HELP!?

Hello Everyone! Sorry I have been M.I.A.- Blog Fail!

          This post is particularly important today because it is the reason I am in Masaka and what I have been doing this summer. Part of my program is to develop a sustainable project with a community or village that I have been working with. Working at The Aids Support Organization (TASO), there are many communities that seek the assistance and support from the people working here to help create an income generating project or to be supported on a solution for a problem they have been facing. I was introduced to a group of University students whose parents are HIV positive but TASO has funded them with school fees. They told me that they created a club on campus (The Aids Challenge Youth Club) to sensitize their community about HIV/AIDS and also to grow crops to sell and donate that money to struggling families affected by HIV/AIDS. They saw how TASO helped them go through school and they want to give back. They told me the biggest problem they are facing would be access to water. They have to walk 45 minutes, one way, to grab water and then do the same walk back. I am working with them to build a water harvesting tank that catches rain water and preserves it underground. I have almost enough to pay for one water harvesting tank, but they also lack garden tools (they use makeshift items), fertilizer for their soil, and another way to generate money if the crops fail. So with that said, I want to help them get all of the necessary items to make sure that their club is working to the best of its ability. The best way to solve most of those problems would be to create a piggery for them where they provide a source of income as well as a means to gain fertilizer. That is why I require your assistance at this point in my internship. I have started a fundraising campaign to see if I can help the club fulfill all the goals they have setup and reach out to the most families affected and infected. In addition, if I get enough funding, I can build another water harvesting tank for an individual family living with HIV/AIDS. 

I really hate doing this to you in the middle of summer, especially when vacations are starting as well as preparations for back to school shopping. Just $5 would make a huge difference, and that is about the price of a Starbucks cup of coffee, a large iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts, a tip for the pizza delivery guy, an after dinner dessert, one beer at the bar (lets be honest, how many do you REALLY need?), you get the point. In Masaka, a pig costs $20, to build the water harvesting tank would cost $180, to provide 15 people with all the gardening tools would cost $40-50. Any amount helps me reach the goal that I am setting for myself. I told them I would build the tank with them but I would love to surprise them with more items, it would really make such a huge difference. If anyone needs a budget sheet to show all the costs and expenses, I am willing to provide that. Unfortunately the only way to make your donation tax deductible is if you write a check and mail it to me in Masaka (which might get expensive), but if that is what you want to do, I am willing to provide an address as well. If you can make a donation, please use the paypal that I have set up. If you are unable to make a donation, I am still grateful that you took time to read about what I am doing here. Thank you so much and feel free to forward this to anyone that you think could help. I hope you are having a great summer!

The Link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=2PNXHTRVL6WAL

Thank you all and I love you all soo much! Only 24 days left here in Masaka!