The Dream Nursery and Primary School in Kasenge, Uganda, offers fee-free schooling for children whose parents are either imprisoned or who died because of AIDS. All schools in Uganda, including public schools, require fees from their students’ families, which is a barrier to education for many vulnerable children, even those with loving parents. But for orphaned children, or those whose parents can’t work to provide for them, there is little to no shot at education. 

The Dream School steps in to fill that gap, relying on donors to cover the school’s costs. Thanks to generous sponsors from all over the world, children with no support in Kasenge have the chance at an early education that could set the course for the rest of their lives.

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Background

The Dream School wasn’t an easily realized vision. Founder Mpagi Edward Edmary spent 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit—for a murder, in fact, that never happened, as the victim was found alive and well only a few years after his supposed death. 

Throughout those decades cut off from the rest of the world, Mgapi didn’t turn to self pity. Instead, he dreamed of caring for the less fortunate of his community: orphans who couldn’t care for themselves. Children whose parents had died of AIDS were sometimes shunned by their neighbors, and Mgapi met plenty of parents in prison who worried over the fate of their children. 

When Mgapi was finally released, after intervention by Amnesty International, he saw the dream that sustained him through his years on death row become a reality. Mgapi shared his story with nonprofit leaders and found partners all over the world, finally founding his own organization, Dream One World. 

In the years since, Mgapi and his partners opened a school for children who lost their parents to AIDS or prison: the Dream Nursery and Primary School. After years of raising funds and securing sponsorships for his students (as well as a few more years dealing with bureaucracy), the school was opened.

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Today, the school serves 300 children from kindergarten to 8th grade, and they’ve already begun construction on a new high school facility, which is being built on land donated by a former student—proof positive of the Dream School’s mission. 

To build the high school, the all-volunteer Dream School team collected support through GoFundMe. Dream School US Director Mary Treder says fees were disastrous for their team.

“We are a very small nonprofit and every penny counts, so we felt the loss of the fees that GoFundMe withheld.” Mary Treder

It only costs $25 a month to sponsor a student at Uganda Dream School. That small fee covers two meals a day and clean water, uniforms, access to a medical clinic, and school supplies. After six months, Treder and the Dream School team realized they’d lost over $1000 to fees. 

That money could have covered more than a year of healthy food and education for three neglected children, not to mention ensured safe relationships with adults who care about their safety. And early education is vital to helping children find their place in society as adults. Those early years of lost education are a tragedy for each child. That’s sustenance, education, and mentorship denied to three children because of fundraising fees.

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On top of that, the free-for-all nature of GoFundMe makes it less trustworthy to discerning contributors. Since anyone can start a fundraising drive for anything, some potential funders can find it hard to tell the difference between legitimate nonprofits and scams. 

“There is also a perception among some people in the public that some GoFundMe campaigns may be scams; I heard this from potential donors, that they weren't comfortable donating through GoFundMe.” Mary Treder

Word of mouth suggestions introduced the Dream School team to Zeffy, and they were immediately intrigued. After doing their research, they gave the platform a shot. Mary says she realized how powerful Zeffy was for her organization right away.

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Zeffy was just as great as Mary had hoped it would be. From the very first days of linking to Zeffy, the Dream School saw fee-free fundraising, which facilitated fee-free schooling for more Ugandan children who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford a basic education. They’re helping kids break the cycle of poverty in their communities and achieve their individual dreams, together.

The Dream School team is also finding administrative work like donor management much easier thanks to Zeffy’s powerful interface, an unlooked for bonus. Zeffy’s powerful backend automatically organizes tasks like gala ticket sales, thank you letters, and donor contact information. 

Most importantly, with Zeffy, the money raised for Uganda Dream School students goes straight to those students, giving them the nutrition and care they need to take full advantage of their education. No child is denied support because of fees. 

“Using Zeffy has taken our small nonprofit to the next level of fundraising and donor management. I don't know how we would have made it otherwise.” Mary Treder