My Sister Does Amazing Things

Friends, Families, and Supporters:

My name is Nicolette Omoile. I am a graduate of the University of Southern California ('09), and Founder and former President of a student-run organization at USC, RAYSE (The Rise of African Youth through Self Empowerment). I would personally like to thank you for your support of RAYSE, and give details about the major success of the 1st USC co-sponsored Alternative Summer Break to Africa, ASB: Uganda.
A year ago, a good friend and I were discussing how amazing it would be if we could get USC to take more interest in African affairs, and get USC students interested in making an impact in Africa. It was a crazy idea that my good friend, Divinity Barkley (USC ’08) and I were discussing, but we both were determined to see it through.

Divinity had a head start, as she had courageously defied the naysayers, turning down a lucrative job offer to venture off to Kampala, Uganda to found a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women and youth in East Africa. I had the task of conveying this crazy idea—to take USC students to Africa to support this and other grass-root non-profit organizations—to the administrators and students of USC, hoping (or praying) that someone would take notice of me. After a few bumps in the road, R.A.Y.S.E. (The Rise of African Youth through Self Empowerment) was ready to take USC by storm and make a visible difference in the lives of African youth.

Overcoming unforeseen obstacles, a name change, a horrible fundraising economy, terrified parents and even more terrified USC administrators, On May 26, 2009 nine USC students, ranging from freshman to grad students, showed up at the steps of the Amagezi Gemaanyi (“Knowledge is Power”) Youth Association (AGYA – pronounced A-Guy-Ah) in Kampala, Uganda, ready to embark on the journey of a lifetime.

The students came prepared to teach new curriculum that would be co-administered with one of several AGYA Youth Leaders. These youth leaders are amazing young adults (age 17 – 20), that actually lead all classes and run the organization. Our classes ranged from dance to technology, film editing to language and culture. Each day, the two groups interacted beautifully learning about one another and perhaps most importantly, themselves.

I believe we succeeded in our goal of opening the lines of communication between youth in Africa and USC students. For example, our initial unconscious complaints about the unchanging food menu turned into a critical discussion on stereotypes of Americans and Ugandans. And our tardiness to Luganda language class provoked a discussion on the compulsory English requirements in Ugandan schools, where children are unable and at times disciplined for speaking their mother tongue in class. It put into perspective the same immigration “issues” exacerbated by the American media, that our fellow American immigrant communities encounter daily.

And as the Ugandan children lovingly called their new white friends “Mzungu,” our USC students experienced what it means to be a minority in that culture--the discomfort of always being noticed and the expectation that you are always a certain way (in this case…rich.) But while these discomforts were annoying, they were trivialized by the positive impact our presence had on the local community, the local schools we worked with, and at AGYA. In fact, the administrators at one of the schools (Good Hope) where we taught our lessons, in awe of the impact the creative lessons were having on their students, decided to implement art into their curriculum for years to come.

I can with 100% certainty say, that all of the people who participated in this trip were positively affected. We discovered that the fears and unconscious stereotypes of our parents, our teachers, and ourselves – of instantly contracting yellow fever, malaria, stomach worms, of violence, corrupt dictators, helpless children with flies on their eyes – were soon quelled by the reality of a strong African people, largely victimized by a sensationalizing media that fails to recognize that these people – are people. When we were told the devastating news that one of the youth leader’s brothers had been murdered, and saw that he came to AGYA for comfort and love – we knew that our mission and our calling was higher than the naysayers and those who said we were going to “save” children. Our mission became about opening our hearts to understand the commonality of humanity. We realized how blessed we were to be born in our situation, with unlimited resources and support systems all around.
It was an easy decision then for the USC participants to open their hearts (and wallets) to donate around $1400, the amount AGYA needed to secure a larger property that would allow the organization to continue growing and helping the surrounding community.

June 19, 2009 was the official last day of the 1st USC Alternative Summer break trip to Africa. It was full of meaningful words, changed hearts, and a celebration on the part of the leaders in charge. Even with a trip to the Nile and various side adventures, everyone was returning home happy and healthy. Five students were so moved by the experience, that three continued for two more weeks to Kenya and Rwanda, and two others have gone to Dakar, Senegal to do an internship that ends in August.

As I pass the torch on to the next executive board headed by Co-Presidents, Jillian Chou and Marianna Singwi-Ferrono, it is my hope that RAYSE continues to dispel stereotypes of the African continent and its people. Our organization is dedicated to educating, empowering, and enriching the lives of women and children in Uganda, and eventually all of Africa. We are committed to providing a safe, supportive, sustainable learning environment where youth in Africa (initially Uganda) can develop the leadership skills needed to create a new generation of leaders in Africa. We ask for your continued support of our mission. It is our hope that with the additional continued support of the USC Volunteer Center and the USC Africa Fund, RAYSE will continue making an impact on the USC Family and youth of Africa.

Most importantly, we would like to give special thanks to the people and organizations that made this trip possible: to the parents of our participants, the Amagezi Gemaanyi Youth Association (AGYA), The USC Volunteer Center (Dir. Melissa Gaeke), the USC Health Center – Travel Clinic, and USC Health Insurance.

We are currently working on a website, but feel free to email our new account – uscrayse@gmail.com (formerly bavubuka@usc.edu) for any questions, comments, or concerns and for ways to get involved!
Also check out the Amagezi Gemaanyi Youth Association’s website at http://www.amagezigemaanyi.blogspot.com/ for more information, or contact the organization via email - amagezigemaanyi@gmail.com for ways to make a tax-deductible donation, or your own personal trip to Uganda!

Thanks for your blessings and good wishes. We look forward to speaking with you in the future!

Best,

Nicolette OmoileFounder, RAYSE (The Rise of African Youth through Self Empowerment)

-- "The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."-- Albert Einstein