About
Our Focus
Our focus area is to support and empower the locals in Wairaka village and beyond to thrive well and beyond their potentials. We strategically focus on four key development areas; Education, Economic development, food security, as well as medical care. As an organization that exists to serve humanity, we are always evaluating and rethinking our approach to rural development. We are an open-minded team and open to learning, adapting, and implementing new ideas for the betterment of the people we serve.
Our Mission: Improving Livelihoods
To improve the quality of rural livelihoods through the physical, social and economic access to healthcare, education, and to access sufficient, safe, and nutritious food at all times.
To accomplish this mission in Uganda, Hearts of Gold Uganda partners with local healthcare workers, teachers, volunteer teams, and community leaders. Our local staff team members in Uganda implement most of our programs in Wairaka. However, we call upon passionate and skilled community development volunteers from around the world to come and work with us.
Our Work in Wairaka Village, Uganda
The village of Wairaka is a small community with a population of about 7,000 people. It is located approximately 90 KM (56 miles) from Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Most families in Wairaka make a living by farming, fishing, tending to retail shops, and vending in the fresh produce market. Though most families here survive on less than $3 each day, they work hard each day to hopefully improve their livelihoods, and their sense of pride is evident in their unwavering smiles.
However, it is heartbreaking to see the level of poverty, lack of opportunities, and shortage of resources among members of Wairaka village. Hearts of Gold has designed a 10-year development program to address economic inequality, children's education, and medical care. HOGGM started a school program on 3rd February 2020, that caters for the educational needs of elementary school children on the northside of the village. We hope to expand this school to take in more elementary children as well as high school students soon.
Our Challenges and Processes
Dealing with the challenges of today requires problem-solvers who can bring different perspectives and are willing to take risks. Hearts of Gold Global Missions emerged out of a pursuit to inspire and support the local Wairaka community, and a desire for social change. Established in December 2017, at Hearts of Gold, we embrace progressive ideas to address real-life problems using data to assess our impact. We often evaluate our projects to measure the impact of our intervention ideas among our target population, lest we misallocate resources. Each day we strive to build productive community relationships and make a positive impact in all of our local programs. Please reach out to learn more about our life-changing programs in Uganda.
Our Story
Turning Community Needs Into Action: Born and bred in Wairaka Village, Muzahuzi Dennis grew up around poverty, and often his family lacked life's basic needs. "I can't think of anyone in my neighborhood who had some healthcare insurance," says Muzahuzi. Everyone sought medical care when they fell sick. Whenever one had a medical problem like a toothache or a burn, they would trek some miles to the nearest healthcare center in Bugembe or commute to Jinja's regional government referral hospital. "I'm hopeful today that through the Hearts of Gold initiative, we can bring such medical services closer to the people of the Wairaka community," he adds.
Muzahuzi prides himself with a BA in Psychology from Africa University in Zimbabwe and an MA in International Development from Western Michigan University. Attaining education is instrumental in how Dennis sees the future of the children from his village. Muzahuzi wants to champion social change in his home community by applying ideas that he acquired through education, especially from the "International Development Administration" aspect. He hopes to implement proven systems with projects that can improve the overall livelihoods of his people. I hope that through our programs, we can bring a lasting impact on the livelihood of the people of Wairaka and beyond.