Summer Impact Letter from the Director

Raise the Roof Academy students help me see life in new ways. Every day, their stories show us the limitless potential and the power of education.

RTRA is now home to children as young as 1 and as old as 20. Twenty of our oldest students are now in their fourth year of high school at RTRA. This group will be sitting for national exams this fall to determine their eligibility for their remaining two years of high school. By 2025, we hope to see these twenty students begin university.

I am reminded of my own high school years and what it was like to earn new responsibilities. From learning how to drive to deciding where to attend college, my parents had to trust me to make wise and mature decisions.

Similarly, at Raise the Roof Academy we are preparing our high school students to step confidently into adulthood by trusting them with opportunities that can help them make wise and prudent decisions. This year’s 8th Annual Summer Trip and Rhino Kid’s Camp provided the perfect opportunity to see the high school students take on leadership roles that were formerly reserved for staff and adult volunteers.

Rhino Kid’s Camp is always the happiest week of the year at RTRA. Children, staff, caregivers, sponsors, and well-wishers engage in relationship-building activities that renew and confirm that the mission of RTRA is inspiring and empowering.

This year, we invited the high school students to take the wheel during mission week. The high school students stepped up to the challenge and did not disappoint. They were the MVPs!

When I see our students becoming young leaders who are able to host Rhino Kid’s Camp, it fills me with great pride for who they are becoming and gives me a glimpse of what is possible for all of the children in our program. Our collective effort in the US and Uganda to support the students is equipping them to be kind, ethical, and loving leaders. The path we are on will help us to multiply the leadership potential at school, in the community, and in the country.

Another huge highlight of our time together was the groundbreaking ceremony for the RTRA High School. The RTRA High School has been temporarily housed in the pavilion on the main campus of the primary school. With 193 students currently in high school and another 200 to join them by 2024, now is the time to build the high school. We are making 2023 the year of building the high school! We look forward to celebrating the RTRA milestones of the last 11 years and launching the year to build the high school on Monday, November 7th.

Thank you for investing love and hope in the children. I pray you are encouraged by knowing that they are becoming leaders in their school, families, and beyond. The impact numbers you see in this report were possible because of the collective efforts of the high school students, staff, community, and US volunteer team.

With Gratitude, 

Marlene Ssebulime