IN PROGRESS...

The Official Newsletter for Uganda Farmers, Inc. August 2019

UFI Partners with Make-A-Wish Connecticut

U
ganda Farmers, Inc. partnered with Make-A- also received water. Once again there was an opening
Wish Connecticut to grant the wish of Danielle ceremony and ribbon cutting. The children and staff
Burns, who was diagnosed with cancer at the were overjoyed by the clean water flowing from their
age of sixteen. Danielle’s wish was to bring new borehole. The gleaming and smiling faces of the
water to those less fortunate and we were blessed to children and their splashing eyes brightened the home
have her help us do just that. as they sifted through the new clothes so generously
donated by our supporters. Danielle and her sister
Danielle traveled to Uganda with her family and UFI bonded with the children instantly. The children clung to
president Jane Holler to commission our two new water the girls and they were overwhelmed with joy.
projects in Fort Portal, Uganda and at the Iganga Babies
Home. These projects brought water to about 2,500 Wishes can come true!
people, mostly students. A large portion of the cost was
money that was raised by Danielle, who started a Go-
FundMe campaign and sponsored an Art Night in her
home town of Tolland. She worked tirelessly to make
the art night a success. The venue, art supplies, art
teacher, and food all were donated after Danielle
reached out to her church and community.

The ribbon cutting in Fort Portal, Uganda was an

extravaganza. Choirs, dancers and actors join with the
students of the two schools which benefit by this gift of
water. Also on hand were Bishop Robert Muhiirwa of
Fort Portal Diocese, government officials, and man on
the ground in Uganda, our dear friend and partner, Rev.
Dr. Emmanuel Byaruhanga, who organized and coordi-
nated the celebration. A sumptuous feast was enjoyed
by all, but the highlight was the ribbon cutting by Dan-
ielle. What a beautiful culmination for the large project.

The babies’ home at the orphanage in Iganga, Uganda Danielle and Villagers at Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

In This Issue
 Ninth Annual Running Water for
Africa 5K—pg. 2

 Partnership Spotlight / Interview

with Rev. Dr. Emmanuel
Byaruhanga —pg. 3

 11th Anniversary Celebration—

pg. 4

 Interview with Danielle Burns—

pg. 4

1
 Ninth Annual Running for Water for Africa 5K Run/Walk

U ganda Farmers, Inc. will be holding its ninth annual

Running for Water for Africa 5K Run/Walk fundrais-
er on Saturday, October 5, 2019 at Foran High
School in Milford. The 5K run course will go by An-
chor Beach and the one mile walk course will go through
the Morningside neighborhood by the beach.

Timing Details
Registration will begin at 7:15 AM, which opens for partici-
pants who plan to register the day of the event. The race
will start promptly at 9:00, after a rendition of the Star
Spangled Banner. Participants can expect refreshments
at the end of the race, along with an awards ceremony and
a raffle for prizes from local businesses.

If you can’t volunteer your time but would still like to help
out, monetary donations are always welcome. Even
though this event is held to raise funds, we still need funds
to put it on. Any amount helps and as always, is tax-
deductible.

We are also greatly in need of sponsors for the event.

Being a sponsor is a great way to advertise your business.
Sponsors who donate $200 or more will have their name/
company name on the back of our race t-shirts, other pro-
motional materials, and on our website.

For contact information, please see page 5 of this

newsletter.

How to Register
Participants should pre-register online by following the link
on our website at www.ugandafarmersinc.org.
Quick Reference Schedule:
Pre-registering will guarantee you a t-shirt as well as save 7:15 - 8:45 AM: Registration and check-in
you time and money the day of the race. We strongly en-
9:00 AM: Race begins
courage all participants to pre-register as it will help
us immensely with planning 9:15 AM: Refreshments are served
Awards ceremony and raffle
Help us Make this Our Best Year Yet
The Running for Water for Africa fundraiser is organized
by volunteers and is funded by donations. We are always
looking for new volunteers to assist us with everything
from giving out fliers, to working the registration tables, to
handing out water to and cheering on race participants on
the course. If you are interested in assisting us on the day
of the race, please let us know! Volunteering with Uganda
Farmers is not only a rewarding way to give back to your
local and global community, it can also be a great way to
earn community service hours for high school and college
students!

2
 Partnership Spotlight:
West Haven Rotary Club
U
ganda Farmers, Inc. is proud to announce
its partnership with the West Haven Rotary
Club. The Rotary Club has offered to spon-
sor the construction of a water system in the western
Ugandan village of Bujanjara.
The water project will benefit over 2,500 people as well
as service two schools. This will be the twelfth water
project in Uganda for Uganda Farmers, Inc. over the
last eleven years.
The West Haven Rotary, under the leadership of
president Jim O’Brien and vice president Donald
Thomas, raised a considerable amount of money at
their annual gala. Mr. Thomas presented a sizable
check to Jane Holler, president of Uganda Farmers,
Inc. and Dan Marecki, CFO, at their recent meeting.
Also in attendance were Father Patrick Tukwasibwe,
whose village will be the beneficiary of the project, Fa-
ther Godfrey Mustabe, also from Uganda, and Father
David Eliaona from Tanzania, along with members of
the board of UFI Cindy Bevan, Donald and Veronica
Thomas, and June Lewis.
Former president Jim O’Brien, Dan Marecki, Jane Holler, and
President Donald Thomas
3
Interview with Rev. Dr. Emmanu-
el Byaruhanga
By Ryan Holler
I had the privilege of interviewing Father Emmanu-
el, who is UFI’s man on the ground in Uganda. He
oversees the drilling company while they work,
plans all of the events that happen during the water
project openings, and helps UFI in all aspects of
the projects. Of the 10 projects that UFI has fund-
ed, Fr. E has been involved in seven of them.
The goal of the water project is to bring water to
the people that need it the most so that they have
water to drink when they are thirsty or water to
bathe with when they are dirty. Having water is one
of those things we all take for granted when we
shower, when we want a glass of water, and many
other things.
We talked a lot about all of the preparations that
occurred in Uganda to prepare for the water project
in Fort Portal. He is the rector at one of the schools
there. He mentioned how much he planned for
Danielle’s arrival, trying to make it as perfect as it
could be. We also talked about his history with UFI
and how he originally got involved with my grand-
parents, Jane and Dan, the founders of UFI. It's
truly inspirational to hear about how many people
can benefit from one water pump.
 11th Anniversary Celebration

One hundred forty of our loyal supporters joined us

in our 11th anniversary celebration in January at the
Riverview Bistro in Stratford. A festive atmosphere
permeated the entire evening which also honored
Father Godfrey Musabe, Danielle Burns, and Rev.
Dr. Emmanuel Byaruhanga, without whose efforts
this year’s projects could never have been realized.
Music and dancing followed. We intend to make this
a yearly event.
Interview with Danielle Burns
“All the kids knew who I was. When we
arrived at the ribbon cutting, they were
lined up in the driveway to the school
chanting my name.
Everyone was so welcoming. They made
us feel loved. I loved being with the little
kids.
One of the biggest surprises was seeing
some of the houses. One house had
sheets hung up as walls and dirt floors. If
it rained hard, the house would have dis-
solved. We received lots of bananas as a
sign of welcome.
I was surprised by the number of goats
and cows walking in the streets.
When I get water, I think of how conven-
ient it is for us. We take clean water for
granted. I won’t ever forget that.”
The wish of one young lady, with the help
of Make-A-Wish Connecticut and UFI
and our sponsors and supporters, lead to
satisfying the wishes of thousands of
kids.

www.mywishforwater.com

4
How to Help Contact Us
Uganda Farmers, Inc. is always in need of helping hands. We thrive Uganda Farmers, Inc.
C/o Holler & Marecki, LLC
on donations and are run by volunteers, so every little bit goes a long
31 Cherry Street, Suite 109
way. Milford, Connecticut 06460

E-mail us:
Donations ugandafarmersinc1@gmail.com
If you would like to donate to our causes, you may do so by either janeh@hollerandholler.com

going onto our website at www.ugandafarmersinc.org and clicking Visit us on the web at
the “Donate Now!” button or by mailing a check with the enclosed www.ugandafarmersinc.org
donation form to the address at right.
Follow us on Facebook at
Facebook.com/ugandafarmersinc
Volunteering
We are always in need of volunteers to assist with upcoming events,
spreading awareness of upcoming projects, and lending fundraising
ideas and resources. If you are interested in volunteering in any
aspect or have fundraising ideas you would like to share with us,
please contact Jane Holler by e-mail at janeh@hollerandholler.com
or e-mail our general mailbox at ugandafarmersinc1@gmail.com.

Help Uganda Farmers, Inc. Go Green

We are making an attempt to “go green” by sending news and event
invitations electronically, but we need your e-mail address to do so!
If you are interested in receiving news on our progress and
reminders for upcoming fundraising events, please provide your
name and e-mail address on the enclosed form and mail, fax, or e-
mail to us. You may also e-mail us at our general mailbox at
ugandafarmersinc1@gmail.com to let us know you would like to
be added to our mailing list. You can be taken off of our mailing list
at anytime.

Running for Water for Africa 5K Committee Members

Bill Bevan Cindy Bevan

Shelly Gibson Hilda Wilson

Donald Thomas Veronica Thomas

Jane Holler Dan Marecki

June Lewis Ray Carissimi

5
 Milford, Connecticut 06460
HERE
STAMP 31 Cherry Street, Suite 109
PLACE Uganda Farmers, Inc.
Bringing Water to Our Brothers & Sisters in Africa
IN PROGRESS...
The Official Newsletter for Uganda Farmers, Inc. August 2019