Givology - give to learn, learn to give

The purpose of this project is to generate food for students and a steady revenue for the school. This requires new motors for a maize grinder, construction of building to enclose the mill, and connection to an electric grid.

About 300 boys and girls at Circle of Peace School receive education they would otherwise be denied because of schooling fees. Through COP, students study in a safe an nurturing environment.
Some students commute, but most stay in the dormitories on campus. The school provides for the students, covering their housing, food, clothing, medical care, and emotional support.

With the maize mill, COP will be able to produce posho, a source of nutrition for many in Uganda. Students will be able to eat every day and sell this product in nearby towns. Profits from sales will contribute to future school projects, which include new classrooms, a boy's dormitory, infirmary, library, computer lab, and gym.

In 1991, Uganda native Joanita Bbaale earned a degree in Education from Kibuli Teachers College. As a public school teacher, she was troubled by the fact that underprivileged students were denied an education because their families were too poor to pay school fees. Joanita often found herself teaching basic reading to her Sunday school pupils.
A national effort to enroll Uganda's children in nursery schools was initiated in the early 1990s. Because there were no nursery schools in her area, Joanita left her paid teaching position to establish a local school for the children in her neighborhood. There were initially eight students who met on the porch of her parents' home that first year. Soon more students began coming.
At the end of the 1994 term, parents pleaded with Joanita to continue teaching their children. She and her family responded by renting land, erecting temporary classrooms, and adding teachers. Higher grades were added each year until the school was offering nursery through seventh grade classes.

The Ugandan Ministry of Education licensed Circle of Peace School (COPS) in 1997 and a new campus was established at the Bbaale family compound to serve grades four through seven.

Joanita was forced to flee her homeland in 1996 due to persecution. On her voyage to the United States her belongings were stolen and she found herself in Richmond, Virginia penniless and without any contacts. Through perseverance, hard work, and assistance from St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Joanita built a new life for herself, earning advanced degrees at the University of Richmond and acquiring US citizenship.

In 2009, a group of supportive people began meeting to assist Joanita in raising funds for COPS. Circle of Peace International (COPI) was created and registered in 2011 as a nonprofit corporation in the Commonwealth of Virginia with tax exempt status. COPI is currently governed by a Board of Directors that meets monthly, whose mission is to supports the school financially, establish links with schools in the U.S., provide opportunities for Americans to volunteer at the school, and help the school set up profit-making businesses in order to become self-sufficient.