August 2026 - Celebrating, Protecting & Growing
Let’s Fill the Room for Grace Family Clinic!
We’re down to the final week — and we still have tables to fill!
On Saturday, October 3, we’re gathering at The Middle Road Common House for an evening of great food, live music and community — with one big goal: reopening Grace Family Health Centre.
And there’s some exciting news: a very special donor has pledged to match donations up to $10,000, giving us an incredible opportunity to make this evening go even further.
Jovia and Tom recently asked local community members why having Grace Family Clinic back matters to them. We think their photos — and their words — say it best.
But, reopening the doors is only part of the plan. We want to make sure they stay open. Sunrise Centre funding is focused on the renovations, medical equipment and infrastructure needed to get the clinic running, while local management is developing new partnerships and funding sources to support ongoing operations. Services will be introduced step by step as resources allow — building a clinic that can grow responsibly and become increasingly locally sustained and resilient for the long term.
Last year, this dinner raised an incredible $25,000 for our new girls’ dormitory. This year, we’re hoping to fill the room again and help put doctors, nurses and midwives back to work at Grace Family.
Join us for an elevated three-course Ugandan-inspired dinner by Chef Kyle Dampsy, Afro-fusion music from QWST, wine, cocktails and a really fun night for a great cause.
This is the last week to purchase tickets. Final RSVP: September 26.
Pass along our invitation, bring some friends, come hungry — and help us reopen the doors!
Sunrise Takes the Stage!
Months of practice came to life in August when Sunrise hosted its biggest Music, Dance & Drama (MDD) Day yet — and the students definitely delivered!
With the help of professional trainers, students developed skills in cultural dance, singing, public speaking and theatre. They helped write skits, choreograph dances, design costumes and prepare speeches, making MDD a unique celebration of Ugandan culture, creativity, confidence and teamwork.
The day was also a chance for the community to see just how far Sunrise has come under its new management. Improved classrooms and infrastructure, stronger educational standards and renewed community involvement were matched by performances at a level we haven’t seen at Sunrise before.
We were honoured to welcome Mr. Munaaba Allan Tarsis, CEO of the Uganda Revenue Authority Football Club, as Guest of Honour. He gifted every staff member a notebook, presented each class with a soccer ball, and made a generous contribution towards a new school generator. District Inspector of Schools Mr. Mwanda Robert Humphery and Zonal Inspector of Schools Mr. Gazuna Isaac also joined us as special guests.
One of the most meaningful moments of the day was the return of a group of Sunrise alumni, who arrived together to cheer on the students and reconnect with their former school. They have pledged to mentor the next generation and lend their experience and energy as Sunrise grows. We’re so happy to see management rebuilding these connections — bringing former students back into the Sunrise circle and creating a new generation of local leaders invested in its future.
The community response said it all: Sunrise is thriving. And perhaps most exciting is seeing this momentum being built from within — by local management, teachers, new partnerships, alumni and students working together to take Sunrise forward.
Safe Roads
Save Lives
The Rotaract E-Club of Uganda Global was back at Sunrise in August — this time bringing important safety message to our students and community: Slow down, arrive alive. Use the zebra crossing. No helmet, no ride.
Through its Safe Roads, Save Lives campaign, Rotaract is working alongside traffic police, boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) drivers and local communities to make Uganda’s roads safer. Their work includes repainting zebra crossings, training local residents as first responders to stabilize crash victims, educating pedestrians, and providing boda-boda drivers with safety training and reflective vests to improve visibility.
The statistics show just how important this work is. Uganda records an estimated 15 road fatalities every day, with young adults ages 25–34 among those most affected. Boda-boda drivers and their passengers are particularly vulnerable, accounting for an estimated 55% of seriously injured road users. Behind every number is a family and a community affected by a tragedy that, in many cases, could have been prevented.
Sunrise was proud to host the Rotaract team and help carry these messages beyond our school gates. Road safety starts with awareness and students can be powerful messengers for safer communities.
A Cleaner Way To Cook
Buiga Sunrise CBO recently welcomed representatives from the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) program, funded by UK Aid and working in partnership with Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, for a community presentation on clean electric cooking (eCooking).
For rural families, cooking can be expensive, smoky and labour-intensive. Staples such as beans and matoke require long cooking times and large amounts of charcoal or firewood. MECS is working to change that through public education and greater access to affordable, energy-efficient electric cookers.
The potential benefits are significant. Electric cooking can cost substantially less than charcoal or propane, while eliminating the toxic smoke associated with traditional biomass cooking. It also removes open-flame hazards — particularly important in homes with young children — and reduces the time and physical work involved in gathering firewood. Less reliance on wood and charcoal also means less pressure on Uganda’s forests.
For schools, the savings could be especially valuable. Feeding students every day requires enormous quantities of firewood, and transitioning to efficient electric cooking could allow money currently spent on truckloads of wood to be reinvested directly into education.
Community members were excited to learn about the technology and opportunities to participate in the program. Sunrise School is now exploring its own plan to transition to eCooking — a practical step toward a cleaner, safer and more sustainable kitchen.