Our Beginnings

In July 2002, a small group of Catholics traveled with Fr. Emmanuel Katongole on a cultural exchange trip to Uganda. During their visit to Fr. Emmanuel's home village of Malube, the group accompanied villagers to their only water source, a muddy pond about a mile from the village. The fact that these people were lacking one of humanity's most basic needs, clean water, which we take for granted everyday, had a profound impact. Similar experices occurred as they visited local schools, orphanages, and seminaries around Uganda.

Upon returning, the group began gathering monthly to share their experiences, which resulted in the addition of several people who had had profound direct experiences of need in other Majority World countries. This culminated in the desire to form a more permanent organization that would work to educate people to the needs of our brothers and sisters in developing countries and to provide assistance to those in need.

During 2003, Share the Blessings filed for incorporation as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and for federal and state tax exempt status. We have talked with local student and adult groups about Ugandan needs; raised over 25,000 in a Parish-wide appeal during Black History Mnoth at St. Michael Church for our clean water goal; completed our first clean water project with the installation of a deep well in Malube; donated computer systems to Ugandan secondary school; arranged a second trip to Uganda (postponed to 2004 due to the Iraqi war); and began dialog with Diocesan leaders on the possibility of sponsoring an exchange of religious with Uganda