Random stories from Uganda & California

We are using this space as a catch all place for ideas and stories that may or may not find their place in the movie.

In the beginning...

St Helena's Grace Episcopal Church started an Outreach Committee in 1999, named GO (for Grace Outreach). The idea was simply to be the body that coordinated any charitable giving that the Church might do... but somehow things grew, and in 2001 the Church was paired with a sister parish in Uganda. GO was hoping for a similar sized church (ie about 200 people) but ended up with a parish of some 5,000. Apparently that didn't matter- Bubaare is the same size as St Helena- and the relationship grew until in 2003 the Grace Scholarship began.

Interior of St James' Church, Bubaare, Uganda

Early Days

As Grace started to get to know Bubaare they discovered that one of the things that the Kabale region is known for is winemaking- I am NOT making this up! As if that wasn't coincidence enough, the wine is called BiNapa because it is made from Bananas and Pineapples. (Napa Valley has nothing to worry about). Don't let anyone tell you that God has no sense of humour!

Bubaare, Uganda

The Grace Scholarship

The GO committee thought that a scholarship would be a good idea, but knew nothing about the specific significance of girls education at that time. Luckily for everyone Headmaster Twino Buhungiro decided that GO's lack of sex specificity was just a typo and announced that the new scholarship was to be for Young Women only. So Sonia Ndyabo was taken straight from digging a ditch to university, and now works for the UN High Commission for Refugees.

Bubaare, Uganda

WHO WE ARE

James Forbes is a Napa Valley-based filmmaker from Scotland. His focus thus far has mostly been educational mini documentaries, but this story deserves a fuller examination and needs the 90minutes of a feature film. The experience gained from telling stories in under 7minutes means that James knows how to pack a lot of information into a restricted space so this film will not hold back.

GET IN TOUCH

P: (707) 963-9323

SPONSORSHIPS

The main purpose of this site is to promote the documentary that we are producing, however if you feel moved to sponsor one of these young women or otherwise help the school in Bubaare we would love to hear from you and can connect you with the appropriate people at the Church in California.