Register!............................1
Our Sister Schools.............2
Sponsor a Student!............3
Facilitator Resources..........4
For Registered Schools......5
About Books of Hope........6
About Latigi ......................7
Our Library........................8
My Class Cares.................9
Questions? Contact Us ....10
Letter from Ugandan Teacher
I am glad to acknowledge for the readers books and other books made by young children, which we received from your office. I humbly inform you that our pupils liked them so much and they greatly admired the way their fellow children designed them. They were also interested in pictures and other drawings the books contained. Not only pupils in AVSI group picked interest, but also other children and teachers in the school community were pleased.
We look forward to receive more books in case there is any given chance. Our pupils developed sense of making some related books once they are provided with materials required. We also encourage them and we promise to help them when necessary. We greatly thank you for all the services. God bless you always.
Yours Faithfully,
Sr. N. Jane
Collabrator/Headmistress
Letter from U.S. Student
I would like to begin by thanking you for your contributions to children and more specifically those in Uganda. I have spent much time taking care of children (through my job in childcare) and it is frightening to me how society as a whole can ignore those in need. I am more than happy to do anything I can to help others, but most of the time, the lack of action comes from my inability to accomplish the final step of taking action. You are that final link for me. I adore the thought that some child may receive my book and perhaps will enjoy it enough to pass it on to their children. It seems to me that through literature and helping others, such as those children in Uganda, my writing and perhaps my name will (in a small way) become immortalized. That and the knowledge that I will be making a child happy, if even for a moment, is enough of a reward for me. I only wish others would do so as well. Thank you so much once again and I hope that the children will enjoy dreaming about the far away places that I also dream of.
My love and regards to you and those in Uganda,
Allyson S.
I am glad to acknowledge for the readers books and other books made by young children, which we received from your office. I humbly inform you that our pupils liked them so much and they greatly admired the way their fellow children designed them. They were also interested in pictures and other drawings the books contained. Not only pupils in AVSI group picked interest, but also other children and teachers in the school community were pleased.
We look forward to receive more books in case there is any given chance. Our pupils developed sense of making some related books once they are provided with materials required. We also encourage them and we promise to help them when necessary. We greatly thank you for all the services. God bless you always.
Yours Faithfully,
Sr. N. Jane
Collabrator/Headmistress
Letter from U.S. Student
I would like to begin by thanking you for your contributions to children and more specifically those in Uganda. I have spent much time taking care of children (through my job in childcare) and it is frightening to me how society as a whole can ignore those in need. I am more than happy to do anything I can to help others, but most of the time, the lack of action comes from my inability to accomplish the final step of taking action. You are that final link for me. I adore the thought that some child may receive my book and perhaps will enjoy it enough to pass it on to their children. It seems to me that through literature and helping others, such as those children in Uganda, my writing and perhaps my name will (in a small way) become immortalized. That and the knowledge that I will be making a child happy, if even for a moment, is enough of a reward for me. I only wish others would do so as well. Thank you so much once again and I hope that the children will enjoy dreaming about the far away places that I also dream of.
My love and regards to you and those in Uganda,
Allyson S.
If you would like to send us a brief paragraph about your experience with the project, please drop us a line at info@booksofhope.org
Dorothy Anena Otika, through her work with the Latigi Orphan Care Center, has made Books of Hope possible. Without her, we would still be struggling to establish ongoing relationships with schools in and around Gulu, Uganda. Please read more about Dorothy's inspiring story below.
If you would like to make a donation to directly support the Latigi Orphan Care Center and Dorothy Anena Otika, please send a check made out to Books of Hope with a note indicating how the donation should be used to the following address:
Books of Hope
483 Presidential Lane
Madison, WI 53711
We will either wire Dorothy the money or deliver it during our next trip in March 2010. You will receive a receipt from Books of Hope, and, after our March trip, a letter of thanks from Dorothy herself.
The Latigi Orphan Care Center was founded by an extraordinary Acholi woman named Dorothy Anena Otika.
Latigi is our partner organization in Uganda; by helping support Dorothy in her work, we can accomplish much more for the children of Gulu than we could by ourselves. Among other things, Dorothy connected us with all of the schools in and around Gulu that we have sponsored to date.
Dorothy is herself a survivor of the war. Almost twenty years ago, Dorothy's brother was abducted while biking home and was later discovered brutally murdered on the side of the road. A few years later, her family was driven from their land by the LRA rebels, and they were all forced to flee in the middle of the night.
Dorothy on her family's land outside of Gulu town.
Dorothy made the journey to Kampala on foot and by bus (when she could hitch a ride) as a teenager and lived there for several years before returning to Gulu to help other families affected by the war. She then founded the Latigi Orphan Care Center, named after her grandmother.
Dorothy at her grandmother's grave
Her family now lives in an IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camp because it's too dangerous for them to return to their land. Dorothy often works without pay to help the children who flock to the Latigi Orphan Care Center, despite the fact that she has four of her own children to feed and put through school by herself. Since then, Dorothy has sought out educational opportunities (particularly management and computer skills) so that she could be more effective in her work.
Dorothy with three of her children in front of the door to their home.
The Latigi Orphan Care Center is essentially a neighborhood center located in Gulu that's open to any child who needs help. Children often walk a dozen or more kilometers from rural villages to seek out Dorothy's assistance. She does her best to help them find money to pay for their school fees, uniforms, scholastic materials, health care, clothing and food. Many of the children are now at the head of their households and have no way of supporting their families.
During the summer of 2007, Books of Hope staff sent a series of email messages out to organizations that work in Gulu, seeking out partners who could help us connect with schools in Gulu. Dorothy was the only one who responded. And not only did she respond, but as we later learned, she traveled dozens of kilometers, often by foot, to the most remote, neglected schools in order to collect the information we needed to initiate our school sponsorship system.
When we visit Gulu each year, Dorothy acts as our guide and our host. It's clear that the staff and students at all of the schools we visit both respect and love her.
As you can see from the photos, the Center is a small, dark two room office space. As our partner organization, Books of Hope assists Latigi by supplementing its rental costs, monthly electricity bill, and Dorothy's transportation expenses out to our sponsored schools. We're also trying to help pay Dorothy a living wage (even $100 a month in Gulu makes an enormous difference), help supplement her children's school tuition, and provide Dorothy (an exceptionally capable woman) additional training opportunities.
Dorothy has a powerful vision for the future of the Latigi Orphan Care Center, but, frankly, as a poor woman, she has struggled to establish credibility with local officials. Our goal through Books of Hope is to help Dorothy demonstrate that she can bring in much needed resources to the children of Gulu. This will help her gain the respect of the decision makers and funders in Gulu and make her even more effective.
We would welcome any donations towards helping Dorothy continue her important work.