Going beyond the literal construction of the Bigodi primary school in Uganda, Africa, the Empower Campaign is continuing its three-year-long support of this impoverished area.
Kicking off the support effort is the annual Run to Empower 5k tomorrow, with all proceeds benefiting the students of the Bigodi school.
Hogan Sherrow and his wife, fellow Ohio University professor Andria Sherrow, founded the Empower Campaign in 2004 while finishing their graduate degrees working in Uganda. Sherrow said that by simply being born in America, one has access to many opportunities that those in other countries never could.
Geography shouldn't determine whether or not you have the ability to go to school or whether to not you have he ability to make a living
he said. It's simply a matter of where our parents live that give us the opportunities and advantages that we have.
For the past three years, Empower has worked toward rebuilding the Bigodi school, which was destroyed by a windstorm in 2008, said Erin Raby, Empower merchandising chair and a junior studying commercial photography.
All the funds we raise go directly to the school in Uganda ... along with the money raised with the 5k we have fundraising tables at Baker every Wednesday she said. We go around and ask for donations from people
even just loose change from their pocket. It's surprising how quickly it all adds up.
Sherrow said he was proud to have completed the goal of rebuilding the Bigodi school and it could not have happened without Empower's staff and volunteers.
We're filled with a sense of pride and gratitude toward everyone who has worked hard to make this happen
he said. There are many other things the student workers could be doing
from studying for midterms to hanging out with friends
and instead they're spreading the word about educating orphans in Africa.
The organization is continuing its support of the children who attend the Bigodi school. It is currently investing in lunch programs for HIV and AIDS-infected children, said Gwennan Richmond, a junior studying political science and president of the Empower Campaign.
We're always in close contact with the community (in Uganda) and we come up with projects based on what their need is
she said. Many of the children are infected with HIV/AIDS
and if you're on those kinds of medication and don't eat regularly you'll get really sick. We want them to be able to stay focused in school and lead normal lives.
Many of the advantages America has are not viewed as privileges, but are instead societal expectations, Sherrow said.
The worst run-down neighborhoods in America still have clean water
it still has an education system that kids can go to without bankrupting their families with the need for school supplies
he said. That's simply not the case around the rest of the world.
