In addition to the great satisfaction that the work I do with OnePoint ArtWorks brings me, I get even greater satisfaction, and a sense of purpose, by turning over all profits directly to Musasa Primary School, located near the small Rwenzori Mountains town of Kyarumba in western Uganda, East Africa. Musasa’s very engaged parents and dedicated teachers decide how best to allocate the money. In addition to books, supplies, music and sports equipment, funds go to see that every child gets a nutritious lunch at the school.
I came to know about Musasa when I had the good fortune to spend time in Kyarumba and meet the teachers, children (more than 700 of them!) and parents at the school in 2011. Ever since that visit, which both touched my heart and sparked my imagination, I’ve stayed in touch with Teddy, Musasa’s Head Teacher, and Joseph, the School Manager, and have assisted with improvement projects to the grades 1 through 7 school. Musasa is public – education is compulsory in Uganda through grade 12 – but the remotely-located institution operates on a minimal budget and classroom facilities and supplies are extremely modest.
The Rwenzoris, by the way, are the fabled Mountains of the Moon, first written about by Diogenes in 50CE, and later by Ptolemy. It seems especially appropriate, then, that OnePoint ArtWorks can contribute in this small way to enrich education for the bright, eager, enthusiastic children growing up in such a beautiful, historic place where there is enormous need and a profound hunger for opportunity and learning.
