145: Creating a Nonprofit in Uganda’s Slums – Jennings Wright
Today’s guest on the Expat Money Show is Jennings Wright the Founder & Executive Director of 10Eighteen.org, a nonprofit organization that works with teen moms in the Namuwongo slums in Uganda with a halfway house and a vocational school; a WASH campaign in remote Rwakobo village inside Lake Mburo National Park; and food for children in 3 schools.
WHAT WE DISCUSSED IN THIS INTERVIEW:
- How modifying your perspective on something so important will radically change your life.
- What you feel when you step inside a country like Uganda, how it changes your life and gets in your heart
- You can’t even imagine what the slums in Uganda are like, the smell, the waste, the garbage yet Jennings has been 13 times to help make a difference for all that live there.
- Listen to the story of a grandmother who is raising 6 grandchildren from 2 of her children who have died of AIDS…unfathomable.
- Who really benefits from the normal average non-profit? Jennings describes in detail how different their organization is and how the people she helps learn new skills to take out to the world and make a difference.
- What happens when you work with a nation that is mostly illiterate? Or that 65% of the population is under 18? What is in store for Ugandans going forward?
- Here’s how you can really truly make a difference in the lives of others that don’t have access to clean water, clothes or food every day; imagine only eating every other day?
- Learn how vitally important schools being open in a country like Uganda so that children can have food to eat every day.
- The shocking stories of teen pregnancies in the slums of Kampala and how food is traded for sex.
PODCAST EPISODES YOU WILL ENJOY
- 131: Travelling To Brazil During The Pandemic – Mikkel Thorup
- 127: Lockdowns Around The World And Where It’s Safe To Go – Jeffrey Tucker
- 115: The Solution To Educating Your Children Abroad – Michael Strong
HOW TO FIND JENNINGS WRIGHT’S
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CONCLUSION
This was probably the most difficult episode for me to record. We had to stop several times so that I could get myself composed. Jennings’s stories are heartbreaking but true. I know my listeners, and I can only imagine that every one of you who takes the time to listen will be compelled to want to help. I know I am and that is why I have decided to make 10Eighteen the official charity of Expat Money and I will be supporting their initiative going forward.
About The Host, Mikkel Thorup
Mikkel Thorup; the host of The Expat Money Show, has 20+ years in continual travel around the world, visiting more than 100 countries including Colombia, North Korea, Zimbabwe and Iran.
His goal now is to help Expats just like you to generate additional streams of income, eliminate your tax bill, and take advantage of offshore structures so you can travel the world freely and never have to worry about money again.
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Hi Mikkel, Bringing on Jennings Wright was an eye-opener. Thanks so much for this episode. I’ve donated now as well. I was born in Kenya and so I know first hand the struggles the majority of local people have in East Africa. Like Jennings I too have a dream of having a non-profit and currently have no idea what to do or where to start. I live in Canada and Jennings was definitely inspirational! Thank you Jennings for all that you do!
Thanks so much for your comments and for donating! That’s wonderful, I will be making her non-profit the official charity of Expat Money, I am really excited to help more, thank you again
thank you so much! (I just realized there were comments here – I apologize for the delay!) I didn’t know where I was starting either – just keep your eyes and heart open, and it’ll happen!
I don’t believe 100% goes to the poor and everybody working there is a volunteer. As a former Peace Corps guy in Kenya I have never seen an NGO like that. Also, I don’t see this as a sustainable solution for their problems. Why don’t the rich Africans help their own instead of allowing white people to run charities in their countries? Why don’t rich African Americans who complain so much go over there and help? Only the whites seem to have compassion.
What I see in Germany is all the educated “poor” Africans leave their country and come to Europe as soon as they can…..they leave since no jobs other than working for NGOs like this one and others. The Africans and their expats need to help themselves.
You are more than welcome to check out our annual report available on our website. 100% does indeed go to the program and we ourselves are also donors. We pay for our own travel, as well. There are, in fact, quite a few charities working on the “100% model” now, including Charity:Water. They have angel investors who pay their operating expenses but 100% of people’s donations go to their programs. While a LOT smaller (they’re about $20m/year), we operate the same way. We have some angel donors who pay for our small expenses like website hosting, Quickbooks, etc, but 100% of donations go to the work.
We also work with UGANDAN partners, tackling the needs they identify. Our model is to train people with skills to be self-sufficient, not to keep them in our programs indefinitely. Given that 65% of Ugandans are under 18, the lockdowns have increased poverty, and a huge number of children (esp girls) are unable to go to school, by giving them free access to skills it is absolutely a sustainable model.
MIkkel,
I lived and worked 3 years in this business as a volunteer and paid position. Her business model of working together with locals to assess their needs and react appropriately is not unique. Many other NGOs have been doing the same for decades. Various religious organizations are doing the same stuff and have a lot more experience in what works and what doesn’t work well. The Catholic Relief Services is very big in Kenya/Africa, too. I looked up 10 Eighteen on Charity navigator website and see they have not posted any financial data and have no rating as to their effectiveness. Why start up another NGO in Africa?
thanks for your comments. As a very small nonprofit, we aren’t on all the various sites. We are on GreatNonprofits, and our annual report is posted on our website (see the footer). We have been working in Uganda since 2009.
It appears Mikkel doesn’t allow posting of criticisim…..so my comments never be read. You are no better than Facebook and Big Tech.
Hi there Charles, just saw your comments today, this system doesn’t give a notification when someone comments so I manually come in once a month or so and reply to people. Sorry that you feel I am no better than Facebook or Big Tech… not sure why you believe I owe you something special or what gives you a say over my time and how quickly I should be responding to your comments. Please be nice, you are a guest on my website.