Greetings & Updates from Grace Kuto – President, Harambee Board of Directors

Jambo! We hope that this Spring finds you well. We have some exciting updates for 2018. Here’s what we’ve been up to:

Sister-School Cultural Exchange and Education Program
In February, we welcomed two students and the Principal from St Andrews High School in Matale, Uganda to the Pacific Northwest. They visited Southridge High School in Beaverton (their sister-school) and had a great cultural exchange experience with the Southridge community including their host families. Thank you to everyone involved who made the trip a success.

This month, the Deputy Principal and a student from Chwele Girls’ High School will visit the new Mountainside High School in Beaverton to foster the relationship towards the formation of a new sister school partnernship. We look forward to updating you as this program progresses.

We are also very pleased to update you that the much-anticipated Girls’ Dormitory in Matale, Uganda is getting closer to completion. The next stage of construction is the roof which should start in the next couple weeks. We are so grateful to you, our donors, and to our partners on the ground in Uganda who have worked tirelessly to get us to this juncture.

Speaking of construction, we are also partnering with Project Management students at George Fox University to develop a project management model for the restoration of the Namwela Boys High School in Chwele, Kenya. Under the instruction of Professor Tricia Hornback and our President, Grace Kuto, George Fox students have worked on more than 10 projects for Chwele, helping the community to more systematically and locally execute their own sustainable development with more effective results. Past projects include the Chwele Guest House, Chwele Youth Training and Leadership, Chwele Computer Learning Center and Chwele Micro-Business Incubator.

Medical Trip to Chwele, Kenya
Over the summer, two volunteer medical teams are headed to Chwele Health Clinic to focus on prevention of disease training, clinical treatment, and to deliver an Ambulance Program plus many other medical supplies. All funds raised from the event will go towards the Ambulance Program. 

Harambee Centre is a small grass roots non-profit organization based in Portland Oregon with the mission to connect the people of the Pacific Northwest with the people and diverse cultures of Africa. With your past and continued support, we are achieving giant results with our quiet but effective approach to sustainable development in rural Africa. To continue your support, please consider a tax-deductible donation.