Check out this feature on TheDieline.com - highlighting and explaining the thoughts behind our ALL-NEW SUUBI Packaging. 

See it HERE: http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/4/4/suubi.html

(1 of 5/Jinja Uganda)

(2 of 5/Jinja Uganda)

(3 of 5/Jinja Uganda)

(4 of 5/Jinja Uganda)

(5 of 5/Jinja Uganda)

Free Wallpaper Download for your iPad, iPhone, Laptop, or Desktop

Here's a little treat for you all.  Don't know about you, but we are always in need of reminders that life can be "Big and Beautiful." Use this reminder to continue to live boldly. 

INSTRUCTIONS: Simply Click one of the downloads below to get a mobile or desktop version of the wallpaper below. Depending on what kind of device you are downloading from; once you click the link below, you will either need to 'right-click' or 'control-click' on the wallpaper, to save it to your computer or device.  Enjoy! 

iPhone         iPad          1680x1050          2880x1800

LGH UGANDA (recap via instagram shots) 

Had some friends of LGH show up the LGH house today from CO! (@wadeyamo) Had an old necklace revisited in a new color (color of the year for 2013 mind you).  Once again, cattle seemed to block the way. Betty showed us the swaddling/ backpack process. Betty and Dru learned to make fried okra online. 26 Bikes were delivered to SUUBI Women and EPOH Tailors (WAY MORE to come on this!!!) Sole  Hope held a jigger removal and changed some lives!!!! LGH Uganda said goodbye to Jess (Sole Hope friend and Volunteer) and Megan Glenn. Megan has worked with LGH for the past few years as an Intern, then CO Staff Member, then LGH Uganda Staff Interim, and now back to CO! She'll be missed in Uganda but Welcomed back to CO!!!!  And then just a beautiful shot for you! whoahh... all that in a weeks work!  

Keep checking back each week to check out our "Week in Uganda" Posts. 

Photos courtesy of: 

Asher Collie, Dru Collie, Sole Hope, Wade Yamaguchi

"Remembering what we've said yes & no to"

This weekend, my wife Morgan and I were working alone in the LGH Office and I had this moment amidst folding T-Shirts and listening to music very loudly in the Warehouse when I realized that this is my life... I know that seems silly to say, but truly I was aware at that moment of the wonderful, yet crazy notion that these little ideas we have (like Light Gives Heat & our new side project, ChromeBuffalo.com) - that with enough blood, sweat and tears, these ideas can actually become our reality. 

Almost without fail, I have these moments every time I visit Uganda and see what we're doing on the ground, where I step back and say "dang... I can't believe this is my life." Now you have to know; my life is busy, it's messy, it's confusing most days, there is little assurance that any of it will be successful, and yet we have purpose and so it has the potential to make all of the craziness and confusion worth it. 

I just came across this little piece from author Rob Bell about what compels him to keep creating, and thus have to say "no" to so many other great opportunities... and I have to say - it's a question we ask ourselves fairly often. It's those time when everything seems difficult, like slog, where we wonder why we put such emphasis and pressure on ourselves to keep going: No one else is making us. No Boss or parent, or teacher... yet we keep believing that we can create something beautiful with our lives, so we keep creating. 

For years I tried to understand why. I wanted explanation. I

demanded to know where the passion and drive come from.

Why this unabated desire to create, day after day after day?

Why am I willing to say "no" to so many things-

good things,

great things,

all so that I can sit all alone at my desk and make something that is

only an idea, a hint, a suggestion at this point?

- Rob Bell 

for the full quote above, go to http://frederickbuechner.com/content/where-your-feet-take-you-who-you-are

Dave Hansow (Co-Founder of Light Gives Heat)

A while back we were approached by long-time supporter of Light Gives Heat, Sheena (Darling) Schwandt, about designing custom SUUBI Necklaces for her upcoming wedding.  The designs needed to match the shoes of her Bridesmaids and thus compliment the entire wedding party. A few emails back and forth, and our design team in Uganda went to work designing unique, one-of-a-kind SUUBI Necklaces for each Bridesmaid. We are humbled whenever we get to play a role in such significant life events! Congratulations Sheena! 

For questions concerning custom orders, or semi-custom orders, please write info@lightgivesheat.org!

Head on over to the Light Gives Heat Facebook Page to be a part of our SUUBI Necklace GIVEAWAY - To enter to win a necklace from our upcoming Spring Collection; Simply let us know in the comment section, how you're going to change the world this year- big or small, it doesn't matter. We'll pick a winner (or multiple winners) at random. 

That's it! Good luck World Changers! ("Shares" count as a 2nd entry in Contest -ends 1/20/13)

I've been challenged lately to remember that my hope is not a product of my circumstances, but instead it's the anchor by which all of my circumstances are seen through. Happy New Year and may we be people who choose Hope and remember where our Hope comes from. 

- Dave Hansow

LGH Co-Founder

In November, Light Gives Heat asked supporters to exude generosity by funding an extravagent Christmas Party + offer Christmas Bonuses for all 120 SUUBI and EPOH Artisans! You came through like never before, and below are a few of the images from the party! THANK YOU and MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM Light Gives Heat!

Interested in lavishing a community in Uganda with LOVE this Christmas Season? 

So what is the Light Gives Heat Holiday Give Back Program?

We've come to realize that all sorts of people want to play a part in something bigger... something that gives back. Since Light Gives Heat creates incomes on a weekly basis for over 120 Women in Uganda, we are confident your readers will feel connected to the LGH Story, not to mention the products. This time of year, it's more important than ever that we use our influence, our time and our money to help others...       So we've created the "Give Back Program!" 

Here's how it works:

1) Highlight Light Gives Heat between 11/1/12 and 12/25/12 in a post, product review or a giveaway and we will send you a $25 gift card to either use yourself or give away on your blog, to your readers. 

(The post must include 1) a link to www.lightgivesheat.org; 2) A product image from our site or an LGH video  

2) Send us a link to your post and we will send you an LGH gift code for our store. No minimum readership.  Send it to info@lightgivesheat.org or message us on Facebook. 

3) That's it! Seriously.. it's that easy. Plus: We want you to know as much as possible about the LGH story, so either before or after your post we will send you a link and a password to watch our Feature Length Film, Award Winning Film,  Moving On... absolutely free! 

Happy Blogging and Happy Holidays from all of us at Light Gives Heat!

Big, beautiful stories are no longer reserved for those that are "big"... instead small people like you and I get to live big, beautiful stories. 

Note from Dave Hansow, LGH Co-Founder

I have come to realize over the years that our life is telling a story. It’s either a good one, or a bad one.
When we go watch a movie, we know when it was good or bad, right? Why would our lives be any different?  It can be one many things: A big beautiful one. A small boring one. An inviting one. An attractive story. And behind every great idea, company, or organization there are just people who are deciding to no longer listen to that little voice that is telling us to fear.  The story we live and tell is a big deal. Now go live it! 

To see my story and the story of the amazing people pictured above, watch our Feature Length Film, Moving On! Feel free to use the $5 OFF code below to purchase the DVD on the LGH Online Store. Remember, even the money for the film allows even greater work to happen in Uganda! 

Grace and Peace, Dave

code: friendsoflgh

SHOP HERE

Located in Colorado gives Light Gives Heat a unique ability to not only experience beautiful locations in our own backyard, but also to enjoy all four seasons. Our Late-Fall Release was a perfect opportunity to shoot in our many peach orchards as well as use the mountainous backdrops that we're known for. We hope you enjoy this collection as much as we've enjoyed working on it. From our Artisans in Uganda, to our team in Colorado... enjoy! If you haven't seen the short video that was produced during this photoshoot, check it out below.  

The Tailors of EPOH are some of the most gracious, kind people we work with... and so when Artist Patrick Maxcy expressed to them that he had never used a sewing machine... the following scene took place.

Help these amazing men and women by simply purchasing one of their beautiful handmade bags today!

SHOP EPOH Products Here

In Uganda, you often see people walking around balancing baskets on their heads. You’ve seen the pictures, yes? You know what I’m talking about. They carry bananas, matoke, avocados, mangos, etc. And sometimes, inside the basket, there are small, plastic packages of assorted nuts. For less than 25 cents, you can get a little snack bag of assorted g nuts, corn nuts, and soy nuts. It’s the most magical bag of food. Ever. My obsession has pushed me to seriously consider loading my suitcase full of nuts and smuggling them into the United States. Sounds bizarre, right? We have perfectly good nuts in America already.  Why illegally transport foreign nuts into the country? Because Ugandan nuts are different. I assume that Americans genetically modify and enhance their nuts so the difference is probably explained by the more natural taste of nuts in Uganda. And natural always tastes better. That’s right America, your nuts are subpar. They might be bigger, but bigger in this case is not synonymous with better.

Kelsey Draughon, Volunteer

I’ve been a supporter of Light Gives Heat (LGH) for a few years now and had the amazing opportunity to intern with them in Colorado last summer.  All of us interns sat in front of a wall that had headshots of all the Suubi women hung along the length of our desks. Every morning I would sit at my desk and look up at almost one hundred faces of women half way around the world in Uganda.  I heard stories about them, their families, the joy they danced with, and the hope they lived with.  A strange thing happens when you’re an intern and you are immersed in these stories; you come to feel like you know these women.  You know pieces of their stories, you know their faces, and you’re working as hard as you can so others can know them too.  Towards the end of my time in Colorado, I sat with Dave and Morgan and talked about volunteering in Uganda.  One year later, I’m in Uganda and my time here is coming to an end.  I felt like I knew the women, like I knew the story of LGH, and I did know pieces of it, but not the whole story.

When arriving in Uganda I expected something similar to what I experienced in Colorado.  I expected to come here and there would be different jobs or tasks that I would be given but that’s not what volunteers do, and it took me a little while to adjust to that.  When volunteering in Uganda you kind of have to find your niche, find the things you’re interested in and get involved in those activities.  For example, if you’re passionate about women’s rights you get involved in that group, if you’re interested in agriculture you can get involved with the mushroom project or just hang out with the ladies and help them dig in their gardens.  It’s not as structured as it is in the States but that allows you to have the freedom to make your experience here whatever you want it to be.

As my time here continued I got to know the women better and their children.  I had tea with the women, visited them in their homes, and of course, danced with them.  I would go into the neighborhoods and play with the kids, sometimes we would color or they would teach me new games.  As I started to build these relationships I realized that even when I leave here I won’t know the whole story.  LGH is an organization compiled of roughly 100 people.  That’s 100 stories that combine to make the story of LGH; 100 personalities, 100 different views, 100 dreams.  LGH is a group of people with an infinite amount of depth.  And maybe that’s the beauty of it, the story never ends, there’s always more to tell.  So stay tuned.

Miranda Crace, Volunteer

To see more pics from Miranda's time in Uganda, go to: http://hopeinthemidst.tumblr.com/

WHY DOESN'T CHARITY WORK

If you've made it to this page - you no doubt have seen the new layout for the site helping promote our Brand New WORK WORKS Platform. What is WORK WORKS (W.W.)? Good Question.

W.W. is the simplest way possible for us to connect you with a particular Artisan in Uganda.  We have come to realize that the public tends to see "Africa" or LGH for that matter as a project or a something needing to be fixed.... and we've realized that mentality will continue until we begin seeing, hearing, reading or even partnering with individuals in Africa. People give to people, not organizations... and we want to do anything possible to not only help meet needs in Uganda though job creation, but also give the West a way to connect to individuals in Africa - in a personal way. + We've seen firsthand how detrimental charity can be. From a sense of dependency, to a lack of innovation - Charity, although may look good, or even feel good... does not work in the long run. 

So...we've spent the past few months developing this platform, and are excited for you to try it out. See what kind of change you can have today by creating work in Africa, not a handout!

HOW TO SIGN UP

1. Go to www.lightgivesheat.org/workworks

2. Watch the video. Either let our system pair you up with a Ugandan Artisan, or "browse all artisans" and choose one to offer a month's income to.

3. Fill out the sign-up section, add a profile photo, and click submit. 

4. You will receive an email with further instructions and tips for selling on your own online store. 

5. Begin telling everyone you know and within 1 Week you can offer 1 month's income to your partner!

“Are we just entertainment or do our stories make a difference?” This is a question the SUUBI ladies asked during an ongoing discussion about effective storytelling. They have shared their lives with countless visitors to Uganda over the years and they know that, through SUUBI, their stories are reaching people they may never meet. They know that Westerners are eager to hear their stories, but they are beginning to question why. They see little benefit from sharing so much of themselves. It’s a hard question and my life would be a lot easier if they didn’t ask me stuff like that, but I love that they asked it. I love the irony of them asking something like that right as we had two groups of college students asking if they could come and spend a few hours with the ladies. How can we make such short visits beneficial for both the students and the women? How do we keep these brief interactions from making the women feel like entertainment rather than people?

While we pre-planned certain elements of the visits – things like having the students tour the neighborhoods where the women live – the areas where we left things open produced some of the most honest and beautiful moments. We allowed a lot of freedom in the discussion time that opened the door for the women and the students to direct the conversation. The SUUBI ladies took the opportunity to ask questions so that they were hearing stories in addition to sharing their own. One student had been part of SUUBI’s Spread Campaign. She shared how knowing the stories of the people who made the products she was buying made them real to her. Once she saw them as real people with real needs, she was inspired to do more than buy and began helping to sell their products and share their stories. The women asked the students how they would remember them when they went home. Remembering someone in their culture implies action, not simply thinking about them from time to time. The students talked about wanting to share what they were seeing and hearing – the hard as well as the hopeful – with their school, their communities, families and friends.  

We hope interactions like this will reinforce what we have been telling them all along: their stories matter. Sometimes it will be a catalyst for people to support the work we’re doing here. Sometimes the change is in the heart and mind of a college student leaving the comfort of home for the first time. Stories do entertain, but they also inspire. Just because we don’t always see the outcome doesn’t mean we should stop telling them.

Tiffaney Adams, Volunteer

The World Awaits (you). 

It awaits those who dream big enough dreams that they will most likely fail. 

Ones who look foolish. 

Ones who actually believe their messy selves can be a part of change. 

Now... go! 

 What you do anywhere is what you'll do everywhere. Choose to do small things with great care today. 

Meet Charles Oneka (August 5th, 2010)

I was fortunate to be able to spend the last couple weeks of Charles' life with him; being able to see him, talk with him, and eventually pray with him... I would say that although we were saddened by his death, we also knew he was going home. You'd never know it by speaking with him, but his life was never an easy one. From being abducted as a child by the LRA, to being injected with a used needle (which would eventually end his life 20 years later), and even falling on a new bike while riding to pray with the sick at our local Hospital, landing him in crutches for the rest of his life... his life was never an easy one. 

In spite of incredible setbacks, Charles lived life to the full.  I learned from him how hope can be a choice, and that the worst moments in our lives don't have to define us. 

3 Ways you can enter into his Legacy. 

1. Watch the Video above. Be moved to live differently because of his story.

2. Donate Here on his behalf to the programs Charles helped start. 100% of the proceeds will fund our Job Creation Programs (SUUBI   & EPOH) for which Charles played a major role in. (Consider amounts from $25,$50, $100 or more)

3. Share His story. Send this link on Facebook, Twitter, or email. Nothing would make us prouder than to see his life shared with thousands. 

Our Gift to You

Thank you for taking the time to watch, read, and respond to a Life that left a Legacy. As a gift for your donation on Charles' behalf, we want you to have the Moving On DVD FREE. Once your donation is complete, we will ship you the Award-Winning Film at no cost to you where you can witness Charles' life in its entirety. 

Grace and Peace, 

Dave Hansow (LGH Co-Founder/ Director) 

We recently started composting as yet another project from the ERM grant. This is one of the six projects that the grant is supporting. It involves turning our degradable food waste and other organic material into fertilizer and healthy soil. When we first pitched this idea to the SUUBI ladies, naturally they thought, “What a waste of time!” As I write this now, there are still only a few participants, but the rest of the group is watching. The participants have learned that what we actually dump as waste can still be very useful. I know I did learn a lot in the process. This training is being carried out by a very skilled and knowledgeable trainer named Patrick. His organization is called Development In Gardening (DIG). Patrick is a graduate of Agriculture from Makerere University in Kampala. The process starts by digging a hole in the ground and making what we call a compost pile. Using a simple stick as our thermometer, we keep checking the temperature and after 7 days we turn the pile to make sure more oxygen gets in which helps in the composting process. The SUUBI ladies informed me that their compost is almost ready and the next step will be to use this in container gardens. They will be planting tomatoes, passion fruits and many others or may even apply this compost in their gardens of maize, beans, and matooke plantations to get better yields.

- Okello Gerald, Production Manager

This just in...Our New SUUBI D.I.Y Kits are here! For the craftsters at heart this is for you. The kits have 8 color options that include everything you need to make your own custom Suubi necklace. Every kit comes with Suubi beads in your color choice, line to string the necklace, the clasp, and the d.i.y instructions. 

Get creative and have fun with it! Buy different colored kits and make anything from bracelets to picture frames.

Happy Crafting!

SHOP NOW

...or why you won’t end up chasing your dreams and passions.

Fear: It’s scary to use your passions or talents for something bigger than your own enjoyment. People may not agree. People may think you’re being naive, foolish, or even selfish. It’s one thing to tell yourself that you’re passionate about something, or that you have a dream to one day do something big, but it’s a whole different thing to begin to tell others that you’re going to actually pursue it. And even another to actually do it.

After all... you could fail, look foolish or maybe, just maybe change the world!

This past week LGH went to Palisade Colorado for a photo shoot for an upcoming look book. We went to a beautiful peach orchard and took a stroll downtown. The warm sunny days of summer add a fun touch to this seasons look.Stay posted to see NEW some new and exciting things…. Video and products!

Thank you to everyone who voted and gave their ALL these last 2 months. Thanks for your commitment to voting, posting, and advocating, not to mention your patience with all the posts and emails!!! Dave, I, and the entire LGH team are grateful. We got almost 20,000 votes as an organization - that's incredible! We were definitely in it to win it and gave it our ALL! While we are thankful for 2nd place, we're not going to lie, we're disheartened that we couldn't pull off taking 1st.

To be honest we took a huge risk in making Moving On and this year has been one of financial hardship as a result with several months of US staff who work full time having to defer income (including this past month).This feels like one more 'failure' in a year of extreme hopes/let downs (the Oprah show, connections with the Discovery network, our BIG LEAP campaign in Feb, amongst others). Things that we placed hope in that fell through. We were excited for this opportunity to get the freedom to move forward with dreams for utilizing the power of the film.

Once again we're at a place of dependence. As we begin year 6, we're tired and a little disappointed, but we're in the place where we have a choice to pick ourselves up and keep forging ahead with hope and faith or give up (and we definitely choose the former).

Moving forward, we could really use your prayers, encouragement, and ideas for not only for LGH, but for the people behind the organization and their hearts. We want wisdom and peace as we press in, figure things out, and continue to dream and act in love.

Again, we are EXTREMELY THANKFUL for YOU and all the ways in which you have reminded us that we're not in this alone! Onward!

On behalf of LGH,
All our ♥
Morgan & Dave 

Ps - also SUPER grateful to Cultivate Wines for this opportunity and $10k. Incredible to see companies step up in this capacity. Please support them as a company by purchasing wine and spreading the word. We have a 15% off coupon we'll be sharing with you all soon!

Three more days left to vote and thing are coming down to the wire. We are still close enough to pull ahead, only behind by 1500 vote, we are confident that we will achieve our goal… winning $50,000!

 Light Gives Heat has many followers between Facebook, Twitter and our email list, if just half of everyone votes we will be in 1^st place.

 We are also asking if you can also have at least five of your friends and family to vote JUST ONCE, this will help us tremendously.  

Starting today Cultivate Wines will hide the vote count for the rest of the contest, so the winning cause will be a surprise. This is huge for us ,this is a great way for us to pull ahead. 

Thanks for voting. 

www.VoteLGH.com

-Barbara Amstutz

 It's a funny thing, this volunteering. When I decided to go to Uganda, I hoped that I would teach, and knew I would learn, but I didn't know what, when or how. As it turned out, I learned far more than I taught, and learned things even when I wasn't aware I was learning things. When I once asked our fearless leader how to describe what I do there, she replied "you bring positive energy, joy, goodwill and spread awareness". I am in awe of this answer. But, is it enough? When I returned to Uganda for the second time, I wasn't sure if it would be a similar experience or completely different. I was, however, prepared to hit the ground running – visit the tailors of EPOH and the SUUBI ladies, teach yoga again, and lend a helping hand anywhere and everywhere needed.




This is exactly what I was thinking the Monday I set out with Lauren to attend a meeting with the Solar Cooking Group. The group had been learning how to craft solar cookers and had just finished gluing the metallic surface to the corrugated cardboard backing. I sat on the concrete terrace of Betty's house, listening and observing. I learned our task that day was to trim the edges of the freshly glued metallic paper to be flush with the edge of the corrugated backing, and later, fold the cookers into their desired shape. The trimming began, a bit slowly, a bit awkwardly, with scissors and box cutters - all of us holding solar cookers in our laps as we trimmed in mid air. We soon moved outside to try a flat surface and I cringed as we tried cutting on a concrete slab - I of course knew when cutting on a flat surface, the surface needs to be a bit soft to allow the blade to go through the material being cut. All of a sudden, I realized I was an expert in solar cooker construction! Well, not exactly, but I did realize I had skills and techniques learned from building mockups as a designer back in New York, that directly applied here. I was soon showing the ladies how it is easier to trace and trim in the grass. With Lauren's help, I then showed others how fold the trimmed cookers. Scoring the cardboard with a spoon handle and ruler (Betty's idea), we created an indented path "telling" the cardboard where to fold. After a few hours of hard and precise work (along with lots of laughter) we had a stack of gorgeous finished cookers and I had earned the nickname "midwife" (a person who pushes a hard project through to finish-haha!). We all shared feelings of accomplishment and pleasure - perhaps even a sprinkling of pride. Later, Lauren and I went into town in search of proper tools and found a professional burnisher (floor squeegee) as well as accurate scoring devices (the handles of old grilling utensils).

My first day back, this magical solar Monday, left me feeling incredible. I couldn't quite put my finger on the "why" but something about this day felt a bit different. Using my actual skill and trade to further a project felt wonderful. And, by doing so I was perhaps passing on a skill to women I cherish, women who had taught me so much even though we don't speak the same language, women who live in a community half way around the world. On this day I was able to be a part of the group in a new way, a way that I hadn't experienced before. On this day I wasn't just the helpful, funny, smiling, yoga instructing [crazy] visitor, we were all the same with a common goal. I was passing on my skills that I use to earn an income and create, to women in Uganda who will use them to earn an income and create. I felt as though I had shared a different level of myself and it felt great.

I am not under the impression that I am single-handedly saving the world or anything, but it feels good to have left something concrete behind, something tangible. This is, of course, in addition to the intangible positive energy and love. Upon reflection, on this second trip I once again learned far more than I taught. It is clear to me, however, that we can never underestimate the impact any of our actions or words may have in the world. And we may never know the people we are influencing or when. These ladies have changed my life. It is clear to me that one person really can have an impact in life - it all has to start somewhere. -Barbara Amstutz, Volunteer

    Light Gives Heat (LGH) was recently in Denver to attend the 2nd annual Colorado Urban Wine Festival. The event was held at Sculpture Park at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Over 2,000 wine enthusiast showed up to try the varieties wine from all over CO.

The LGH crew had a booth to show off the Suubi and the EPOH and also to help gain votes in our online contest. We spoke to many locals to help get them involved and showed them how they could make a differance this these women lives... simply by VOTING. www.VoteLGH.com

So... today I (Dave Hansow) write a post on a more personal level than most posts seen here, so bare with me please.  

Let me start with a little story. 

Two weeks ago, in the midst of school just about being over and summer starting for our kids I had this "great idea" to put out a post on Facebook asking friends of LGH from Colorado to Florida if anyone would be interested in showing the Movie, Moving On.  The idea came from the fact that we are in this contest to win $50K that needs daily votes online in order to win + the fact that I love the idea of taking our kids on big, important things like this Roadtrip where our desire is to inspire those we meet to dream big in their own lives as well as the fact that we are basically representing in America, 120 families from Uganda. So... the trip was coming under way, contacts were made, hosts were found in 13 cities, and "Friends, we have ourselves a Tour".... sort of. 

So, fast forward to this past Wednesday: Let me break down a few LGH Facts - 

• 1)  LGH owns a van that desperately needs tires ( $1,000 )
• 2)  It takes Fuel to drive 6,000 miles in 25 days ( $1,500 + to be more precise )
• 3)  Between hotels, motels and host houses for 25 days ( $1,500 )
• 4)  My family on the road for 25 days + Van + 6000 miles (buffer amount of $1,000 so we don't get stranded in Kansas somewhere - no offense Kansas, I haven't even been there, so there is no judgement coming from here! )
• 5)  Last Fact - No money (LGH does not have money outside of budgeted salaries for Ugandans almost always)

My hope in telling you this long, drawn out story (that's kind of my style.. sorry) is that you'd take a couple of things away. One is that we never know what we are capable of until we "jump first and worry about details later." And secondly that I have seen throughout my own life that God tends to bless things that don't make any sense to us... in fact He typically seems to tell me to do the exact opposite of what makes sense or what feels comfortable. That's it, really.. I hear people over and over saying they wish they could do "such and such" but they cannot because of "such and such." Sound Familiar? I reason that way almost daily. 

Do the thing that makes you come alive. Do it today. Don't wait around for someone to give you permission or to even have the money all lined up. I promise you this - If you wait till everything is perfectly lined up, you will never start. You will be 50, 60, 70 or even 80 years old wondering when life will start. Because we decided to trust this week, instead of fear... we will now be meeting thousands of new people across the country this month, inviting our kids on big, beautiful adventures, and lastly, I get to tell this story. yeah.. amazing. 

Peace, Dave 

(Co-Founder of LGH and Creative Director) 

There is a proud moment in every Parent's life when their children grow up and succeed in their dreams. Well... we're not their parents by any means, but we feel like the people we work with in Uganda are family to us. And none more so than Betty Achiro... our friend, confidant, one of our own! And guess what? She Graduated from Culinary School this week!!!  If you've seen our film Moving On, you know how special she is and how through all odds she has, and is making something of her life. She has shown us that hope is a daily choice and that it's possible even through the most difficult of circumstances.  

Like a proud parent, I ask you to look through the photos below and join me in celebrating an amazing moment in Betty's life.  Also to note... we had another couple Suubi and past Ugandan staff graduate from their respective schools. Yeah.. I know... it's amazing and beautiful!!!  I cannot believe we get to do what we do and see what we see. And if you've ever purchased a product from LGH or donated, you've played a role in this story! Thank you and enjoy celebrating with us. 

Above: Betty and her son, Kymbi... lookin' all grown up! 

Above: LGH In-Country Director, Amberle Reyes and Betty... celebrating at Paradise Hotel in Jinja, Uganda

Above: Betty and Agatha (past LGH Employee and great friend!)

Above: Sally (SUUBI employee) graduated from Beauty School this week as well! 

The solar group started the long process of making their own CooKits last week! The group met at one member’s house and together they started the tricky procedure of cutting 50 cardboard sheets into the CooKit shape. It is quite a complicated process that requires a lot of skill and concentration! Varnishing and applying the reflector material are the next steps. The members also painted their saucepans black.

Previously the group were selling CooKits purchased from Kenya. The group decided it would be more sustainable and cheaper if they sourced the products themselves locally. This sourcing hasn’t happened overnight, in fact it has taken a good couple of months but thankfully they seem to now have a reliable and sustainable supply of cardboard.

Our search isn’t quite complete. At the moment the group are using a big roll of mylar for the reflector material brought over by one of LGH volunteers. It is proving a great difficulty to find reflector material herein Uganda. Anyone reading who has any ideas please get in contact!

The solar group continues LGH’s grant from ERM to help supply the local community with tools to reduce charcoal and firewood consumption.

-Lauren Tittle
Uganda Projects Coordinator