bringing on more music for our children in uganda!

The Peterson/Lutz family is beyond excited to be traveling to St. Mary Kevin this August facilitated by Change The Truth! The team members include Dr. Stacy Peterson, Allison Peterson, Brittany Peterson, Ben Lutz, and Sherèe Lutz. We are members of Uptown Violins, a performance/teaching group comprised of family members. The primary aim at SMK will be to offer a fun-filled, week-and-a-half of instruction to the 28 violin students currently taking lessons. Some students have received weekly instruction since 2012 with the establishment of the Strings for Uganda program. Others are relatively new to violin! 

We hope to apply teaching methods used for our U.S. violin students adapting them to fit the needs of the SMK students. This will include individual tutoring, group lessons, music theory/history instruction, as well as fun with games, crafts, and lots of love! The workshop will culminate in a final concert where the students can demonstrate what they have learned to the rest of the school and community. Of course, we know we will learn just as much from the students as they will from us!

As a part of the experience, the SMK violin students and some of our U.S. students have been paired together as pen-pals, seeking to foster the shared experience that music can provide across the globe. We have also received generous support and have been given violins that we will be able to donate to SMK for students’ use as well as music, stands, cases, rosin, teaching tools, and so much more! We want to thank everyone who has been so supportive especially to the CTT family who is making everything possible! We cannot wait for August to get here!

- Sheree Lutz

Allison

Brittany

Sheree

Ben

Stacy

st. mary kevin photos from dawn and emily!

Change the Truth board member, Dawn, and her daughter, Emily are at St. Mary Kevin Children's Home for the 4th and 3rd time, respectively. They look like they've settled in quite nicely!

change the truth sponsored students

There are few things more rewarding than seeing our sponsored students spiffed up and ready to start the new school year. Term 1 just began in Uganda, and our kiddos were eager to get started. It's a tough schedule to which they must adhere, rising at 5 AM and going all day long until lights-out in the dormitory at 10 PM, but they know they are among the lucky ones to have this opportunity. Please say hello to our lovely, hard-working students. They attend several different schools; choice of school is based upon the specific talents/needs of each young person. Each school is close enough so that Melissa can be present at every Visitation Day. Thanks to her, these kids have a loving "parent" who is nearby and who is always available for emotional support. Mel took these wonderful photos as our students were preparing to leave for the first day of school. These are just 26 of our current crop of 43 scholars. CTT is proud of every single one of them.

Bethel Covenant College 

Phionah and Tonny (Senior 4)



Baptist High School

Rordirick (Senior 3), Benjamin (Senior 1), John (Senior 1), Enock (Senior 1), Petra (Senior 1), Queen (Senior 1), Oscar (Senior  3),  Lillian (Senior 3), Tina (Senior 3)



Merryland High School

Brian and Caleb (Senior 6)

Taibah International School

Isabella (Senior 5), Rebecca (Senior 5), Francis (Senior 5)



Kajjansi Progressive 

Steven (Senior 5), Alfonso (Senior 2), Mesearch (Senior 2), Alpha (Senior 2), Shine (Senior 2)



St. Noa's Girls School

Nahia (Senior 4), Ritah (Senior 1), Irene (Senior 3), Beatrice (Senior 3), Rose (Senior 4)

Not pictured:

Joan

Senior 4

St. Noa's Girl's School

Rose A.

Senior 5

Kajjansi Progressive

Evalyn

Senior 5

St. Noa's Girl's School

Claire Faith

Senior 5

Baptist High School

Sanday

Senior 6

Kajjansi Progressive

Anthony

Senior 6

Kajjansi Progressive

Mark

Senior 6

Mengo Senior School

Ronald

Senior 6

Kajjansi Progressive

Scovia

awaiting acceptance into Vocational Program

Wyclife

awaiting acceptance into Vocational Program

Scovia A.

awaiting acceptance into Vocational Program

Willy

awaiting acceptance into University

Joseph

awaiting acceptance into University

Catherine

Year 1 

Makerere University Business School

Sheillah

Year 1

Medicare Health Professionals College

Rachael

Year 1

Makerere University Business School

Catherine N.

Year 2

Kymbogo University

sally mann + getting ready to return to uganda

A few days ago I finished reading Hold Still, Sally Mann’s memoir. While so much about which she wrote rang true with me, nothing resonated more than her discussion about the true possibilities of the photographic portrait. While discussing her body of work that consists of portraits of African American men, she had this to say:

“The photographer [holds] all the cards. Exploitation lies at the root of every great portrait, and all of us know it. Even the simplest picture of another person is ethically complex, and the ambitious photographer, no matter how sincere, is compromised right from the git-go… Taking the picture is an invasive act, a one-sided exercise of power…  But at a higher level, which portraiture at its best can achieve, the results can also be transformative expressions of love, affirmation and hope. If transgression is at the very heart of photographic portraiture, then the ideal outcome – beauty, communion, honesty and empathy – mitigates the offense. Art can afford the kindest crucible of association, and within its ardent issue lies a grace that both transcends and tenders understanding.”

I’ve wrestled with the challenges of photographing as an outsider and the notion of so-called (and unfortunately named) “poverty porn” for many years. In 2006, when I first traveled to Uganda, the centerpiece of both my photographic and professional work unwittingly became the children who live at an orphanage in the small village of Kajjansi. As you know, I have spent the last nine years documenting them and helping them change their lives for the better. I am forever inspired by the generosity of spirit these children continue to offer me.

In a few short weeks, I’ll travel to Uganda for the 9th time. In preparation for my journey, I have been revisiting pictures made during the last three trips. Some you may have seen before, but many are being printed for the first time. They are portrayals of just a few of the strong, hopeful dignified people – living in one of the poorest countries in the world - who have enriched me as a photographer and as a human being.

I look forward to the privilege of making more pictures along the red dirt roads of Kajjansi. My hope is that the new pictures, like these, will be imbued with beauty, communion, honesty and empathy, qualities which Mann suggests comprise the ideal outcome of photographic portraiture.

bringing uganda to the kansas suburbs

Natalie Boten is another one of CTT's super stars. She, like Eddie, is always coming up with creative ways to spread awareness about our kids in Uganda. 

For some time now, she has been developing a relationship with the students and faculty at Hocker Grove Middle School. She (along with teacher Kimberly Gilman) have been busy creating a bridge between the kids there and the kids at St. Mary Kevin Children's Home. Kids learning about kids. Kids helping kids. That's the best.

Today Natalie created a Ugandan ambience at Hocker Grove for a couple hours. She played Ugandan music, showed pictures, helped the students make small projects about themselves to deliver to the kids at SMK and fed them a taste of Ugandan food! Natalie made and rounded up the following: posho, g-nuts, beans, rice, chapati, mangos and pineapple! Posho, for those of you you may not be familiar with it, is one of the staples of the Ugandan diet. It is made up of finely ground white corn flour that is mixed with boiling water to form a solid. It's easy to make in huge batches, it fills you up, and it takes on the flavor of whatever is served with it - in most cases, beans. The kids at SMK eat it a LOT. The kids in suburban Kansas ate it today, and Natalie reported that they liked it!

Breaking down the walls between us can only bring us closer together in many positive ways. Thank you, Natalie, for taking the time to bring Uganda to Kansas for a few lucky young people today.

mama melissa!

Change the Truth is incredibly lucky to have Melissa in its corner. This August will mark her fifth year living and working on our behalf at St. Mary Kevin Children's Home. The following recent missive makes it quite clear that she is a mama to so many now - and a fantastic one at that!

"Mourie lost her first tooth last weekend. As a child, my mom did an exceptional job of making those childhood milestones special. I celebrated Antwain’s milestones with him, and it has become one of my great joys to be present for the childhood milestones of the children at SMK.

In America, the Tooth Fairy is a common myth parents use to trade their child’s tooth for some small money. My mom kept the Tooth Fairy legacy alive when I was a child, and I did the same with Antwain. When Mourie discovered her tooth missing, she shared that Uganda’s Tooth Fairy is actually a Rat, which is crafty enough to eat the tooth after leaving a Ugandan shilling coin in its place.

When Mourie lost her tooth, we did not give the Tooth Rat the opportunity to pay us a visit. Instead I traded her tooth for a Ugandan shilling coin, and we are saving her first lost tooth for her Mommy. For me, it was a special privilege to be there during this moment in her childhood."

visitation day report

CTT 2015 Term 1 Visitation Day Report

Kajjansi Progressive Senior Secondary School

Akampulira Shine - Senior 1

Shine

Shine’s Classes in Senior 1: English, Mathematics, History, Geography, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Commerce, Computer, Christian Religious Education, Islamic Religious Education, Political Education, Luganda, Agriculture, Literature in English, and Fine Art.

Shine’s Best Performed Classes in Beginning of Term 1 Examinations:  History, Luganda, and Commerce

Term 1 News from Kajjansi Progressive SSS:  Kajjansi Progressive enjoyed academic success in last year’s National Examinations and had a grand celebration for students, staff and parents.  In addition to normal classes which are held Monday-Saturday from 7:30a-5:00p, the school has begun competing with neighboring schools in Netball (a female sport similar to basketball) and Football (a male sport also known as soccer). 

Shine’s Visitation Day gift from YOU:  1 kilogram sugar, 1 bar washing soap, 2 rolls toilet paper, 3 blue ink pens, and 5,000 UGX spending money for canteen.

School Name and Location:  Kajjansi Progressive Senior Secondary School is located in Kajjansi only about 1/3 kilometer walking distance from St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood. 

Kajjansi Progressive SSS’s Motto:  "Never Give Up"

Information about Kajjansi Progressive SSS:  Kajjansi Progressive is a boarding school for 1,500 students in Senior 1- Senior 6.  This school has been providing quality Secondary education since 1992 with a highly qualified staff of teachers in both Arts and Sciences.  In 2014, Kajjansi Progressive SSS was ranked #75 out of 1050 Secondary schools in all of Uganda in Ordinary Level (or O-Level) for Senior 1-Senior 4 studies.  In addition, in 2014 it was ranked #47 out of 200 Advanced Level (or A-Level) schools for Senior 5- Senior 6 in the entire Wakiso district.

[This is just one of the many reports now being sent to CTT sponsors of individual students. Melissa makes a point of visiting each and every secondary student. It's a special day for a boarder who doesn't see familiar faces from "home" very often. Mel is greeted with huge hugs, often some jumping up and down and frequently a few screams of delight. Our students - especially those in Senior 1 - are so proud of their new uniform and school shoes and get such joy showing Melissa their classrooms and dormitories, introducing her to teachers and new friends and enjoying a soda and a long chat.]

captain freddie

My friend Fred, a member of the Change the Truth board of directors, just returned from his third trip to Uganda to visit the children at St. Mary Kevin. Fred is a psychologist in his real life in Portland, Oregon, but when he goes to SMK, he is Captain Freddie, a tireless advocate for joyful living, who is all about playing and having fun.

The children love him. They follow him around, happy to simply be in his presence soaking up his cheerful demeanor. Fred is known for encouraging the children to pick up trash and keep the grounds clean. They trail after him, trash barrels in hand, singing and skipping, delighted by their leader's love and attention.

The kids started calling him Captain Freddie back in 2008 when he first traveled to SMK. It's the perfect moniker for this pied piper.

Fred spent a lot of time during his past two visits talking to the children about life in America and encouraging them to ask questions about that. He also talked about cherishing and treasuring what they have, including their pleasant memories of lost family members and friends.

But I think the biggest and best gift Fred gives the children is his time, his attention, his smile, his bear hugs, his laugh and his open heart.

When I asked him to sum up this most recent trip, he simply said:

"Being with and helping the children at SMK helps me become a better man."

We are so lucky that he has chosen to spread his love amongst our beloved children in Uganda. While he's busy becoming a better man, kids like Queen, Sarah, Nelson, Eddie, Mary and Moureen are becoming better adjusted, more grounded, more loved, more confident and increasingly hopeful.

Not a bad deal, captain.

Fred gets his hair braided

The pied piper in action.