Who We Are

Donate

Our Vision

Our Mission

Our Principles

Our Values

Our Goals

Our Leadership

Our History

Our Vision

Vibrant and resourceful Ugandan rural communities with the power to transform a collective future

Our Mission

We support sustainable community led solutions through unique partnerships that strengthen quality education access and maternal health in rural Ugandan communities

Our Principles

1. Seek local knowledge
2. Forge community partnerships
3. Empower rural girls
4. Innovate sustainable solutions
5. Defend human dignity
6. Address global challenges

Our Values

Respect

Accountability

Integrity

Support

Equity

Diversity

Our Goals

1

To design sustainable innovative community led solutions that empower rural communities

2

To increase access to quality educational opportunities for rural communities

3

To support quality, dignified and respectful maternal health care in rural communities

Our History

Shortly after finishing nursing school in 2009, Brooke Stern and her father, Kenneth Stern, set out on a backpacking trip through East Africa. Spending just five days in poverty-stricken Bujagali Falls, they were struck by the lack of basic necessities but amazed by the people’s spirits and enthusiasm, even in the face of extreme poverty.

“In the village we saw hunger but we also saw thirst: thirst for knowledge, thirst for a better tomorrow, thirst for the opportunity to lift themselves out of gripping poverty.” -Brooke Stern

One month after her initial life-changing visit, Brooke returned to Uganda and spent the next 13 months living with and listening to the community’s needs, wants, and frustrations.

Brooke and the first Ugandan volunteers she worked with, engaged with the community in what has become the cornerstone of our work in Uganda – a community led approach. They discerned that a focus on access to education was needed to address the underlying complex causes of extreme poverty. As a result, Supporting Opportunities for Ugandans to Learn (S.O.U.L.) Foundation was born!

From the shores of the River Nile in Kyabirwa Village in Jinja City, the S.O.U.L. Foundation has expanded to Namiyangu Village in Bugweri District. From just a volunteer of one, Brooke Stern, the S.O.U.L Foundation has expanded to over 25 full-time staff in Uganda and 2 full-time staff in the US. The organization was crippled by the death of one of our Co-Founders, Kenneth Stern, in 2019 and the devastating effects, especially on education of the COVID19 pandemic between 2020-2021. We are slowly rising from the ashes…evolving into a stronger organization one day at a time.

In Memoriam