During this season of giving, my heart is with a big family in Uganda- with more than twenty children- in a community that is my second home.

The kids are now siblings, but they don’t share birth parents. They were tragically orphaned over two years ago and were taken in by a family whose love knows no limits. This family said “yes” even when they didn’t know how they’d manage. Love is their guiding light. This is also my chosen family—Morice, my friend of nearly ten years; his wife, Collins; and their daughter and my goddaughter, Rosamond, named in honor of my own mother.

Sisters in Circles is currently under construction on the Rwenzori Support Center in the heart of Maliba village in western Uganda, where we are building a home for these deserving young ones. The “Center” will become a secure home for these children- a safe, warm place with a roof that doesn’t leak, a dining hall for shared meals, triple-decker bunk beds- a bed for every child- and proper bathrooms instead of a latrine; it will house the Sisters Outreach Center, where members of Sisters in Circles sew menstrual pads for donation and clothing to sell and offer support to girls and women about health and hygiene. The building will also house the region’s very first community library (yes, the region). One batch of books has arrived. It was a video of Joan, reading from The Anthology of Birds, that took my breath away and made me realize the true impact of access to resources that have never been seen- or imagined- there. 

If you also have a generous heart and a lot of love to give, you can help us build this dream. the Center will be the heartbeat of the community.

There are powerful ways you can give—acts of generosity that ripple into lasting change for this community.

Honor someone you love with a donation this holiday. In our world where we already have enough, a gift to these children and this community can become something far more meaningful than anything you could wrap. I’ll send your loved one a card that shares the story of the Rwenzori Support Center, and if you want to gift $200 or more, they will also receive a special gift- a set of African “kitenge” napkins in a festive print. These donations must be received no later than December 10th to ensure cards arrive in time.

Help grow the library by choosing from this curated list of books. I will take them to Uganda myself or send them with friends who are traveling there.

Shop! We have cloth napkins and bags sewn by local Afghan women, earrings by Mayan craftswomen, and more- not only do they make wonderful gifts—they also support the artisans.

No matter how you give, you will become part of this family. While we are constructing a physical building, we are also establishing a strong foundation of safety and connection that will last for generations, transforming the lives of each person that passes through its doors.

We are $15,000 from our final goal of $35,000! We are counting on people like you to make this dream true.

Even in the midst of heartbreak, struggle, and needs beyond our comprehension, this community continues to thrive with love and belonging. Turn your volume up ;)

The “trading center” of Maliba is in the distance, where the Rwenzori Support Center is being renovated.