ARC OF HOPE, St. Joan of Arc Uganda

Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Supports Arc of Hope

St. Joan of Arc Uganda is the brainchild of Father Simon Peter Kyambadde. Father Simon Peter attended the Mundelein College seminary near Chicago and befriended Father James Barrett, the then pastor of St. Joan of Arc in Evanston/Skokie, IL (SJA) while completing his doctoral work at the seminary. After returning to Uganda to continue his ministry, Father Simon Peter had occasion to return to Chicago to run in the Chicago marathon, part as a vacation and part as a respite from the difficult environment in Uganda.

Father Barrett encouraged Simon Peter to stay at the St. Joan of Arc rectory during his visit and to tell the SJA community about Uganda. Simon Peter said weekly mass during his stay, and related his story to individuals in the parish. At the end of his initial stay, parishioners of SJA asked what they could do. Requests for donations of used shoes, mosquito nets, and other practical materials went out and the response was overwhelming. Upon returning to Uganda, Simon Peter met the challenge of bringing the materials back to the Mawuuki community despite repeated attempts by the government to interfere. The next year, the parish solicited contributions to dig a well to assure clean drinking water for the community. 

After the initial successful projects, Simon Peter had the initial vision to build a school for the community. He believes that education is the way to help the people of the community. A new school would provide the education that would help change the lives of the people there. 

Upon returning the following year, Simon Peter recruited several parishioners for seed money to begin the project. Despite the long odds, Simon Peter's vision, commitment, resolve, and determination saw the completion of an initial school building. In February 2008, with an enrollment of 267, the doors of the new school were opened. To cement the relationship, the school was named St. Joan of Arc Day and Boarding School Mawuuki.

With each subsequent annual visit, Simon Peter spoke of the great need of Mawuuki, and the clear success resulted in a broader range of support from the St. Joan of Arc community enabling the school to pay its operating expenses, and expand the facilities. Simon Peter also expanded his outreach to the Kansas City archdiocese, and his past contacts in the Chicago area.

With overwhelming demand in the community for a quality education, SJA Mawuuki has grown to almost 500 children and was rated in the top 20 of elementary schools in the entire country of Uganda. SJA Mawuuki graduated its first class this year. Construction of a kindergarten and play area, teacher's quarters, and a new kitchen are underway.

Looking to the future, SJA parishioners formed a separate non-profit, Arc of Hope, to support Simon Peter's initiative and to solicit funds from a broader cross section of generous folks supporting this mission.

Arc of Hope exists to support the continued expansion of SJA Mawuuki, both through support of the school, and support of the surrounding area. The goals are continued growth for the school, and equally important, enabling the local community to become self supporting by creating a sustainable base of agriculture and related products.

SJA has benefited in untold ways from the connection, beginning with a first person understanding of the challenges facing Africa generally and Uganda in particular. The mission has also heightened awareness in the elementary school and the broader parish to think outside our local community to do acts of goodwill.

Arc of Hope welcomes your support of the SJA Mawuuki. While the initiative is led by a Catholic priest and is proudly a faith-based, non-governmental initiative, the school serves a significant Muslim population, as well as non-Catholic evangelical Christians. The school is designed to be a place of peace, love and learning amidst a most difficult African environment often characterized by ethnic hatred, religious persecution, abuse of young women, and recruitment of young men as child soldiers.

For more information, contact Andy Oleszczuk at andyoleszczuk@gmail.com.

Rev. Simon Peter Kyambadde
Kiyinda-Mityana Diocese
PO Box 175
Mityana Uganda East Africa