As the school year wraps up, we are also wrapping up another great season of Sister Schools programs... and that means it’s time for Return Presentations!
Way back in the fall, students at seven schools around the Seattle area went to work to collect school supplies for their peers in Uganda. They gave things they no longer needed, purchased gifts with their own money, and more. Together, they donated 30,000 pounds of school supplies for 14 partner schools in Uganda.
Earlier this year, we delivered many of those supplies directly into the hands of the children who need them most. Delivering the rest of the supplies is continuing as we speak.
At this point in the year, we complete the generosity loop, returning to our Seattle schools to show kids the difference that they made. We put together a slideshow for them that pairs the photos we took of them dropping off their gifts, with the matching photos of a child in Uganda receiving the gift. It’s amazing to see the way these photos impact kids.
They all sit up a little straighter, they whisper names excitedly as they recognize their friends. Pretty soon they’re yelling out names and laughing with delight. The more they recognize themselves and their friends, the more they pay attention to the Ugandan students who received their gifts. Seeing the joy on those faces, our Seattle students experience the life-altering realization that they have the power to make a difference. They don’t have to wait until they grow up. They don’t have to be rich or famous. They can come as they are, and use their voice, their creativity, their power to change lives.
They also get to learn more about their peers in Uganda, because our Ugandan students give too! They give their talents to perform and record cultural dances to show Seattle students. They write letters we share with the students, describing their lives and school experience. It’s so special to see this circle of giving completed at our return presentations!
The opportunities we’re bringing to Ugandan kids through books and school supplies are amazing to see. But we’re ALSO teaching Seattle kids life lessons that will strengthen our communities for generations to come.