Fundraising Letter

As many of you know, I am travelling over to Mbale, Uganda to do humanitarian work and I am hoping to have it count as my internship. I am very excited for this opportunity to make a difference in the world. 

Below is my fundraising letter. It is also available in the above link labelled Fundraising. I would most gratefully accept donations. Donations would not only go towards my trip, but would also be used for the projects that will be done to help the poor. There is a link on the side that directly links to the donation page.

Throughout my experience over in Uganda I will be keeping this blog updated. I hope that through this blog I can share my experience and help others understand what is going on over in Uganda. 

Thank you so much for your donations. 

Dear Friends and Family,

This summer I have a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others over in Mbale, Uganda. I will be going abroad with HELP International (www.help-international.org) to help the poor there this summer.  I’m really excited and am looking forward to spending my summer abroad, helping people around the world, and making a difference, but I need some help to do so.

HELP International is a non-profit organization started in 1999 in response to Hurricane Mitch. Since then, HELP has expanded their work across the globe, empowering local community members by teaching self-sustainable skills that can be passed on to others. Currently HELP is working with impoverished communities in eight locations around the world—Belize, El Salvador, Fiji, India, Thailand, Uganda, Tanzania, and Peru.

As a volunteer I will have the opportunity to initiate life-changing, sustainable development programs. One of the first projects that I will be involved in is bringing awareness to the importance of good personal hygiene, and supporting those with HIV/AIDS by teaching them how to keep their bodies healthy even though their immune systems are damaged.  I am confident that I can make a difference in the lives of the Ugandan people.

Uganda is a country in Eastern Africa where over 75% of the population lives below the poverty line. HELP’s program allows volunteers to participate in substantive projects which (1) assess needs in country, (2) ascertain local buy-in, and (3) develop innovative poverty alleviating programs which allow for opportunities of growth and development. Projects in Uganda include; adobe stove building, microfinance, square-foot gardening, micro-credit initiatives, English class teaching, public health and hygiene education, orphanage work, among others. All projects are done collaboratively with locally operated NGOs in Uganda. Projects taken on require commitment from the community they are aimed at helping, thereby not only securing more sustainability, but also increasing effective program transferability.

Non-profit organizations like HELP International rely heavily on volunteer program fees and fundraising. As a volunteer, I have the opportunity to raise funds that will go directly to these great projects, changing the lives of potentially thousands of people for the better. My goal is to raise $4,500.00 by July 1^st, 2011.

While money is tight for everyone, especially during these difficult times, the amount of good that can be done for the people in Uganda increases significantly with even a small donation. Understanding how the economic crisis has affected us in the United States, we can hardly imagine how much worse it has devastated those in impoverished countries. We are inviting you to join us and HELP International in serving the people of Uganda by donating $35, $50, $100, $250, $500 or whatever you can*. Checks should be made payable to HELP International with “Kaylen Lawrenson” in the memo line. Donations can be mailed directly to HELP International, or through PayPal online at: http://help-international.org/donors.html, including “Kaylen Lawrenson” in the comments section. If you’d like more information please visit the HELP International website www.help-international.org, or email me at kmlawrenson88@gmail.com, or you can call me at (253-227-1381).

I thank you in advance for your support as you are now invested as a partner in this noble work to help alleviate suffering of poverty throughout the world. I would like to keep you and your family informed on the progress of the various projects. Here is a link to the blog I will keep this summer: http://kayleninuganda.blogspot.com/. Please include your email address with the donation so that I can just send you the blog by email.

Thank you!