Through a recent service trip, junior Sydney Roy learned that many children who live in Uganda lead lives filled with hardship, and as a result, she started a club to help make positive contributions to their lives.
Roy traveled to Uganda for two weeks last summer with her mom, cousin and others to help deliver healthcare and education to Ugandan children. Their work was in connection with Operation One, an organization that provides “education, training, health care and spiritual development to vulnerable children and families,” according to its website. Roy knew she wanted to start a new club, Spreading Hope Across Continents (SHAC), before going to Africa; the trip only further solidified her plans.
“Basically the whole reason I started [SHAC this year] was because I want to give children education; I want to give them that opportunity we have,” Roy said.
Roy spent her time in Africa with 16 others working as a medical clinic assistant, helping give physicals to children in school and seeking out children who might need a sponsor to help pay for meals and education.
“When I went [to Uganda] in the summer, it made me want to do as much as I could for the community,” Roy said. “It’s like you’re in real time and you’re seeing everything that they need, and you realize that a little donation can go so far.”
Spending time with the children in Uganda not only increased her awareness of poverty in the country, but it also connected her to the people she worked with.
“I made a lot of strong connections in both the high school, which is called secondary school, and the primary school,” Roy said. “I have strong bonds with a lot of the children now because I was there for two weeks.”
Knowing that the money SHAC raises goes to children that Roy is personally connected to motivates her to ensure that the club is effective. The club raises money through events such as car washes and bake sales, as well as by selling Ugandan jewelry and other products.
SHAC treasurer sophomore Ben Dane is close friends with Roy and continues to see the impact that her work has.
“Sydney spreads a lot of positivity and hope to children who may not be as fortunate as us,” Dane said.
Roy’s trip brought into focus the benefits she and many other Americans have in contrast to Ugandans. Her experiences solidified her interest in pursuing a career in public health and also affected how she views the world around her.
“It definitely had a humongous impact on my daily life,” Roy said. “I’m much more aware of wasteful tendencies or habits that I have and I’ve cut down on that a lot. When we were there, we went into medical clinics and they just don’t have access to a lot of normal things, like a toilet.”
Roy was struck by the lack of access to education in Uganda. The country’s population is predominantly young, and mothers are often still in their teenage years. This means these young women cannot attend school or get an education because they must care for their own children, who also do not have access to schools.
“A lot of people know to an extent that Uganda is a poor country, but they don’t know what their daily lives are like; a lot of the children are at home all day,” Roy said.
While SHAC is currently focusing on healthcare and education for Ugandan children, Roy intends to sponsor many more children around the world through Operation One.
“In the future, I hope to go to Puerto Rico or somewhere closer to here, but right now the focus is Uganda,” Roy said. “The ultimate goal is to spread [funds] much farther. Right now we are trying to make sure that the people in Uganda are getting the care and education that they should be provided.”
