History

• July 2009 - Thoughts of Fields of Dreams Uganda were first born

• October 2011 - First leadership summit in United States to form founding Board of Directors

 

2012 Accomplishments

• Granted official Non-Profit status from United States Government

• We hired our top leadership, our National Director, Jonathan Ssebambulide in March of this year

• We held our first Soccer and Netball Championship Tournament on June 16th (The Day of the African Child) with our founding partner schools, Africa Greater Life, Blessed Hope Champions Academy, New Kabaale Busega and Vision for Africa

• We hired our Founder and Executive Director, Michael Warneke, to focus his full attention on our work in September of 2012

 

2013 Accomplishments

• Our first volunteer trip consisting of mainly board members touched down in February

• Our summer volunteer teams helped with our DREAMS plans to help those that we serve understand their gifts, passions, dreams and a clear pathway to future success and independence

• We carried out a mapping exercise in November to identify future partner schools in Gulu

• A bus full of young and promising footballers traveled to Arusha, Tanzania in December to open their world view and bring home a few trophies, and even more memories home

 

2014 Accomplishments

• Hygiene kits were placed into the hands of some extremely grateful and deserving young girls for the first time at our four partner schools in the Central Region by our February volunteer team

• We began working with our five founding schools in Gulu, Bungatira Primary School, Gulu PTC Demonstration Primary School, Koro Primary School, Laroo Primary School, and Pageya Primary School

• We began highlighting the musical passions and talents of the children during our summer tournaments with our first Music, Dance and Drama Competitions

• In the month of July, we commission our first soccer field build at Wakiso Children’s School of Hope

• In the month of October our Girl Empowerment work was recognized on an international scale as we received the Sport for Health Award from Beyond Sport in Johannesburg, South Africa

• Our first Dresses for Dreams 5K was held in Evansville, IN (Now called the FoDU 5K for Hope) during the month of November

• We held our first Hope Cup, large scale soccer tournament, in Kampala just before Christmas 

 

2015 Accomplishments

• Our Youth Council is formed as a way of building leaderships skills and strengthening the community and sustainability of our work in Uganda

• We purchased our first vehicle, a new to us 14 passenger van that is still delivering hope across our partner schools in Uganda

• Electricity was brought to the campus of Laroo Primary School and annual grant funds became available to all our partner schools for facility and staffing improvements

• Girls’ hygiene kits were distributed for the first time in Gulu and woman of SUBSTANCE training was added to our girl empowerment work

• Men of INTEGRITY is introduced to help encourage and hold the young men we serve to high character and lives of service to their communities and their sisters of Ugandan soil

• Technology training for staff and students began at our partner schools in partnership with MindShare Inc, a valuable partnership that continues to this day 

 

2016 Accomplishments

• Our general work continues with additional laptops, solar powered projectors and RACHEL plus devices arriving in Uganda

• Soccer is no longer played during our June and July tournaments and Music, Dance and Drama takes center stage during summer months

• 6 US Board members join our Ugandan staff in Kampala over Thanksgiving to dream and plan for the future

 

2017 Accomplishments

• In a response to girls still missing school after receiving hygiene kits, we build our first three changing rooms at Bungatira PS, Pageya PS and St. Kizito PS

• The process to purchase four acres of land in Bbanda is initiated and brings joy to both staff and children alike as a future “home” is on the horizon

• The distribution of boys’ hygiene kits begins to accompany men of INTEGRITY training for our Primary 6 and 7 boys along with all post primary males

• The Dresses for Dreams 5K is expanded to 5 hubs and offered to virtual runners as well

• On December 15th we celebrate our first college graduate and the first ever match for our FoDU Dreamers Football Club team, a decisive 5-1 victory on the road 

 

2018 Accomplishments

• Work begins with South Sudanese refugees in Kiryandongo (lasting two years)

• Three additional changing rooms are constructed at partner schools: Koro PS, Gulu PTC Demonstration and New Kabaale Busega

• Three staff members from Uganda travel to the US for a Hope Tour across the Midwest to share about FoDU’s work and the lives that are being daily impacted

• A teacher’s quarters is constructed at St. Kizito to house 4 teachers to improve security and morale on the campus

• A study tour is provided for 62 students, players and staff to travel to Nairobi, Kenya for an intensive learning opportunity and to play some friendly matches

• Our FoDU Football Club advances to the fourth division after winning their inaugural season

 

2019 Accomplishments

• Our seventh changing room is unveiled at Laroo Primary School

• A new soccer pitch is completed at Pageye Primary School and is one of the nicest fields in the region

• Construction begins on the exterior wall at our Hope Empowerment Center in Bbanda

• A second Hope Tour takes place in the United States with multiple events across the Midwest with our top leadership and one of our beneficiaries

• We celebrate our first four graduates from Lady Valeria Vocational School

• The FoDU FC Dreamers travel to Nairobi, Kenya for some friendly matches and talent exposure 

 

2020 Accomplishments

• The year starts on a high with the construction of a new kitchen at Gulu PTC

• A successful feeding program is operating at Koro Primary school with a collaborative effort between FoDU, school officials, community leaders and the parents of this campus

• Our eighth changing room is unveiled at Nabukalu Primary School while hundreds of mothers and grandmothers cheer on the new opportunities for their daughters

• We shift our work and our focus in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as our staff risk their own safety to ensure emergency food relief reaches the most vulnerable families within our programs 

 

2021 Accomplishments

• Our local staff continue to provide hope and food support to families that are suffering from food insecurity

• A ribbon cutting ceremony for a new classroom block at Nabukalu Primary School is celebrated, changing the physical nature and overall morale of this campus

• The first building at our Hope Empowerment Center in Bbanda is opened and our staff, Youth Council and all of our children finally have a place to officially call home

• We celebrate 9 collegiate and vocational graduates who have such bright futures ahead of them

 

2022 Accomplishments

• In January primary schools in Uganda are fully operational once again after a 21-month hiatus due to COVID restrictions

• Four new partner schools are added to our work (Bbanda C/U Primary School, Coopil Primary School, Kaababbi Bulondo PS, and St. Martin Primary School) as we now serve five partner schools in each region bringing those receiving our services to around 6,000 students

• In-depth assessments of programming measures at partners schools are collected in order to be analyzed to provide quantitative and qualitative data to better move our work forward into the next decade

• Our Clinic Block at our Hope Empowerment Center is opened with many additional business and employment opportunities