Pure Joy
Rediscovering Social Justice
A Year of Awareness
Tag Archives: Uganda
Light Gives Heat
“Light Gives Heat creates world-changing opportunities in both Africa and America to take place.
In Uganda [they] partner with local Artisans to create consistent incomes where there once was none. Through [their] Brands SUUBI and EPOH, [their] In-Country Staff create long-term partnerships with Artisans to create beautiful handmade products that will soon grace the shoulders, necks, and wrists of fashion conscious consumers in America and beyond.
In America LGH is committed to not only offering beautiful products and a way for people to support [their] Artisans in Africa, but LGH is also committed to creating experiences that call all of us to look outside ourselves, to find Beauty in the Risk , and to pursue big, beautiful, crazy dreams.”
Light Gives Heat: A non-profit based in Colorado and Jinja, Uganda. Their mission is to “empower Africans through the encouragement of economic sustainability and creative endeavors. Motivating people int he west to “be the change they want to see in the world“.” They hope “to see Africa rebuilt and renewed from the inside out and to see people in the West living with Hope!”
Why does Charity not work? Work does. Here are a few ways you can Work:
1. Purchase Products: You can purchase handcrafted products created by Ugandan artisans. Shop Here.
2. Work Works: Light Gives Heat creates and sustains jobs and have now developed a Work Works system. Their Work Works system allows you to “partner directly with one of [their] Ugandan Artisans and raise an entire months’ salary in just one week. Click here.
3. Donate: Make a one time donation or a monthly gift. Click here.
4. Connect: Find Light Gives Heat on Twitter and Facebook, then share the word.
To learn more about Light Gives Heat, click here.
Art of Collaboration
A few years ago I spent some time in San Francisco with my youth group working with the homeless and a local non-profit. What I remember the most about my trip was walking the back alleys of the Mission District. These were not just ordinary 
alleys in the middle of a run down and dangerous neighborhood, these were detailed and colorful alleys with garage doors and run down houses painted and beautifully graffitied, with each mural telling a story. The stories were about the struggles and pain the community has suffered. Splashes of honesty and brushstrokes of bright colors across the old and forgotten alleys brought life to this district. It was a vibrant journal that brought hope and peace to the neighborhoods.
My time spent in San Francisco influenced my love for Art of Collaborations idea; to “create vibrant and beautiful street art in Uganda”. With the help of the amazing artist Patrick Maxcy and the non-profits Light Gives Heat, Sole Hope, and IAMJ3, Art of Collaboration is continuing their help in a Ugandan town by painting their village in a positive light.
Click the link to watch a video about Art of Collaboration.
The Idea: “Collaborate with a few other organizations to bring Patrick Maxcy’s amazing talent to this community in September (yep, next month)! Create bright, vibrant, full-scale murals on the side of buildings in this community. [They] want to create pieces that the community is proud of and would enjoy for years to come!
So that’s where you come in! [They have] created some great incentives that will not only allow this project to take place in Uganda but also will allow you, the backers of this project a way to take a piece of the project home with you! From Limited Edition shirts, to books, to a behind-the-scenes video tour just for you… [they] want to bring you along this amazing journey as much as possible!”
How the Funds Will Be Used: Art Supplies in Uganda, Plane Tickets, Travel and Lodging for one representative from each organization and Patrick Maxcy (4 total), and Incentive costs and the percentages that go towards processing and Kickstarter fees
To view Patrick Maxcys work, click here.
To learn more about Art of Collaboration or to donate, click here.
Ebola Outbreak!!
In case you haven’t heard…there was an outbreak of Ebola last week in Western Uganda. Ebola is a fatal virus that spreads through bodily fluids. Although the only recorded outbreaks have occurred on the African continent, scientists are yet to figure out where the virus lives or how an outbreak occurs. Most alarmingly however, there is no known cure or vaccine for Ebola. As a result, the Ugandan government has taken extreme measures by quarantining anyone who has come in contact with any of the known victims (current count is 36). Keep the Ugandan people in your thoughts and prayers…hopefully this deadly virus can be completely contained before it spreads to other parts of the country,
Three Avocados
Every morning, millions of people start their day with a fresh cup of coffee. You may be one of them. How much better would that cup of coffee taste if you knew exactly where it was coming from and who exactly it was supporting?
You can make one great cup of joe from Three Avocados Uganda Bugisu coffee. This 100% Arabica coffee is “grown at an elevation of 6,200 feet in the mountains of Uganda.” This coffee not only provides something delicious for you, but brings clean water to the village of Balopa. With 100% of their net profits going directly to supply clean water, Three Avocados is a developing non-profit organization that is finding a “creative solution to ending the global water crisis.”
Although their coffee is not certified, Three Avocados is “proud to say that [their] coffee is grown organically and is fairly traded… The reason behind this is simple: The small cooperatives that grow [their] coffee simply cannot afford the cost of certification. The certification process cost ranges from $3,000 to $10,000. For a person with an average income of about $1/day, that cost is simply unattainable, even when split amongst the farmers in the coop. [They] hope that as [they] grow, [they] are able to help the coop obtain the necessary certifications.”
A few ways you can support Three Avocados:
1. donate
2. buy a coffee subscription or by the pound
3. shop their retail store
4. get involved/spread awareness
To learn more about Three Avocados, click here.
