A dollar and a dream

How to make a real impact on the world

By Jonathan D. Epstein

Have you ever wanted to make a big impact on others? Do you want to feel that your efforts and your support can make the difference? Would you like your donor dollars to go farther than ever?

Here’s your chance.

FJMC International has been building a relationship with the Abayudaya Jewish community in Uganda for over a decade, working with our own men’s club there but also with their synagogues, villages and schools. This is a proud but young community that voluntarily adopted Judaism just over 100 years ago and has embraced our religion with passion and joy. And they need our help, our friendship and our embrace in return.

  Already, we’ve provided scholarships for students, funded a chicken farm, brought tallitot and a Torah, funded a solar-powered water pump and helped finance entrepreneurs with something as simple as a new bicycle to transport pottery.

And the best part is that our money goes very far.

Uganda is highly rural and agricultural in much of the eastern part of the country, where the Abayudaya are largely concentrated. Nicknamed the “Pearl of Africa” for its beauty and diversity of the landscape, it’s popular for tourists. But except for pockets of wealth in the capital city and possibly in certain tourist areas, it is an impoverished country, with more than half of the population living on about $3.50 per day.

That’s less than a latte or caffe mocha at Starbucks.

So just imagine what you could do with $36, $50, $72 or $100 donated through FJMC!

We are working directly with the schools, but also through established organizations like Masorti Olami and Kulanu with their far-flung networks. We also rely on other trustworthy partners to both vet the opportunities and requests, and to ensure the money is used well.

You could fund a scholarship for a full year of school for $300 for a day student, or $600 for a boarding student at either the Hadassah Primary School or Semei Kakungulu High School – both Jewish schools. You could also donate tefillin, tallitot, siddurim or other Jewish religious items, both for children and adults.

You could help a family buy chickens, goats or even cows to help them not only with food but also to produce milk and eggs for sale.

Or you could buy books or other learning supplies and materials, pay for food or health supplies for the schoolchildren, or help finance infrastructure repairs like a leaky roof or needed technology like phones or laptops so the children can learn.

Want to learn more? We’ve got lots to tell you, and we’ll be sharing more in later articles.

In the meantime, check out our FJMC information page on the Abayudaya and our funding opportunities. Or contact Jonathan Epstein or Bob Watts, FJMC’s Abayudaya co-coordinators, for more information.

Jonathan Epstein is co-chair of the Abayudaya Initiative for FJMC, editor of HaD’Var, and chair of LDI 2027.