October 20, 2020
The smell of fresh white paint is still sharp in the air. It’s a small room—perhaps only ten feet by twelve feet. It has one window looking out onto a dusty path, a concrete floor, and a single naked lightbulb hanging from the ceiling.
To anyone else, it’s just a small, empty shopfront. But when I turned the metal key in the padlock this morning and stepped inside, it felt like stepping into a palace.
After six months of operating out of backpacks, coordinating soap distributions from our phones on street corners, and holding strategy meetings on benches, Fecane Child Foundation finally has a home.
From Backpacks to Desks
Running an organization during a pandemic without a base has been incredibly difficult. Our “filing system” was a plastic bag kept under a bed. Our “conference room” was wherever we could find shade. We were agile, yes, but we were exhausted.
We realized that if we are going to scale up—if we are going to launch the football academy and the reading programs we have promised—we need stability. We need a place to store supplies so they don’t get ruined by the rain. We need a place where volunteers can meet safely.
A Beacon in the Community
More importantly, this office is a symbol of permanence for the community we serve.
In Wakiso, trust is built on visibility. When parents see a physical location with our sign above the door, they know where to find us if they are in crisis. When the elders pass by, they see that we have put down roots here.
We deliberately chose a location right in the heart of the community, not in a fancy office park miles away. We want the dust of the neighborhood on our doorstep because that is where the work is.
[BLOCKQUOTE] “This isn’t just an office; it’s our war room. It’s the engine room where we will plan our fight against poverty and design the programs that will lift our children up.”
Humble Beginnings
We are proud, but we are also realistic. Right now, “the office” is an empty room with great potential. We don’t have ergonomic chairs or sleek computers yet. We are currently using two borrowed plastic tables.
But that doesn’t matter. The energy in this room is electric. We are already mapping out charts on the walls and planning the rest of the year. We have the space; now we just need to fill it with the tools of change.
We have the headquarters, but it is currently an empty shell. We need the basic tools to run an efficient organization.
Help us turn this concrete box into a functional hub of hope. We are seeking donations to purchase simple desks, chairs, and a used computer for administrative work. Contribute to Our “Office Warming” Fund
