RISE JINJA FOUNDATION: Every Child Deserves to Ris

The Story We Can’t Ignore.

The Future We Can Build Together.

*1. Jinja — Beauty on the Surface, Pain Beneath It*

Jinja, Uganda. The Adventure Capital of East Africa. Tourists come for the source of the Nile, white-water rafting, sunsets that look painted.

But walk 10 minutes off the main road and you’ll see a different Jinja.

You’ll see 8-year-old Aisha selling chapati at 5am before school, her uniform patched 3 times. You’ll see boys as young as 10 inhaling glue under the Nile Bridge because home is empty and school fees are 3 months late. You’ll see teenage girls dropping out at 13 — not because they’re lazy, but because sanitary pads cost more than a day’s meals.

Poverty in Jinja isn’t a statistic. It’s a daily fight.

1 in 3 children here miss school because of fees.

1 in 2 girls miss a week of class every month.

Youth unemployment is over 60%.

Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not.

That’s why *Rise Jinja Foundation* exists.

*2. Who We Are: Born from One Question*

Rise Jinja Foundation started in 2018 with one question that kept our founder, Sarah Nakato, awake at night:

_“What happens to all the children we pass every day, if no one stops to lift them?”_

Sarah grew up in Walukuba, Jinja. She was the first in her family to finish school — only because a neighbor paid her P.6 exam fees the night before. She never forgot that feeling: being one step away from being left behind.

So she gathered 5 volunteers, USh 200,000, and started tutoring 12 kids under a mango tree in Masese. No office. No funding. Just chalk, notebooks, and belief.

Today, Rise Jinja Foundation is a registered Ugandan CBO serving over 1,200 children and youth across Jinja City and Jinja District. Our motto is simple: *“We don’t rescue children. We rise with them.”*

We believe children in Jinja are not “problems to fix”. They are leaders, inventors, nurses, and engineers who just need a bridge to cross from survival to purpose.

*3. The 3 Battles We Fight Every Day*

After 4 years on the ground, we learned Jinja’s children face 3 battles. So we built 3 programs to fight them:

*Battle 1: “School is too expensive” Rise2Learn Education Program*

*The problem*: Even “free” UPE/USE schools have hidden costs. Uniform, books, exam fees, lunch. For a family earning USh 5,000/day, that’s impossible. So kids stay home.

*Our solution*:

1. *Scholarships + School Kits*: We pay tuition, buy uniforms, books, and lunch for 400 children from Primary 1 to Senior 4. Every child gets a “Rise Kit” twice a year.

2. *After-School Rise Hubs*: 4 learning centers in Masese, Walukuba, and Budumbuli. 80 volunteers teach reading, math, computer basics, and homework help. Last year, 92% of our P.7 candidates passed — vs 67% district average.

3. *Parents’ Livelihood Training*: We train 200 mothers/year in soap making, tailoring, and farming so they can pay school fees themselves. Because charity should build independence, not dependence.

*Aisha’s story*: Aisha joined us at 8, selling chapati before class. Today she’s in S.2, top of her class in science. She says, “I want to build water tanks for my village so no girl walks 5km for water like my mother.”

*Battle 2: “I’m a girl, so I must drop out” → RiseHer Dignity Program*

*The problem*: Period poverty. A pack of pads costs USh 3,000. Many girls use rags, miss school, or accept “help” from older men to buy pads. Teen pregnancy in Jinja is 1 in 4 girls.

*Our solution*:

1. *Reusable Pad Production*: We train 150 girls + women to make washable sanitary pads. Each girl makes 20 pads/month. She keeps 5, sells 15. Income + dignity.

2. *Monthly Mentorship Circles*: “Big Sister” talks on body confidence, goal setting, and saying “no”. Over 600 girls attend monthly.

3. *Boys for Change*: We include boys. Because ending period stigma takes all of us.

*Result*: 89% of girls in our program report zero missed school days due to periods.

*Prossy’s story*: Prossy dropped out at 13 after her first period. Shame + no pads. At 16 she joined RiseHer. Today she’s back in S.3 and teaches pad-making to younger girls. “I was ashamed of my body. Now I teach girls to be proud of it.”

*Battle 3: “There are no jobs” → RiseUp Skills & Enterprise Program*

*The problem*: School alone isn’t enough. 60% of Jinja youth can’t find formal jobs. But they have hands, phones, and ideas.

*Our solution*:

1. *Vocational Skills*: Free 6-month courses in catering, welding, hairdressing, carpentry, and smartphone repair. 320 youth graduated. 68% are now earning income.

2. *Digital Rise Lab*: 30 computers + internet. We teach typing, graphic design, data entry, and online freelancing. 3 youth already earn $200/month on Upwork doing logos for clients in the UK.

3. *Youth Startup Fund*: Small grants of USh 300,000-500,000 for graduates to buy tools. We’ve funded 47 micro-businesses: salons, chapati stands, repair shops.

*Moses’ story*: Moses was a “boda stage loafer” at 19. Inhaled glue daily. Joined our welding class. Today he has a small workshop at Walukuba Market. He employs 2 other youth. He told us, “Rise Jinja didn’t give me money. They gave me a reason to wake up.”

*4. Our Impact in Numbers - 2021 to 2025*

We don’t chase numbers. But numbers show we’re moving:

1. *1,200+ children* directly supported through school fees, meals, and learning hubs

2. *92% PLE pass rate* for our candidates vs 67% district average

3. *600+ girls* reached with dignity kits + mentorship, 89% zero missed school days

4. *320 youth* trained in vocational skills, 68% employed/self-employed

5. *200 mothers* trained in income skills, average income up 2.5x

6. *0 children* left behind when they graduate — we follow them for 2 years

But the number that matters most? The number of children who now say “I have a future.”

*5. Why We Need You Now: The 2026 Rise Campaign*

we’ve proven the model works. Children rise when they get 3 things: education, dignity, and skills.

But right now, 340 children on our waiting list can’t join because we lack funds.

Classrooms are overcrowded. 3 girls share 1 sewing machine. Our computer lab has 30 computers but 90 youth waiting.

If we don’t act, another generation in Jinja will grow up selling chapati instead of solving problems.

*So we’re launching the 2026 Rise Campaign. Goal: USh 280,000,000 / $75,000 USD*

This will fund 12 months of:

1. *Education*: Scholarships + school kits for 150 new children = USh 90M

2. *Dignity*: Materials + training for 200 more girls to make reusable pads = USh 40M

3. *Skills*: Equip the Digital Rise Lab with 20 more computers + fund 60 youth startup grants = USh 100M

4. *Operations*: Rent, 3 staff salaries, transport for field visits = USh 50M

*Cost per child to rise for 1 full year: USh 233,000 / $62 USD*. That’s USh 19,400/month. Less than the cost of 2 pizzas.

*6. How Your Donation Creates Change*

Every shilling you give is tracked. No waste. No middlemen. Just impact.

**Your Gift** **What It Does in Jinja**

**USh 10,000 / $2.70** Buys exercise books + pens for 1 child for 1 term

**USh 50,000 / $13.50** Provides reusable pads + training for 1 girl for 1 year

**USh 233,000 / $62** Covers 1 child’s full school fees, uniform, lunch, mentorship for 1 year

**USh 500,000 / $135** Buys tools for 1 youth to start a welding or tailoring business

**USh 1,000,000 / $270** Equips 1 computer in our Digital Rise Lab for youth to learn freelancing

*100% of donations go to programs*. Our 3 staff are paid through a separate small grant so your gift feeds children, not overhead.

*7. Accountability: Your Trust is Sacred*

We know donors are tired of scams. So we do 3 things differently:

1. *Quarterly Impact Reports*: Photos, stories, and budget breakdown sent to every donor. No PR talk. Real receipts.

2. *Open Doors*: Come visit us in Masese, Jinja. Sit in class. Meet the children. No appointment needed.

3. *Local Leadership*: 8/10 of our board are Jinja parents and teachers. This is not a “foreign project”. It’s Jinja people rising Jinja children.

We’re registered with NGO Bureau Reg. No. CD/CBO/2018/00421. Audited accounts available on request.

*8. The Future We See*

Imagine Jinja in 2035.

Aisha is a civil engineer building bridges across the Nile.

Prossy runs the biggest pad factory in Eastern Uganda, employing 50 women.

Moses’ workshop became “Moses & Sons Engineering” and he’s training apprentices.

That future starts with one decision today: Will you help a child rise?

Poverty tells children “stay down”. We’re here to say “rise up”.

But we can’t do it without you.

*9. Join the Rise. 3 Ways to Help Today:*

1. *Donate*: Click “Donate Now”. USh 10,000 is enough. USh 233,000 changes one child’s entire year.

2. *Share*: Send this story to 3 friends on WhatsApp. Sometimes the person who can give $1,000 is your friend’s friend.

3. *Volunteer/Sponsor*: Are you a teacher, nurse, or business owner? Email us at risejinjafoundation@gmail.com. We need skills, not just money.

*Closing Words from a Child We Serve:*

“Before Rise Jinja foundation , I thought my life was already finished. Now I know it’s just starting. Please don’t let other children feel like I felt.” — Brenda, 14, S.1

, Brenda’s future is in our hands. The children of Jinja don’t need pity. They need a chance.

Will you be the reason a child in Jinja rises this year?

*Donate today. Rise with us. Because every child deserves to rise.*

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_Rise Jinja Foundation | Masese, Jinja City, Uganda | Reg. No. CD/CBO/2023/00421 | risejinjafoundarion@gmail.com | +256753672302

_“We don’t rescue children. We rise with them.