DONATE for HOPE and PEACE! 

May 1 - May 31 2022

ALL MONTH LONG WE HAVE BEEN FUNDRAISING FOR UKRAINE AND UGANDA. PLEASE DONATE TO WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN DIRE NEED OF YOUR SUPPORT!

Thank you to all the people who have donated and who joined us for our kickoff event in Del Mar on May 1st. Please visit our Facebook page to see pictures of the event. 

While gearing up for the annual U-TOUCH fun run, we could not ignore the many people of Ukraine who are in desperate need of humanitarian aid. We have had a U-TOUCH rep in Ukraine, Poland and Hungary providing much needed support to refugees. Please join us in supporting these two important causes. The people of Uganda are still rebuilding from the effects of the LRA War and extreme poverty. The Russia-Ukraine war is currently ravaging innocent people and we cannot shy away from this immediate need. U-TOUCH is committed to providing much needed aid in both countries. See how 100% of your donations are being used here.

You can make a difference with ANY SIZE DONATION. All donations are 100% tax-deductible and donations will generously be matched. 

Ways to show your support:

🏃🏾‍♂️ 1. Show your support with a fixed donation by clicking the 'DONATE TODAY' tab above. You can even credit a team or team member if you'd like!

🚶‍♀️ 2. You can join a friend's team by scrolling up and clicking 'JOIN A TEAM' (under the cover photo). After joining or creating a team, you can personalize your member page with your own message (optional) to let people know why this cause is important to you. Then share your page with friends, family and neighbors so they can help support your efforts.

🚴🏿‍♂️ 3. No donation is necessary to share this page with others. We've made it easy for you to text, email and share on social media. 

🤸🏽‍♀️ 4. Go the extra mile! Ask employers for matching contributions. Multiply your efforts. 

Supporting the 2nd Annual Run makes a difference! At U-TOUCH in Uganda, 100% of money raised goes directly to the beneficiaries. You will transform lives, families and communities sustainably in Uganda and make a tremendous impact on those living in conditions of extreme poverty. Learn more about U-TOUCH here. In Ukraine, displaced women and children are in extreme danger. We are donating all money raised to those sheltering within Ukraine or seeking asylum in neighboring countries through Travel Hearts, a non-profit providing direct relief within the country and to refugees in Ukraine, Hungary, Budapest. We are actively posting photos and updates on our Facebook page here. 

Your caring and sharing will be felt as U TOUCH the WORLD!

Support for Ukraine

U-TOUCH is making a difference! We have been providing desperately needed financial aid and partner staff support to a transitional shelter and school in Budapest for Ukrainian refugee families. In addition to providing food, shelter, and basic needs, children ages 3 to 15 years are given some sense of normalcy by engaging in play with volunteers and attending a make-shift school. Our U-TOUCH representative, Trager, volunteered at the school and also donated our funds to the Food Bank, Migration Aid and a shelter for Ukrainian refugees. U-TOUCH helped support the development of a school environment at the shelter, 'Learning without Borders'.

Trager is now in Krakow, Poland. He is again directly supporting the Ukrainian refugees with donations including food, and additional survival needs. He is working directly with a local organization providing zupa for Ukrainians, an important cultural food taken to the border refugee centers in Krakow. 

U-TOUCH is making a real difference in this humanitarian crisis. Your caring donation matters. Please help however you possibly can! Read about Trager's travels at our U-TOUCH.org Facebook page. Together we will make a difference! 

About U-TOUCH

"Brilliance is equally distributed, opportunity is not!" Deborah Plotkin, founder of U-TOUCH

U-TOUCH provides Empowerment, Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship 

In this digital age we live in, it's hard to Imagine a life without access to a computer, smartphone or the internet. Many people in disadvantaged regions don't have the opportunities we do and they remain stuck, living in poverty. At U-TOUCH, we believe technology and life skills are crucial stepping stones to conquer inequality and injustice in underprivileged regions where there is little opportunity, thus bridging the digital divide. 

While technology and vocational training sets U-TOUCH apart, we see the big picture! Education is needed in many areas of life to become self-sustaining members of society. That's why U-TOUCH provides Education, Empowerment, Employment and Entrepreneurship to Uganda's youth and families. Our humanitarian efforts support basic human rights that help the youth and families achieve the basics in life. This includes food, medical care, education for the children, as well as protection and safety for the girls. 

Working in partnership with the community, our programs begin at an early age and include:

• Academic Support - School-age children and adolescents living in poverty rarely get the education they deserve. Sponsored students receive financial support to attend school. U-TOUCH pays for school fees and supplies and enables these students to fulfill their academic potential, often including higher education at the university level.
• Reproductive Health Education and Support - Girls and boys receive valuable education in the area of reproductive health to prevent early teen pregnancy, disease and child marriage.
• Women's & Girl's Empowerment Training - A comprehensive empowerment program is provided that includes overcoming psychological and sociological gender-based limitations, fortifying women regarding their land rights, and teaching entrepreneurship and micro-enterprise. U-TOUCH is recognized for its impactful work informing and empowering women about their rights and preventing gender-based violence. They have been invited to take the lead in addressing the heart-wrenching problem of early child pregnancies.
• Land Rights Education - Women learn about their legal rights and how to raise their voices on development issues that affect them. It contributes to the realization of socio-economic rights for vulnerable women. Technology skills taught at U-TOUCH are used to promote women’s access, utilization and ownership of land.
  
• IT Training - A comprehensive and valuable information technology program teaches computer literacy basics and advanced skills that enable beneficiaries to secure employment, further their education, and start their own businesses.
• Employment and Entrepreneurship - Business education is provided that offers relevant business skills that facilitate gaining employment or to help promote successful entrepreneurial pursuits through learning about business plans, management of operations, accounting and how to access micro-grants and loans to start businesses.
• Mentorship Training - Young women and men have access to training and mentorship leveraging digital technology skills for their professional development.

Thousands have benefited from the programs offered at U-TOUCH. In turn, beneficiaries are paying it forward and teaching others in their communities. On average, when U-TOUCH directly trains just 1 individual, it impacts 35 people in their extended family and community. This translates to over 200,000 lives that have been impacted by U-TOUCH in the past 10 years! This successful model can be duplicated anywhere in the world. 

Spring into action for the youth in Uganda who are in extreme need. Please join us for the 2nd Annual U-TOUCH THE WORLD  Run/Walk/Bike May 1, 2022. 

Why Uganda?

FACT- 70% of Ugandans live in poverty. U-TOUCH works within regions of Uganda most impacted by extreme poverty. People in these targeted regions typically earn less than $1 per day. 

FACT- Half the population of Uganda is under the age of 15, making it one of the top youngest populations in Africa. In addition, 77% of the population is under age 30. 

FACT- Uganda has been overwhelmed by over 32,000 teen pregnancies per month and this number is skyrocketing during Covid. This past year, there were 18,000 early child pregnancies in just 9 out of 52 districts in northern Uganda. Early marriage and teenage pregnancy keep many teen girls out of school. Public schools also lack adequate toilets and washing areas, making it difficult for girls to attend school during the time of their monthly menstrual cycle.

FACT-  Only 1 in 4 children who begin primary school ultimately make it to secondary school, largely due to a lack of school fees. 53% of girls aged 6-12 are reported to complete the required seven years of primary education, and only 22.5% of the girls in Uganda as a whole enroll in secondary education. Children are often out of school working to earn money to pay for their school fees, with jobs such as making bricks and selling goods.

FACT- Uganda’s refugee population has almost tripled since July 2016 and is currently around 1.4 million, making it the largest refugee host in Africa, and third largest in the world. While its open-door refugee policy is one of the most progressive in the world, with refugees enjoying access to social services, land and jobs, the continued influx — coupled with limited resources — is placing tremendous pressure on existing amenities and straining the delivery of services in host communities. 

FACT- Out of 96% of Ugandans who have access to land, only 16% have control and ownership of it. Only 2% of these land owners are young women below 45 years.

FACT- 80 % of Ugandans do not own a computer and only 30 % have a smartphone. Due to high costs, only 20% of the population have reliable access to the Internet, greatly impacting e-Commerce between the rural agrarian villages and the cities and towns.

U-TOUCH has had a tremendous impact addressing these problems in Uganda. Data collection, monitoring and constant evaluation has enabled U-TOUCH to create a model that can be taken to underprivileged regions anywhere. Imagine the global impact this could have around the world!

The U-TOUCH Story

U-TOUCH was founded in 2010 by Deborah Plotkin. What began in 2005 as an idea to create a San Diego high school program to sponsor displaced orphans from the LRA war turned into a visit to Uganda in 2007 for Deborah, her husband and their daughter. It was the tail end of the war, and what they saw changed their lives forever. There was devastation from the war, extreme poverty and lack of opportunity. In the schools, there were no textbooks, electricity, libraries, computers, Internet or even running water. Deborah knew she had to do something and had the idea to bring technology to Uganda. By teaching technology, the youth could learn skills commensurate with the rest of the world and have the opportunity for further education, employment and even entrepreneurship. Deborah envisioned the sponsored students and communities of Uganda creating self-sustaining lives for themselves, not dependent on outside aid. This turned into a lifelong mission to improve quality of life and create opportunity through technology hubs with specific skill training and mentoring. In turn, U-TOUCH has transformed thousands of lives in Uganda since its inception in 2010.

U-TOUCH Student Accomplishments

Since 2012, there have been over 6,000 U-TOUCH beneficiaries, 5,000 jobs created and over 100,000 women and children supported. 86% of the graduates met their goals and have become employed, started a new business, returned to school or received a promotion. 

U-TOUCH Partnerships

U-TOUCH works in partnership with local schools here in San Diego that support the program with sponsorship, thus teaching students here about global inequality.

With the support of our partners, U-TOUCH provides communities in Uganda the tools they need to thrive, live sustainably and have opportunities they could have never imagined.

Our partners include:

Abayudaya Community

AMREF

AVSI

Byoosi.com

Cheerful Givers Children's Foundation

FinAfrica

Friends of Children Circle Uganda GIZ

Gulu City Council

La Jolla High School

Mama's Shelter for Hope

Muirlands Middle School

SkyNet

Smart Girls Foundation Uganda

TEROWE Uganda

U TOUCH THE WORLD!

Thank you to all of you who joined us on the beach, walked, ran or biked in other cities and who generously donated to help those in dire need. From now until Memorial Day, please consider making a donation, spreading the word and helping support these important causes. We appreciate you!!! 

The lives you change are the lives U-TOUCH!

For questions or additional information, please email Deb at [email protected]