Uganda: Rooted in Community. Powered by Generosity
Listening on the ground. Responding together—$5,000 to meet what matters most.
Ohhh friends… something beautyFULL is unfolding here.
We’ve never done THIS in the Seeds Giving Fund… let me share with you what I mean.
Over the years, I’ve learned something that continues to shape how I see the world:
Some of the most meaningful impact doesn’t come from us deciding what people need…
It comes from listening.
From showing up.
From trusting the wisdom already within a community.
A Story Rooted in Community
Years ago, Julie Secrist stepped into a rural village in Uganda and encountered families facing unimaginable hardship.
There were no schools.
No healthcare.
No clear path forward.
And in that moment came a question:
What if the answer isn’t found somewhere else…
but grows from within the community itself?
That question became HEED Uganda—a long-term, community-rooted movement walking alongside families toward education, health, and sustainable transformation.
For over 20 years, HEED has remained committed to this posture—one of presence, partnership, and deep respect for the community it serves.
Why This Fundraiser Is Unique
For our next Seeds Giving Fund partnership with HEED, we’re excited to see what emerges as a small visiting team—including our friend Kristi Gustafson Lin—listens and learns alongside the community about what matters most right now.
✨ Listening on the ground. Responding together—$5,000 to meet what matters most.
Not guessed from afar.
Not assumed.
But named from within the community itself.
And then… together, we respond.
A VERY Practical Need… with a VERY Meaningful Impact 💛
During our recent Contend + Connect gathering with HEED Uganda (full replay: YouTube replay here), Julie shared about one of the current projects unfolding in Uganda:
Teacher housing with actual working toilets.
Sounds simple, right?
But in this remote community—12 miles from a paved road and with only 3% of the surrounding population having access to clean water—this is a HUGE step forward.
Over the last several years, HEED Uganda has worked tirelessly to build water infrastructure throughout the community:
• reservoirs
• rain capture systems
• pumps
• tanks
• pipelines
And now, after a $100,000 reservoir project was completed and the pump was finally installed this spring, the next step is connecting water directly to the teacher homes so the toilets can actually function.
Right now, many teachers still have to wake up in the middle of the night, grab a flashlight, and walk outside to use outdoor latrines.
The cost to complete this next step?
About $5,000.
Julie shared that their teachers give and love SO big and that this is a really practical way to love and appreciate them.
We LOVE that.
What Your Generosity Makes Possible
✨ We’re raising $5,000
This isn’t a pre-determined project.
Your generosity will support:
- Water + sanitation infrastructure for teacher housing
- Immediate response to pressing, locally identified needs
- Continued investment in long-term, sustainable development
This is the kind of practical, dignity-centered impact that changes everyday life.
Not flashy.
Not performative.
But deeply meaningful.
And perhaps most beautyFULL of all?
This need wasn’t assumed from afar.
It emerged through years of relationship, listening, and presence within the community itself.
Donate (tax-deductible for US donors)
More Than a Project
This is about more than funding a need.
It’s about how we show up in the world.
This is the kind of giving that listens.
The kind that honors.
The kind that builds with, not for.
And when we live this way, something shifts.
Dignity is restored.
Hope rises.
Communities flourish—from within.
Stay Tuned…
As the HEED team continues listening and learning on the ground, we’ll continue sharing stories and updates along the way.
We’re honored to come alongside this work together.
About the Seeds Giving Fund
The Seeds Giving Fund exists to make everyday philanthropy simple, relational, and impactful. Each season, we partner with trusted grassroots organizations doing beautiful, dignity-centered work—locally and globally.
Want to JOIN our Seeds Giving Fund as a monthly donor? We’d so love that. It takes just a moment to set up, and from there, your generosity flows into each fundraiser throughout the year. A beautiful way to give—again and again—without needing to think about it.
Over the past 10 years, Seeds of Exchange has partnered with communities in more than a dozen countries and raised over $300,000 to support changemakers rooted in justice, hospitality, and hope.
Donate here – on our fundraising platform, Grapevine (tax-deductible for US donors)
Philanthropy isn’t reserved for the wealthy.
It begins with a seed—and grows through love in action.
💛 You are loved.
We belong to each other.
xo. -Sarah DT + the Seeds Fam
