THE KAFUNJO COMMUNITY PROJECT

Campaign creator David Conway with Bruno Biryomumaisho, the Director of The Kafunjo Community Project.

My name is David Conyers I am an Australian who has had a two-year involvement with the Kafunjo Community Project as a fund-raising co-ordinator. To date we have raised $40,000 AUD that has largely gone to helping construct the new Green School at the orphanage to accommodate the emerging high school students from the primary school.

I made it my mission in 2023 to visit this remote orphanage and see firsthand for myself what it was like to be an orphan for a week of my life. This overwhelming experience exposed me to the day-to-day rigors of living in such an environment. The outcomes of this existence awakened me to the many needs the children have and what must be done to improve their lives and education.

During my visit in September, I compiled a list of projects that can be undertaken to enhance basic living standards and provide a better way of life for these young orphans.

I wish to conduct fundraising drives that can provide items as simple as bedding, classroom desks and chairs, water and electricity to the green school. The completion of huts in order to house potential eco-tourism for tourist opportunities that will in turn deliver revenue streams to fund teacher salaries and education resources.

The establishment of a web site for the eco-tourism project to attract visitors that can donate their time as volunteers to the orphanage with hands on projects on the 58-acre site.

The biggest project I wish to undertake is the construction of a sporting field for the 380 orphans, this complex will cater for the newly Introduced sport of rugby I brought to the community on my visit. It will also act as a football pitch and athletic track. I aim to introduce the sport of Netball for the female population as a new sport that I consider suited to them. This field will also have changing sheds and bathing tank adjacent. I have selected a site that is in the basin of surrounding hills and has a natural amphitheatre setting.

My vision is to create a much better learning and living environment for these disadvantaged children, this will be created through the power of sport and better educational resources that can be self-funded from the ecotourism project after we complete these essential projects. It can only be achieved through collaboration and the generosity of those more fortunate than these Kafunjo orphans.

“The Kafunjo Community Project has successfully been established and running since 2013 in Ibanda Province, south-west Uganda. Primarily concerned with tackling challenges faced by children of the region, this grassroots project has sought to develop safe housing for the orphan populace, free education to those who cannot afford it, adequate food for the children, and free medical care for the children and wider community.”