Sarah explains, "My scholarship gave me a chance to go to school and concentrate on my studies. Because I stay in the boarding school, I have light to read by at night and three meals to eat every day. I am working hard to ensure that excel and become a nurse."
At Global Village Connect, we do more than provide scholarships. We offer ongoing support, checking in with students and helping them overcome challenges when their families can’t. Most come from homes where education beyond the sixth grade is rare. For many, like Sarah, a scholarship is their only chance to break the cycle of poverty and build a brighter future.
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A bright and determined student, Muhammed caught the attention of the Headmaster at Tikkun Olam Primary School, who recommended him for a scholarship. Thanks to Global Village Connect and the generosity of our donor Toni, Muhammed has had the opportunity to continue his education. Toni didn’t just support him financially—she met him on one of our community trips, deepening their connection.
Now, Muhammed is excelling in high school and is among the top students in his class. His teachers have high hopes for his performance in the 2025 national exams. School has also given him the chance to thrive in extracurricular activities, including playing for the school’s football team. At Global Village Connect, we do more than provide scholarships. We offer ongoing support, checking in with students and helping them overcome challenges when their families can’t. Most come from homes where education beyond the sixth grade is rare. For many, like Muhammed, a scholarship is their only chance to break the cycle of poverty and build a brighter future.  Mark & Debbie Glotter and their nine "Ugandan kids" Mark & Debbie Glotter are tireless champions for Global Village Connect. They are currently on the Ugandan Community Connection trip with Global Village Connect, visiting villages and schools where GVC makes an impact. Below, read an update from Mark. After spending a few days in Uganda, and even though it is my fourth time here, all I can think about is my feelings of gratitude and happiness, immediately followed by profound sadness and hopelessness.
Most of all, it takes so much energy to control my emotions, knowing that we are making such an impact on so many peoples' lives. You see it in their smiles, you feel it in their hugs. You feel it in their giant welcome as the earth literally shakes when our van arrives in their poor communities. But most of all I see it in their gratitude these Jews, Christians and Muslims express to our tiny organization, Global Village Connect, consisting literally of a handful of dedicated Minnesotans (mainly) who have taken it upon their shoulders to save the lives of these wonderful people. Yesterday Debbie and I sat with our “Ugandan Kids.” These are nine kids ranging from 9-18 years old who we support in school and in life. Their life experiences included being raped and impregnated at 12 by her uncle. Another whose father beat him to the point where he lost an eye and later stole the goat given to him to help lift him out of poverty. Then there are the two little kids, now 9 & 10 whose father, with four wives and 19 kids left them on their own to support themselves. They lived in a rented room for $10 a month. When we found them doing odd labor and sick with diseases, including typhoid. Another was an orphan and was married off at 12 because nobody could care for her! We have plucked them out of their terrible situations and now all nine of these kids are boarding at their schools. They consider themselves the lucky ones. They are now safe, have friends, go to school and are fed. I told them my wish for them was when they got older that they would have the opportunity to help others just like they were helped. Debbie and I feel such sadness for what these kids have gone through and at the same time know they are safe. Debbie worries that she will never see them again. Deep down, I know she will. We gave them all hugs and told them they never have to worry again as we will keep them safe. How lucky are Debbie and I that we can have the opportunity to help others? Mark & Debbie Glotter November 14, 2024 Mbale, Uganda 
With no education or skills, Olivia struggled to survive. She often went without food, and her baby wore old bedsheets. She moved between relatives' homes, doing housework in exchange for shelter, sometimes being scolded for tending to her child. When the Global Village Connect cosmetology program began, Olivia eagerly learned hairdressing. Customers now prefer her. Olivia went from having no income to earning $3 a day. Her short-term plan is to sell hair extensions to increase her income, and her long-term goal is to open her own shop. And for Hirah, a scholarship is making all the difference
When Global Village Connect awarded Hirah a scholarship, she was able to move into the dorm at school and find safety and stability that she had never known. When she first arrived, teachers noted that she was very timid and withdrawn. After a few months, she is gaining confidence. She smiles and talks more and is enjoying learning.
Why Support Business Training Mothers Yes We Can is made up of ten single moms who face poverty and little or no access to family resources like land. These women completed Global Village Connect's Business Training Program and formed a collective. The women are on their way to making profits and changing their lives.  Construction on the building that will house the chickens is nearly finished. Last year the collective submitted a business plan and funding proposal to Global Village Connect for start-up capital for a chicken farm business. The proposal was approved, and the farm officially began on January 18, 2024 with construction of a facility. Along with their entrepreneurial training, the women received training from the government on poultry farming. The curriculum taught them best practices for poultry farming including chick management, record keeping, disease control, and marketing.  400 chicks were delivered to Namatumba in July Chicks Arrive and Thrive The chicken house was completed in June: in July, the women purchased 400 chicks. Currently, the farm is operational and the chicks are thriving. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting community project.
 Meet Nakayibo Florence, |
| Florence fled her abusive husband, and she and her seven children now live with her aged mother. To make money, she began to work as a common laborer, digging in someone’s garden. She explains, “My mother is old, and depends on me for support.” After attending Global Village Connect’s Business Training Program, Florence learned that even with a small amount of money, you can start a business. She saved up 35,000 shillings (about $9 US) and used that money as starting capital for her business. | Florence went from earning intermittent funds when she could find work to earning a steady income from her business — enough to feed and clothe her seven children, send them to school, and no longer worry about how to pay a doctor bill if a child becomes sick. |
With the money she bought wheat flour, cooking oil, two plastic buckets and some green plantains, or matoke. She began making donuts and matoke to sell.
Florence’s business has been slow but steady — but still life-changing. She can now afford to cover her children and mother’s basic needs. Plus she can afford to buy books and cover school fees, so her children are able to go to school. Another benefit, she explains, is that she has enough money to take her children to a doctor if they fall sick.
It’s not always simple though, explains Florence. She says, “Because I have many dependents and my business is small, it is difficult for it to grow, but I still operate it with the little that I have. I use that little to buy the food at home and the basic needs, and I will not give up on this business.”
Florence is currently expanding her business to include turkey farming. She has saved profits from donut and matoke sales and was recently able to buy two baby turkeys. She knows that adding more lines of income helps to diversify her funds and add financial stability. Florence also sees the potential in having an “emergency fund” with ownership of livestock.
Florence explains, “We hope that these turkeys will reproduce and we shall get more turkeys. When I get more money we can then add on more turkeys. Then we can have many turkeys here, and they can serve me in times of need by selling one to get money.”
Florence is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship that has led to her to make enough money to care for her family. She says, “I want to thank the organization so much that brought the business training school to Putti because through them I got knowledge on how to operate a business and that is how my business is able to survive.
“Thank you so much to Global Village Connect and may God bless you all.”
Florence’s business has been slow but steady — but still life-changing. She can now afford to cover her children and mother’s basic needs. Plus she can afford to buy books and cover school fees, so her children are able to go to school. Another benefit, she explains, is that she has enough money to take her children to a doctor if they fall sick.
It’s not always simple though, explains Florence. She says, “Because I have many dependents and my business is small, it is difficult for it to grow, but I still operate it with the little that I have. I use that little to buy the food at home and the basic needs, and I will not give up on this business.”
Florence is currently expanding her business to include turkey farming. She has saved profits from donut and matoke sales and was recently able to buy two baby turkeys. She knows that adding more lines of income helps to diversify her funds and add financial stability. Florence also sees the potential in having an “emergency fund” with ownership of livestock.
Florence explains, “We hope that these turkeys will reproduce and we shall get more turkeys. When I get more money we can then add on more turkeys. Then we can have many turkeys here, and they can serve me in times of need by selling one to get money.”
Florence is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship that has led to her to make enough money to care for her family. She says, “I want to thank the organization so much that brought the business training school to Putti because through them I got knowledge on how to operate a business and that is how my business is able to survive.
“Thank you so much to Global Village Connect and may God bless you all.”
Meet Rashida,
a graduate of the cosmetology training program
Rashida lost her parents when she was eight years old. At the time, she was in grade primary three. Luckily, the headmaster of her school generously helped her financially to finish her time at primary school.
She now lives with her grandmother, who is not able to pay for her to continue to secondary school. Instead, Rashida enrolled in Global Village Connect's cosmetology program.
The vocational training program in cosmetology is a new program for Global Village Connect. Like most places in the world, women in Uganda who have the means, even in rural Uganda, will spend money on their hair and nails after paying the basics, such as school fees, food and clothing for the family. This means that learning cosmetology can be a lucrative occupation for young women, offering them a chance to become self-sufficient.
Cosmetology training gives girls a chance to break free from the cycle of poverty and helps prevent early marriage. Global Village Connect's first cohort of ten cosmetology students completed their six-month training program in July 2023.
Rashida was among those who graduated. She is now working as an apprentice at Mama Mutesi Beauty Salon in Buesea, and earning an average of $1.67* a day as she continues to learn on the job.
The training Rashida received from Global Village Connect has not only equipped her with valuable skills, but has instilled in her a sense of purpose, a belief in herself, connection to a community of women, and, most importantly, hope — something she has been sorely missing.
* For context, the median household income for rural Ugandans is about $54 a month. That's why your US dollar goes so far and can help so many!
She now lives with her grandmother, who is not able to pay for her to continue to secondary school. Instead, Rashida enrolled in Global Village Connect's cosmetology program.
The vocational training program in cosmetology is a new program for Global Village Connect. Like most places in the world, women in Uganda who have the means, even in rural Uganda, will spend money on their hair and nails after paying the basics, such as school fees, food and clothing for the family. This means that learning cosmetology can be a lucrative occupation for young women, offering them a chance to become self-sufficient.
Cosmetology training gives girls a chance to break free from the cycle of poverty and helps prevent early marriage. Global Village Connect's first cohort of ten cosmetology students completed their six-month training program in July 2023.
Rashida was among those who graduated. She is now working as an apprentice at Mama Mutesi Beauty Salon in Buesea, and earning an average of $1.67* a day as she continues to learn on the job.
The training Rashida received from Global Village Connect has not only equipped her with valuable skills, but has instilled in her a sense of purpose, a belief in herself, connection to a community of women, and, most importantly, hope — something she has been sorely missing.
* For context, the median household income for rural Ugandans is about $54 a month. That's why your US dollar goes so far and can help so many!
Hello, my name is Logose Loyce!
I am a graduate of the Global Village Connect Business Training Program
I am a graduate of the Global Village Connect Business Training Program
| My business is selling bricks. I was very scared to start a business because I didn't have any money. I was afraid of what people would say if I started something very small, so I kept putting it off for a very long time. During the Global Village Connect's Business Training Program, we learned about the reasons that stop people from getting out of their comfort zones. Two reasons seemed to talk about me: fear and procrastination. | I love this business, because I can sell bricks in bulk and earn enough money to take care of demands like school fees which require a large sum of money at once." |
The training taught me that I could start a business even without money. Instead, I could use the dormant resources around me. This gave me the encouragement I needed to start my brick laying business. I put my fear aside, and stopped procrastinating.
I had an anthill on my land, so I asked my sons to help me dig it and make bricks. We worked hard and after burning, we had made 15,000 bricks.
In June, we sold 10,000 bricks for $223. I used this income to pay for my children's school fees; I have children in primary school and one taking a course at a post-secondary institute. In September, I sold the remaining 5,000 bricks for $113 and was able to afford school fees for the third term.
I love this business, because I can sell bricks in bulk and earn enough money to take care of demands like school fees which require a large sum of money at once.
My future goal is to be able to operate a dry foods business that can bring in daily income, because bricks take about two months to be ready for sale.
I had an anthill on my land, so I asked my sons to help me dig it and make bricks. We worked hard and after burning, we had made 15,000 bricks.
In June, we sold 10,000 bricks for $223. I used this income to pay for my children's school fees; I have children in primary school and one taking a course at a post-secondary institute. In September, I sold the remaining 5,000 bricks for $113 and was able to afford school fees for the third term.
I love this business, because I can sell bricks in bulk and earn enough money to take care of demands like school fees which require a large sum of money at once.
My future goal is to be able to operate a dry foods business that can bring in daily income, because bricks take about two months to be ready for sale.
Hello, I'm Solomy!
A graduate of the Global Village Connect Business Training Program
| After the death of my husband, life was very difficult. I had been a housewife for most of my married life, and suddenly my breadwinner was gone. I was left without any savings or inheritance. Because of this, my children were not able to attend school for eight months. I couldn't afford food, much less tuition. We were living on one meal a day. | Because of my new income, my children were able to attend school this term. I can now afford tuition and the required supplies. I am so happy and relieved. |
I started working as a road sweeper but the payments were always late, and even when they were on time they were so meager that they couldn't sustain my family.
In March, I started the Global Village Connect Business Training program. In the first module I felt like the trainers were speaking to me directly. They talked about "getting out of your comfort zone." It spoke to my heart because I had become comfortable as a housewife. I was challenged to do something to change my status.
When I received my next payment from the municipal council, I bought peanuts, and then roasted and ground them. I packed the butter in small tins and approached nearby shops asking if they would sell it for me. They agreed, and I have been supplying the stores weekly since then. Customers love my peanut butter because it’s wonderful as a bread spread. This business brings in a profit of $1.40* a day.
I also approached my friend who has a charcoal business and asked if she would allow me to sell a few sacks of my own charcoal in her stall. She agreed, and every month I put out four sacks of my charcoal. Each sack gives me a profit of $4.10*.
Because of my new income, my children were able to attend school this term. I can now afford tuition and the required supplies. I am so happy and relieved.
Had I not attended this business training I might have still been languishing in the jaws of poverty. I am truly grateful to Global Village Connect for being my light when all hope was lost.
* For context, the median household income for rural Ugandans is about $54 a month. That's why your US dollar goes so far and can help so many!
In March, I started the Global Village Connect Business Training program. In the first module I felt like the trainers were speaking to me directly. They talked about "getting out of your comfort zone." It spoke to my heart because I had become comfortable as a housewife. I was challenged to do something to change my status.
When I received my next payment from the municipal council, I bought peanuts, and then roasted and ground them. I packed the butter in small tins and approached nearby shops asking if they would sell it for me. They agreed, and I have been supplying the stores weekly since then. Customers love my peanut butter because it’s wonderful as a bread spread. This business brings in a profit of $1.40* a day.
I also approached my friend who has a charcoal business and asked if she would allow me to sell a few sacks of my own charcoal in her stall. She agreed, and every month I put out four sacks of my charcoal. Each sack gives me a profit of $4.10*.
Because of my new income, my children were able to attend school this term. I can now afford tuition and the required supplies. I am so happy and relieved.
Had I not attended this business training I might have still been languishing in the jaws of poverty. I am truly grateful to Global Village Connect for being my light when all hope was lost.
* For context, the median household income for rural Ugandans is about $54 a month. That's why your US dollar goes so far and can help so many!
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