Kiwanis Club of St. Augustine helped complete the renovation to the restroom facilities at the school in Kampala, Uganda.  Between the K-Kids at Palencia, our club, and family and friends we were able to raise $6,000 to total the cost of renovations.

The Story

Shane Dodzweit, missionary and principal of Eagles Nest Mission – Kampala, Uganda was in the US visiting with one our our members  During this time, he visited with the of Palencia Elementary School K-Kids club and with the Kiwanis Club of St. Augustine. 

During these meetings, he shared about his school and students (about 800 students some of them boarding at the  because they have nowhere to go. He shared that his grandparents along with his aunt and Uncle began the ministry and Shane and his brothers have taken over running the church, elementary and high schools and Bible College). We asked about what his greatest challenges were and the needs of his students.  We told him to stay in touch to let us know of any specific needs where we might be able to help. 

When his school was shut down during a government issued mandate during COVID, Shane was able to devote more time and energy into taking care of much needed maintenance and renovations on the school campus.  He prepared a video along with a request to help renovate the restroom facilities and asked if we wanted to help. It began with the K-Kids at Palencia Elementary School who organized a school-wide fundraising effort and raised over $2,000.  The Kiwanis Club of St. Augustine along with donations from family and friends, raised the remaining funds to complete the $6,000 needed to fund the entire project.  Below is a video showing the before and after the renovations along with a few photos.

Before the Update

After the Update

Special Thank You Message

We were honored to hear the special thank you from the children!

Dear Kiwanis Club,

I want to thank you so much for helping us to complete our toilet for the school and community. This project has done more than just help our school but also the community. We hold many community events and that toilet was the main facility for all those events. Our previous toilet was in a terrible condition and was also a breeding ground for a number of diseases. Since its condition was no secret to you, you can imagine what kind of diseases that we were dealing with in that toilet. During the rainy seasons it was almost impossible to use the facility in its former condition. But beyond the health issues that used to plague us with the old toilet; this new toilet has brought a sense of pride that was not there before. Our students come from some of the poorest communities, where their parents make less than a dollar a day. So you can imagine the environment they grow up in.  They come from refugee camps, villages, and slum areas. And can go their whole life without stepping into a facility as good as this. But when they entered this facility it showed them that they deserve so much more. It may seem like a small thing but this facility can instill a sense of pride in the people who use it. It lets them know that they might live in poverty for the moment but they deserve so much more. We thank you for giving them the best, because I know that is what they deserve. 

Sincerely,
Shane Dodzweit, Eagles Nest School