, active community leader - just the kind of young person we need to build a thriving 21st century. What blocks his path forward? No way to afford higher education. No jobs available without a college education. This is where you come in.

UPDATE March 2024

Thanks to your generous support so far and a significant grant from the Lifelines International Fund for Education Limited, Fiston is completing his second term as an undergraduate in Human Relations at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. He's thriving but this campaign hasn't reached it's $40,000 goal yet.

If you've seen his initial video, you'll enjoy this latest message from him. If you are new to this campaign, please scroll down to the earlier "help send Fiston to college" video. Then come back here to celebrate his success so far.

Click on this link to see the video:

Academic Success & Tuition Challenges

Let Fiston tell you about the first steps of his educational journey...click "Read more..."

Now that you understand why this campaign is so important, please skip one mocha latte and donate $5 to this campaign. Buy your next new outfit at a thrift store and send the saved $100 here. Travel coach instead of first class on your next business trip and ask your company to contribute $1000 to transforming a refugee into a world leader.

96% of the money you donate will go into a restricted fund for Fiston at LO*OP Center Inc, a California, tax-exempt, educational, nonprofit corporation. About 4% of your donation will go to PayPal and other fees related to this campaign. LO*OP Center can then pay Fiston's college-related expenses directly or release the money to him. Your donations are tax-deductible. Fiston invites you to follow him on Facebook and LinkedIn and to join in his educational work on Open Portal 4 Learning

The rest of this site will showcase some of the work Fiston has already accomplished. Check the "Update" section often and be sure you don't miss the "Older Updates". They will introduce you to some obstacles Fiston has confronted and overcome. They will wow you with his vision for a peaceful, sustainable future in Africa and beyond. They will demonstrate the confidence Fiston's colleagues have in him. Although Fiston is only one person, he has the intelligence and charisma to influence many. Let's make sure he also has the opportunity. Thank you.

Testimonials from:

Anna Sutton

Project Coordinator | Hello World

Elena Boukoulava

of Play Perform Learn Grow

Liza Loop of Learning Options*Open Portal

Dateline Feb. 2024: I'm so proud of how Fiston has ridden the waves of culture shock and adjusted to life and studies in Montreal. We are now working to arrange for him to come to Learning Options Center (LO*OP Center, Inc. ) in northern California for a 2 to 3 month

internship. This will give him hands-on experience in running an international nonprofit organization with all the joys, sorrows, and red tape that involves. If you'd like to contribute more than money, please contact us through the LO-OP website. Fiston and I both thank you.

Don't forget to check the Updates below for more testimonials, videos of Fiston's latest activities, and news about how the campaign is going!