December A Thoughtful Pause, With Purpose
As we look back on 2025, we are deeply grateful for your continued support. It was a year of resilience, learning, and reflection, and because of you, we were able to build opportunity, strengthen infrastructure, and offer hope to children who need it most.
December marked the end of the school year for our students and a natural pause for the Canadian charity to reflect on how best to move forward in 2026. Responsible stewardship continues to guide every decision we make.
We are thankful to Diaspora Guardian for their management support during a challenging year. After careful consideration, however, we chose not to renew the partnership because we do not support an employer-based model. We believe this approach creates high overhead, places too much risk and liability on the Canadian charity, and limits local leadership and long-term sustainability.
Our Board remains committed to a joint venture model that emphasizes shared responsibility, strong local governance, transparency, and sustainability. We believe this model best supports lasting impact for the children and communities we serve.
Although the school campus is fully functional, with long-term donors ready to stand with us, the lack of a suitable local partner led us, with heavy hearts, to consider a temporary closure while searching for responsible leadership. Our mission to educate vulnerable children must always be balanced with accountability and good governance.
Then, at a critical moment, something remarkable happened.
We received an unexpected proposal from a Coalition of Sunrise alumni, former staff, parents, and community members. Having heard of the potential closure, they came together voluntarily, contributing their own time, energy, and resources, determined to take responsibility for the future of the school. Deeply saddened by the thought of losing it, they stepped forward with a shared belief that education is a collective responsibility of families and the wider community.
Their vision is simple and powerful: to ensure that every child can go to school, stay in school, and grow to their full potential, strengthening the entire community in the process. The Coalition has directly acknowledged the challenges of past governance and is asking for one year to demonstrate that, together, they can lead with integrity, transparency, and strong internal controls, always placing the children first.
Importantly, the Coalition is prepared to assume full financial, operational, and legal responsibility, including staffing, salaries, procurement, and daily operations. They are requesting only minimal, clearly defined support from the Canadian charity. This approach closely aligns with our values of empowerment, local ownership, and sustainable impact.
The Board of the Canadian charity is currently reviewing the Coalition’s proposal and budgets and will make a collective decision about how to proceed in the new year. We are committed to keeping you informed every step of the way. Please be assured that all donations remain safe in the Canadian charity’s accounts, including the funds reserved for the dormitory project, and that all decisions will be made in alignment with CRA standards and best practices.
While the road ahead is not without challenges, we are cautious but encouraged. We see hope in this new Coalition — in their vision, their passion, their love for the children, and their willingness to lead responsibly. With care, accountability, and a little support, we believe it may be possible not only to prevent closure, but to build a stronger, more community-rooted foundation for the future.
Thank you for standing with us through uncertainty, reflection, and renewal. Your belief in this work continues to make all the difference.
With Gratitude and Hope,
Nicole Van Seters
THIS Is Why We DO What We Do
Because your support doesn’t just fund education — it creates moments that help shape who a child becomes.
Sunrise alumni Babirye Jessca
Where a Love of Learning (and Dancing) Begins
My name is Babirye Jessca, and its Buiga Sunrise School where it all began for me. I joined when it was just Kindergarten. The school had this awesome dancing group that scooped up kids like me who’d just graduated from kindergarten. I got recruited and I was hooked.
I couldn’t get enough of wiggling to those kid-friendly beats. The groups energy was infectious, and I caught the bug. I would lose myself in the moves my feet tapping out the drum beat like crazy.
Those early dance days sparked something in me and I have been dancing ever since! People say I have natural groove, and I’m like “yeah, those kindergarten dance sessions did that for me!”
Sunrise definitely set me up for a future filled with rhythm and movement, and now it’s a part of who I am.
Access Knowledge Africa
Young Leaders Empowering Young Readers
Thanks to you, reading doesn’t stop — and confidence, curiosity, and leadership keep growing.
Over the Christmas break, our Literacy Champions were in action, engaging children in fun, meaningful literacy activities while school was closed. These sessions ensured that young learners could keep their reading skills fresh, continue building confidence, and maintain a love of learning — even when classrooms were empty.
Our Literacy Champions are youth from the local community who participate in the Read to Learn Foundation’s Literacy Champions Fellowship, where they learn practical strategies for teaching reading, spelling, and numeracy. Once trained, they work alongside Access Knowledge staff to support children across different reading levels, promoting literacy in underserved communities. This partnership, which began in 2024, has quickly become a powerful model of youth-led impact.
Literacy support during school breaks is especially important, as consistent reading practice prevents learning loss and strengthens comprehension, communication, and long-term academic success. By meeting children where they are and offering engaging, supportive instruction, our Literacy Champions help ensure that learning continues — even when the classroom doors are closed.
The program is equally transformative for the Literacy Champions themselves. These young people, aged 13 to 18, gain leadership experience, teaching skills, and a profound sense of purpose as they give back to their community. Many grow in confidence, empathy, and communication, while developing skills they carry into future education and careers.
This January, six Literacy Champions will graduate, and six new youth are ready to be trained. Since the program began, 36 young leaders have served as Literacy Champions, each helping to build a stronger, more literate future — one child, and one young leader, at a time.
