Pilot Light Foundation

Our Batwa Vocational Training Program got a nice nod in Ugandan media. https://www.watchdoguganda.com//marginalized-batwa-receive

It is with an extremely heavy heart that I write this post to honor a member of our Pilot Light family, John Ekusai. He died suddenly today and was a young man. He had only worked with us since January, but he kept in frequent touch with me. What I know about him is that he had a kind heart and cared deeply for our beneficiaries in a way that most employees will not. He was an honest man, a hard worker who was a great asset to our project. He sent WhatsApp messages for every worry he had on behalf of those we serve and also messages for every bit of joy he wanted to share. Late last night, here in California, I received a message from John with some news about our project. His last sentence was, "Feeling on top of the world". Our deepest condolences go to his family.

The Farmers in Northern Uganda were severely affected by the Lord’s resistance Army (LRA) insurgency from 1987-2006. As violence increased a large portion of the population were displaced from their villages and into refugee camps. Living as refugees in their own country, the farmers of were forced to leave their homes and livelihoods behind. When peace returned, families returned to their villages and had to start all over again, having lost everything. Step by step, people... have re-established farms, small businesses and been able to achieve normalcy back into their lives with the support of Pilot Light formed Village Savings and Loans groups and a Rice Farmers Cooperative owned processing factory. Giving people the tools they need to accomplish their goals using skills that they already have is a good recipe for sustainability. Photos by Sagio Mhza Photography #socent #sustainableincome #endpoverty #alleviatepoverty #economicempowerment #socialenterprise #socialimpact #cooperative #cooperatives #farmers #microloans #revolvingfunds #vsla #VillageSavingsAndLoans #nonprofit #nonprofits #changemaker #changemakers #uganda #africa #LRA

Donat is a single mother of 2 and member of a Village Savings and Loans group in Rwanda. She used a series of loans to increase her capacity to grow beans, bananas and maize and has now started raising pigs. Using the profits, she has been able to build her house and buy health insurance. Her income has already doubled, so far, and she plans to to continue taking loans to ensure she can educate her children. Video by @Ngabo Jay #socent #socialenterprise #sustainableincome #socialimpact #endpoverty #alleviatepoverty #economicempowerment #empowerwomen #empoweringwomen #microloans #revolvingfunds #vsla #nonprofit #nonprofits #changemaker #changemakers #rwanda #uganda #africa

We see a world where no one is forced to suffer the hardships and humiliation of extreme poverty. Since leaving their homes in the forest, the Batwa have mostly relied on agriculture to put food on the table and clothing on their backs. We realized that the younger generation needs the opportunity to have choices, so we developed a vocational training program in carpentry, tailoring and catering, to start. The pandemic lockdown put those programs on pause, but now they are m...eeting again in groups of 5, per Covid regulations. The training groups are back on the road towards a better future. Photo by Sagio Mhza #Batwa #sustainableincome #endpoverty #alleviatepoverty #economicempowerment #socent #socialenterprise #socialimpact #farmers #microloans #revolvingfunds #nonprofit #nonprofits #changemaker #changemakers #uganda #africa