From One School to Another
A fundraiser that began with a group of Texas students, some creative drink recipes and a few handmade posters has now changed lives thousands of miles away at a school in Uganda.
During the Spring semester of 2026, Healing: Global volunteer Patricia Pederson and board member May Bahizi Masozera visited Keystone School in San Antonio, Texas to talk with students about our partnership with Namutamba Health Center in Uganda.
Namutamba Health Center supports its community day school by giving regular health education lectures and providing children with necessary medical treatment. Though the clinic does incredible work for the school, many students cannot afford necessities like mosquito nets, malaria vaccines, or deworming pills.
Having seen the great needs of this community firsthand, Patricia and May educated Keystone students on what life is like for a Ugandan student their age. If they are sick, they can’t always afford to go to the clinic. Many can’t afford school uniforms either.
So, the Texas students sprang into action.
Keystone School 7th and 8th grade students took it upon themselves to organize a fundraiser to support students of Namutamba Demonstration School. The students created original drink recipes, designed posters to advertise and sold custom drinks for $5 each during their lunch break.
Their effort raised more than $800. Then, a Keystone family matched the donation, bringing the total gift to more than $1,600.
Within just one week later, that generosity was transformed into medical care and essential supplies for Namutamba students.
At a joyful community celebration, 138 mosquito nets were distributed, 32 children were treated for malaria and 623 students received deworming medication. The donation also provided new school uniforms for students who did not have them.
From a $5 Drink to Real Change
The Keystone students used creativity to get their classmates involved. Their handmade posters promoted drinks with names such as “Namutamba Nectar,” “Scholars Sprite Spritz” and “Pearl of Africa,” while also explaining why they were raising money.
One poster for the Namutamba Nectar read: “We cure your thirst, you cure their disease!”
The students weren't simply selling drinks—they were learning about the health challenges facing children in Uganda and sharing that story with their peers.
One student who helped organize the fundraiser explained how her family became involved:
“What we do most years is at our Christmas party, we choose a charity, and whoever donates at the Christmas party to the charity, my dad matches the donation always. So, we didn't have the Christmas party this year, and my dad was like, ‘We still need to donate because I want to make a change.’ He was like, ‘Hey, didn't you say something about the Namutamba community?’ And I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I think it's called Healing: Global?’ And then he was like, ‘Okay, confirm that's Healing: Global and I will match the donation.’”
That decision doubled the impact made in Uganda: to both provide school uniforms and treat one of Africa’s most deadly diseases, malaria.
Fighting Malaria
Malaria is one of the most serious health challenges facing communities in Uganda. The disease is caused by parasites transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Symptoms can include fever, chills, headache and weakness, and severe malaria can be life-threatening, particularly for young children.
At Namutamba Health Center, approximately half of the patients seen are treated for malaria.
One of the simplest ways to prevent malaria is to reduce exposure to mosquitoes. Insecticide-treated mosquito nets provide a physical barrier while also helping kill or repel mosquitoes that come into contact with the net.
The Keystone fundraiser provided 138 mosquito nets for children and staff at Namutamba Demonstration School, giving families an important tool to help prevent malaria before it starts.
But prevention was only part of the effort. During the distribution event, 32 children received treatment for malaria, while 623 students received deworming medication.
Deworming medicines treat intestinal worm infections, which are common in many parts of the world and can affect children's health and nutrition. Providing the medication through the school allowed health workers to reach hundreds of children at once.
The distribution became a community event. Nurses provided medication to students, while the local Anglican priest helped distribute mosquito nets.
It’s More Than a Uniform
The donation also provided school uniforms for children who did not have them.
For children at Namutamba Demonstration School, a uniform can mean more than simply having the proper clothing for class. Children without uniforms can experience stigma because of their family's financial circumstances. Providing uniforms helps reduce that visible difference and allows students to attend school with greater dignity.
One student from Namutamba shared her appreciation in a message to the Keystone students:
“Thanks from Namutamba Demonstration School. We have uniforms and bags, but our friends do not have. We thank Madame Patricia and other colleagues for the mobilization they have done for our friends to get uniforms. Thank you.”
The words offer a glimpse into what a relatively simple gift can mean to a child.
The Impact Goes Both Ways
For the Keystone students, the fundraiser became an opportunity to turn what they had learned into action.
After the event, the students recorded a message for their friends in Uganda.
Together, they began with a Ugandan greeting:
“Muli mutya!”
Then they shared their thoughts:
“Hi Namutamba, we hope you enjoy your uniforms.”
“We had so much fun doing the fundraiser.”
“This has been a really great experience for us and I know each and every one of us are super duper grateful for this experience.”
The children in Namutamba received life-changing medical and school supplies, but the Keystone students gained something, too: the opportunity to see that their initiative and generosity can have a measurable impact on students just like them thousands of miles away.
