Support Our Efforts!

If you would like to make a donation to support the efforts of the North Carolina Zoo in Uganda, please make checks payable to the UNITE Project - N.C. Zoological Society. Your donations will be deposited through the North Carolina Zoological Society and are tax deductible. You will be issued a receipt.

It is important to note that every penny donated goes directly to the schools in Uganda. Corporate donations are always appreciated be it money or equipment.

It is best to send money which can then be sent to our contact in Uganda who is responsible for all purchasing of supplies. This saves money because we do not have to pay for shipping and it also makes sure the supplies are useful and aligned to the curriculum in Uganda.

After the Ugandan Teacher visited in October of 2003, we focused our efforts on rasing the funds needed to build two classrooms and a library for Bigodi Primary School. This took about $8000.00. We will continue to raise funds for more construction and materials requested on our trip in 2004.

 •To sponsor a student to attend St Jude's private school in Fort Portal - per term it costs $130, there are 3 terms per year ($390/year). Other private schools are about the same cost.

The first term only in which the student enrolls there are additional costs of $130 for mattress, uniform, books, notebooks, etc (1 time cost).

• To sponsor a student to attend Bigodi Secondary School - per term it costs $30 for school fees + $35 for scholastic materials such as exercise books, pens, uniform, lunch contributions.  There are 3 terms per year. Other secondary schools are about the same cost.

• University sponsorship - is about $1,000 per term - 2 terms per year

• Checks should be made out to UNITE Project. Indicate on the check that it is a scholarship for a specific student. Mail to Joy Hamlin; 4401 Zoo Parkway; Asheboro, NC 27205. The Zoo Society covers the costs of wiring the money to John Tinka's account.  Tinka distributes the money directly to the school if possible and keeps tabs on the student's progress. Sending money directly to students can be risky and is not encouraged.

It works best if the sponsorship funds can all be wired at the same time.  Some sponsors send a check for a whole year - others send for one term at a time.  The money is due in August, January and May.  Checks should be made out to UNITE, mailed to: Joy Hamlin; 4401 Zoo Parkway; Asheboro, NC 27205, and indicate WHO the sponsorship is for.  To give time for the wire to show up in Tinka's account, checks should arrive by January 10th, April 10, and July 10th.

See the UNITEd Friendship Letters for other ideas on how to support UNITE!

Here are examples of what your support can bring to our program:

$25 will purchase:

• basic school supplies (paper, notebooks, rulers, pens, crayons)
• world maps and atlases
• 5 books to contribute to a school library (literature, poetry, field guides)
• 3 text books for a primary class that has none (math, science, reading)
• 2 text books for a secondary class that has none (math, science, history, geography, English)
• 1 year sponsorship of a school in the Wildlife Clubs of Uganda

$50 will purchase:

• 1 set of math, science or English books for Bigodi Secondary School (5-10 books)
• science lab equipment for a school that has none (lenses, prisms, magnets, balances, compasses, thermometers, soil test kits, weather instruments)
• gardening tools and supplies for 1 school to assist with school grounds improvement projects conducted by students (tree planting, flower beds, vegetable gardens)
• musical instruments to assist an exceptional music teacher at Bigodi Primary School with her curriculum (guitar, thumb piano, flutes, drums, xylophone)

$100 will purchase:

• materials to build furniture for classrooms without enough seats for each student
• 1 complete set of geography books for a Bigodi Secondary School
• materials to build bookcases for a school library
• sponsorship of 1 Ugandan teacher to attend 2004 UNITE workshop in Uganda
• field guides and binoculars for Kibale National Forest's educational programs for students

$150 will purchase:

• 1 microscope for a school that has none
• 1 set of literature books for a secondary school library (approximately 30 books)

$500 will purchase:

• sponsorship of 5 Ugandan teachers to attend the 2004 UNITE workshop in Uganda
• the labor to build 1 classroom at Bigodi Primary school

$1,000 will purchase:

• books, science equipment, microscopes and/or gardening tools for 5 Ugandan schools
• sponsorship of 10 Ugandan teachers to attend the 2004 UNITE workshop in Uganda

$2,000 will purchase:

• the materials and labor to build 1 classroom at Bigodi Primary School
• sponsorship of 1 Ugandan teacher to spend 3 weeks visiting NC schools, parks, and ecosystems

$3,000 will purchase:

• sponsorship of 1 NC teacher to spend 2+ weeks in Uganda - assisting with teacher training workshop, visiting schools, parks, and ecosystems

Click here for a PDF downloadable version of this list.