. .

building bridges * of hope

redemption . education . restoration
Aoet:Uganda and AOET:USA
 God found them in the wilderness, in an empty, windswept wasteland.
He threw his arms around them, lavished attention on them,
He guarded them as the apple of his eye.
He was like an eagle hovering over its nest, overshadowing its young,
Then spreading its wings, lifting them into the air, teaching them to fly.
God lifted them to the hilltops,
so they could feast on the crops in the fields.
He fed them with honey from the rock, oil from granite crags,
Curds of cattle and the milk of sheep,
and the choice cuts of lambs and goats.

Deuteronomy 32:10-14

*AOET:USA serves as a bridge for people to connect with the leaders and ministry of AOET:UGANDA.
The work of AOET:UGANDA is led and managed by Ugandans.
Uganda - Africas Pearl in Peril
In 2017, 1.5 million people live with HIV/AIDs and 28,000 of them will die of
AIDS-related illnesses. The prevalence rate among adults (aged 15 to 49) is
7.3%, and the epidemic disproportionately affects young women. Ugandas
history is full of epic trajedies.

Dictator Idi Amin ruthlessly killed 500,000 between 1970-1979;

followed by Milton Obotes reign of terror that put Uganda at the top
of the list of countries with the worst human rights records in the
world.
The infamous Joseph Konys Lords Resistance Army (LRA) kidnapped
and forced 30,000 children into his army of hate, displaced 1.8
million, and killed 100,000 innocent Ugandans.
Widespread and extreme poverty persists, especially in the rural
northern regions, with 37.8% of all Ugandans living on less than
$1.25 a day.
Government corruption continues to enrich the powerful and
margilalize the poor
Imagine...
You and your siblings were born in Uganda in the midst of such chaos and grief. What
would your life have looked like?
There is a 1 in 14 chance that you would have lost one or both of your parents due to AIDS

You live on the street or, if you are lucky, with your 52 year old grandmother (whose life
expectancy is around 58)

your familys monthly income is below $35 per month

Your 15 year old sister is married with a 1 year old baby

you may have witnessed your younger brother kidnapped by the Lords Resistance Army to
become one of the 30,000 Invisible Children

Since you live in the north, its likely your family lives in a UN refugee camp
 HOPE RISING
Meet Sam Tushabe. He was born in Uganda in 1970, lived in the central region and witnessed first-
hand unspeakable atrocities and the resulting wake of grief. His father disappeared when he was very
young and his mother carried water and sold firewood for pennies on the side of the road. Ugandas
HIV/AIDs infection rate at the time was nearly 15%, and Sams mother died of the disease when he
was 13. He became one of the 2 million HIV/AIDs orphans. Before she died, his mother had made
him promise that he would go to school.

Sam kept his promise and eventually earned a M.S. in International Development from American
University. He returned to Uganda and was motivated to do something about his countrys tragedies.
As a Christian, he longed to bring Gods hope and promise of a new life. In 1995 Sam founded
the AIDS Orphan Education Trust (AOET:Uganda) as a registered Ugandan non-governmental
organization. The work began as an independent, grassroots effort to live out one of the most basic
commandments in the Bible:

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows
in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world (James 1:27)

This verse, and hundreds others like it, motivate and direct AOET:Ugandas leadership and support
staff to bring Gods Good News to orphans, impoverished youth, widows and single women, and
struggling families in Ugandas suburban and rural communities. AOET:Uganda functions with a core
belief that this Good News is uniquely found in the historical person of Jesus Christ, who alone can
give purpose, significance, and abundant life.

A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life,
more and better life than they ever dreamed of. John 10:10

7
 AOET:UGANDA
1. Christ Centered
AOET:Uganda is inspired and motivated
by faith in Jesus Christ as revealed in
the Bible as the Son of God.
The Gospel of Christ is the power of
God at work, saving everyone who
believes This Good News tells
us how God makes us right in his
sight. This is accomplished from
start to finish by faith.
Romans 1:16-17
Everything AOET:Uganda is and does
flows from Gods Good News that all
experience His rescuing, redemptive,
and relentless love.
8
2. Local Leadership
All the AOET:Uganda board of directors, leadership, and support staff
were born and raised as Africans who take the ownership of programs
and promote communal and collaborative initiatives that meet the
real needs of the people.
AOET:Uganda is responsible for the vision, programming, and
oversight of staff. Financial, human and hard resources, and all
other forms of support are managed by the board of directors and
leadership team to ensure effective and consistent strategies and
programing.
AOET:Uganda works to establish relationships with influential
community leaders, strategic Ugandan NGOs, businesses, churches,
government agencies and officials, and local elected council
members. Endowed with local knowledge, cultural awareness, and
language, these partners work collaboratively to meet the needs of
vulnerable children, their families, and the entire community.
Robert D. Lupton, Toxic Charity
 3 DISTINCT VALUES
3. Holistic Development
AOET:Uganda integrates faith, education, health, and life skills. All this functions in the context of the childrens
family, the local church, student clubs, sports, and Christian organizations like FCA. The underserved and vulnerable
children have opportunities that include:
Education from preschool, through primary and secondary school, and into university (for qualifying students)
Preventative and diagnostic health and medical services
Foster Home Villages where children experience a healthy and loving family environment
Life skills and vocational training
Special camps, career guidance workshops, specialized clubs
Holistic change that is lasting and transformational is a gradual process. AOET:Uganda believes a better life for all
Ugandans is within the reach for this generation, and that no child should live without the hope and the opportunity
to enjoy Gods goodness.

9
AOET:UGANDA
CORE COMPETENCIES
While a university education may lead to viable careers within Uganda, the opportunities for those
who receive a primary and secondary education are very different. Students who learn English,
mathematics, and reading and writing skills are able to enter the job market in the blue-collar arena
where many more opportunities exist. Secondary graduates are qualified, for example, to teach at
primary schools. Primary and secondary education is often the difference between children achieving
a sustainable and independent adult life, and children whose only option is a life as a peasant farmer
living hand-to-mouth. The sad reality is that children who do not attend school crowd the streets during
the day and engage in high risk behaviors at night.

AOET:Uganda schools are very different from existing private and public school models. The schools are
integrated, meaning children from all levels of society, affluent and poor, HIV/AIDS positive, and all
levels of skill and abilities study together in the same classrooms with no distinctions.
Another distinction is AOET:Uganda recruits teachers who are well-equipped to teach and passionate
about their students success. These teachers view their role less as a career path and more as a high
and sacred calling from God.
Many students who graduate from public primary schools have a difficult time transitioning into
1. EDUCATE THE NEXT GENERATION
2. EMPOWERMENT & ENTERPRISE
3. CHILD & FAMILY WELFARE

secondary school because school fees are higher, there are fewer schools, and many students are not
able to continue due to poor performance on primary exams. But AOET:Ugandas Child Sponsorship
program ensures these students are able to continue their education that will help ensure a brighter
future.
Some sponsored students, however, are not able to pass their national exams or progress past
secondary level 4. In these cases, AOET:Uganda provides a bridge for students through the
Empowerment and Enterprise programs.
AOET:UGANDA
CORE COMPETENCIES
1. EDUCATE THE NEXT GENERATION
2. EMPOWERMENT & ENTERPRISE
3. CHILD & FAMILY WELFARE

In the case where students do not qualify for university or are unable to finish secondary grade S4,
AOET:Uganda guides them to connect with appropriate vocational training schools to develop market-
able skills for employment and enterprising business opportunities. Fortunately there are many differ-
ent private institutions that are accredited by the Ugandan Business, Technical, Vocational Education
and Training Program that specialize in this sort of training. Uganda Ministry of Education & Sports
has recognized and accredited 75 vocational schools.

The YMCA of Business Studies is one of two such institutions available to students in Jinja with spe-
cialized training in the following areas:

Business, administration and finance

Hospitality and tourism

Information and communication technology

Teaching for primary and secondary

Tailoring, clothing, footware and textiles

 AOET:UGANDA
CORE COMPETENCIES
The family unit is often the key to determining the success of children. A high percentage of children have
lost one or both parents, have little to no support of other adults in the family, and often their only meal are
the ones AOET provides at school. This creates a very unstable and turbulent home environment. The Child
and Family Welfare program of AOET works with each child and family to provide:
Training and mentoring for parents
Budgeting and help to begin a savings plan
Medical support for HIV/AIDs with ARVs, malaria, and other health issues
Foster care villages with parents for children to experience a healthy and loving home environment
Accountability and support through organizing multi-family community groups

Child and Family Welfare includes the Foster Family Villages that focus on strengthening the existing
community structure that has traditionally provided support to orphans and vulnerable children--the
family. The traditional support mechanism for orphans and vulnerable children across all of Africa
is the extended family and community. In fact, if each family decided to foster one orphan, every
homeless child living on the street could be accommodated.

AOET:Ugandas foster parents nurture the children throughout the phases of development to learn the
many roles that make up a healthy family setting. The lessons learned in the foster home create the
stable foundation for the childs future home and family. Healthy and responsible relationships are
learned during early childhood at home, and the successful fight against the many issues Uganda is
facing hinge upon the restoration of Gods design for the family unit.
 1. EDUCATE THE NEXT GENERATION
2. EMPOWERMENT & ENTERPRISE
3. CHILD & FAMILY WELFARE

Child and family Welfare is also AOET:Ugandas medical care and health services which include:

Education, prevention, and treatment of HIV/AIDS

Basic physical trauma care
Childbirth and parenting
Treatment of common illnesses such as malaria.

AOET:Uganda staff make regular surveys to the homes of all sponsored students, as well as the families in
the surrounding communities to assess each familys needs and test for illnesses. All this information is
recorded into a database that helps inform strategic plans and actions.
Congratulations...
You overcame incredible obstacles and worked
hard to earn a spot to attend university. You
escaped the cycle of poverty. You recently
graduated from 6 years of intensive studies
to reach your dream of becoming a corporate
accountant. You were in the top 10% of your
class. Congratulations! Now you set out in search
of opportunities to apply your passion and skills...

But the competition for jobs is tough. This year

40,000 students will graduate and contend
for 8,000 jobs. That means 73% of your fellow
graduates will fail to transition into careers. Most
of them will have to learn a basic trade skill just
to keep from going backwards. Unfortunately
youth unemployment in Uganda is nearly 80%,
the highest in Africa.

The good news is your family has a small

farm in the country that grows corn and
Casava. While hoping for your real life to
begin as an accountant, you do what you
can to help your parents work the cops of
the family farm.

What keeps millions of Ugandans trapped in the cycle of extreme poverty?

LACK OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

16
what if
you could create
new opportunities
for the next generation?
 AOET:
Uganda
Led by Sam Tushabe, AOET:Uganda
consists of passionate and highly skilled
teachers, administrators, health and
social care specialists, medical care
providers, foster parents, and vocational
training staff.
These teams are overseen by the
Ugandan Leadership Team and are
responsible for:

Setting strategic plans

Recruiting and retaining talent
Training staff
Tracking and measuring results
Managing resources

2017 Leadership Team

Mr. Ernest Masaaba

Mr. Richard Mirondo

Ms. Doreen Alivitsa

Mrs. Margaret Kakaire

Mrs. Nancy Tushabe

18
The Leadership Team is overseen by
the AOET:Uganda Board of Directors.
The entire board is deeply connected
to the work and meet annually for the
following:

Audit and approve annual reports

work plans, and presentations to the
general assembly
Assist the Leadership Team to
evaluate and set higher standards
for effective performance
Provide oversight of organizational
health, vision, and long-term goals

2017 Board Members

Mr. Sam Tushabe, Chairman

Mr. Ernest Masaaba
Ms. Naomi Watiti
Ms. Faith Kunihira
Ps. Thompson Namara
Mr. Ben Isiko
Ps. Isaac Wagaba
Ps. Zachariah Serwadda
AOET: USA
In 2006 an American team visited Uganda, met Sam, and worked with the students at the school in
Jinja. Upon returning, one woman who was moved with compassion established AOET:USA as a regis-
tered 501c3. AOET:USA was launched to support and expand AOET:Ugandas ministry. AOET:Uganda
and AOET:USA are separate nonprofit organizations, each with its own board of directors and staff.
AOET:USA serves AOET:Uganda in the following three areas:

1. Child sponsorships for all education, medical care, health and wellness programs,
and future vocational skills training.
2. Raise finances for specific capital projects, as well as ongoing programs such as
child and family welfare, and special events like student camps, or the annual
birthday bash.
3. Engage organizations in the US such as churches, schools, businesses, founda-
tions, and associations to establish relationships with AOET:Uganda leadership
and local ministry partners.
AOET:USAs sponsorship program eliminates the prevalent barriers children face to enroll in and attend
school by paying for yearly school fees and supplies, school uniforms, special events and camps, provid-
ing for medical services and career guidance, and serving meals during school. This support is vital for
consistent attendance throughout the school year. AOET:USAs 2017 sponsored children has expanded
to over 900, with 300 located in Lira, northern Uganda.
AOET: USA:Board & Team
Bob Aylward-Chairman
Robert Aylward is the CEO of Jones & Carter, a full service engineering consulting firm. He lived in Maryland 30
years before relocating his family and firm to Houston TX. Bob studied economics at Illinois State University and
received his MBA from Johns Hopkins University.

Becky Ramsing-Vice Chair

Registered Dietitian with a Masters of Public Health. She currently spends her work hours divided between her
nutrition consulting/education business and a Women in Agriculture and Food Security project with University of
Maryland, where she travels to Afghanistan and Ethiopia teaching nutrition and overseeing the projects.

Jim Barfoot-Secretary
Retired from Troutlodge, Inc., after 18 years, and is exploring other business opportunities. As a military depend-
ent, he grew up all over the country and now resides in Lake Tapps. WA. Jim received both his undergraduate and
graduate degrees from the University of Richmond

Kelly Aylward-Board Member

Kelly Aylwards favorite job has been raising her children with husband and fellow Board member, Bob Aylward.
They have five children and one grandchild. She grew up in Richmond, VA and graduated from the University of
Richmond with an Economics Degree.

Linda Stewart-Board Member

20 years combined in law enforcement/investigations and was one of the first female FBI agents, serving with
the Bureau for five years. She retired in 2005, after working 15 years with the Missouri Department of Mental
Health as an investigator of allegations of abuse and neglect. She also served for 9 years on her local school
board. Linda grew up in Webb City, MO and graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Laurie Gift Harris-Executive Director

25+ years experience in nonprofit fundraising and friend-raising, she is delighted to be part of such an incredible
organization, serving Gods children in Uganda. Laurie also serves on the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Urban
Core Champions Board

Andy Hein-Director Strategic Partnerships

35 years combined experience as an ordained pastor, church mobilization and development director, mechanical
engineer, entrepreneur. Andy has worked for and learned from leaders such as Rick Warren (Saddleback Church),
Gary Haugen (International Justice Mission), and Greg Surratt (Seacoast Church)

21
AOET:USA
THE BRIDGE TO CONNECT YOUR HEART WITH GODS PEOPLE IN UGANDA

AOET:USA is a two-way bridge where US and Ugandan lives intersect and hearts
connect. Get on the bridge and experience the power of rebuilding and changing lives
that have been ravaged by warlords, civil war, disease, poverty, and corruption. You
may just find that by the time you reach the other end of the bridge, the life that is
transformed is yours!

Sponsor a child: $38 each month provides consistent education, medical care, and

1. health and wellness services. Children may enter pre-school, graduate to primary,
secondary, and then begin vocational training or enrol in University. Sponsorship is the
best way to ensure children make it all the way through their education.

2.
Make a donation to the greatest need. Each quarter the AOET:Uganda team prioritizes
the projects and programs that will most impact student success rate at the schools. The
list is reviewed and approved by the AOET:USA Executive Director for accountability and
effectiveness.

3.
Get your church on the bridge. Nothing has more power to ignite a revival like
connecting with the vibrant faith of brothers and sisters who are building Gods Kingdom
around the globe. Host a Vulnerable Childrens Sunday, engage small groups on the
bridge, or throw a sponsorship party. Your church will never be the same!

4.
Connect your company. AOET:USA works with you to create a custom program to
effectively engage your company and employees in ways that demonstrate your companys
values and commitment to investing in and rebuilding the lives of those with the greatest
need.

5. Make a planned gift. Join your legacy with AOET:Ugandas tireless staff to leverage their
impact of transforming the next generation. Consider, for example, a living will, charitable
annuities, or memorials and tribute gifts.

6. Start a personalized support campaign. AOET:USA gets your campaign kick-started

to tell your story, share media, and promote your cause to friends and colleagues. Whether
its $5 or $50,000, youll bring everyone with you across the bridge!

7. Join others and cross the bridge. Join an 1-2 week AOET:USA team to experience the
work in Uganda. Whether youre a teacher, physician, plumber, politician, pastor, student...
God will put your skills, experience, and passions to good use.

8.
Partner with the staff of AOET:USA to create and invent something new! The
opportunities are limited only by your imagination and willingness to partner with what God
is doing in Uganda to bring the Good News of Jesus to rescue, redeem, and restore people
to himself.

Stewardship is an integral part of everything AOET:USA does. Contributions are solicited with the
understanding that AOET:USA has complete control over the use of all donated funds. In rare cases when
we receive more contributions for a given program than can be wisely applied to that program, we apply
those funds to meet a similar pressing need. AOET:USA is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization. All gifts are
tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
O Eternal One, You have heard the longings of the poor and lowly.
You will strengthen them; You who are of heaven will hear them,
Vindicating the orphan and the oppressed
so that men who are of the earth will terrify them no more.
Psalm 10:17-18
On behalf of both AOET Uganda and USA, I offer my heartfelt thanks for your involvement and support.
By engaging and partnering with us, you show that you are committed to bring hope and transform
the lives of vulnerable children across the land of Uganda.

. .
Laurie Gift Harris, Executive Director AOET:USA

WWW.AOETUSA.ORG 503.954.3711 info@aoetusa.com