February 14, 2025
Walk through the upscale shopping malls of Kampala today, and you will be overwhelmed by a sea of red. Red balloons, red teddy bears, expensive boxes of imported chocolates. The world tells us that today, love is measured by what you buy for someone you feel romantic about.
But out here in Wakiso, the color red means something else. It’s the color of the dust on the roads our children walk to school.
At Fecane Child Foundation, we believe in love. But five years of working in this community have taught us that real love isn’t fluffy. Real love is practical. Real love is gritty. Real love is giving someone the tools they need to build a life that doesn’t require charity.
Love is a Verb
Today, while the rest of the world celebrated romance, our team was at the local primary school ground celebrating potential.
We didn’t bring flowers that will wilt in three days. We brought the tools for a future that will last a lifetime. Our “Love in Action” campaign was designed to equip 100 of the most vulnerable yet promising students in our community with everything they need for the upcoming academic year.
We aren’t talking about a cheap pen and a flimsy exercise book. In 2025, our standards are higher. These 100 students received premium scholastic kits: durable waterproof backpacks, hardcover notebooks that won’t tear easily, full mathematical geometry sets, dozens of pens and pencils, and colored markers for creative projects.
“In a community fighting poverty, love is not a fleeting emotion. Love is a sturdy backpack. Love is a sharp pencil. Love is a blank notebook waiting to be filled with ambition.”
The 100 Chosen Faces
We didn’t just open the back of a truck and throw backpacks into a crowd. That is the old way of doing aid.
Over the last month, we worked closely with local headteachers to identify 100 specific students. These are the brilliant kids—the ones who sit in the front row even when they are hungry, the ones who borrow stubs of pencils to do their homework. They are the students whose grades are high but whose parents cannot afford the basic requirements to keep them in school.
Today was about validating their effort. When we handed them these high-quality kits, we were saying: “We see your hard work. You deserve the best tools. We believe in you.”
The Atmosphere of Dignity
The energy on the school ground was electric. It wasn’t the chaotic scramble you sometimes see in aid distributions. It was organized, joyful, and dignified.
When students opened their new bags and saw the geometry sets—shiny and complete—their reactions were pure gold. For many of these teenage students, this is the first time they have owned brand-new, high-quality equipment that belongs solely to them. That sense of ownership is a powerful motivator.
The chocolate will be eaten by tomorrow. But these backpacks will be carried on shoulders every single day for the next year, reminding these 100 students that they are loved and supported.
Today, we equipped 100 students with the tools to learn for a year. But there are thousands more who need a permanent place to use those tools.
These backpacks belong inside classrooms, not under trees. Help us move faster on building the permanent Fecane Community Learning Center. Contribute to the Vision 2030 Building Fund
