Raise the Roof Academy's COVID-19 Response

Dear Friends,

We greatly appreciate how you put the children's education, health, and well-being as a top priority every day. Together, we are caring for over 1,300 children in rural Uganda who would otherwise be lost in the cycle of poverty. We thank God for your partnership and we continue to pray for your health and well-being.

With the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Uganda's President, Yoweri Museveni, made the announcement last week to enhance measures that would curb the spread of COVID-19 by closing schools, places of worship, and other gatherings. Uganda’s doctor-to-patient ratio is estimated at 1 to 10,989 while locally, in the community we serve, the ratio is 1 to 75,657 (the US doctor-to-patient ratio is estimated at 1 to 384). So, we know how devastating this would become if the virus were to spread.

Raise the Roof Academy is not holding classes, and the teachers and students are staying in their homes, but the needs of the children and community are still great. With a commitment to our students and community, we will continue to care for the children while doing our part to reduce the spread of COVID-19. 

These are the key programs within our core initiatives that will be the most important to prioritize during this time:

Health Initiative

a. Community Health Workers -these are our first responders living in the communities we serve. They are trained laypersons who go door to door checking in our families. We currently have 14 and need to grow to 80.

 b. WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) Program -we have hand washing stations around campus, and continue to educate children and their families about proper practices to stay safe and healthy.

 c. The Medical Clinic remains open -we are the nearest clinic, and we provide invaluable, routine care for our students. We want to keep our pharmaceuticals fully stocked, so we can continue caring for the children while they are on break. We are especially concerned about the children who are HIV+ and need their daily medication.  

Sustainability Initiative

a. Feeding Program -when the children are at home, unfortunately they often only receive one meal per day. We want to ensure that the children do not go hungry.

Education initiative

 a. COVID-19 Awareness -we have been educating our team, students, and community about how quickly the virus has spread in other countries and the precautions that they need to take now to flatten the curve.

As always, we strive to, “Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with God [and neighbor].” We need you now more than ever! Please continue praying for, and supporting the work of Raise the Roof Academy.

If you have any questions about the situation or about your sponsor child, please contact us.

With Gratitude,

Marlene Ssebulime