What is the Arlington Academy of Hope?

AAH's vision is to transform villages in rural Uganda into vibrant, self-sustaining communities through quality education and healthcare. Specifically we seek to:

• Develop educational and healthcare models in each village where we have a presence. Set new standards of academic excellence and prepare the children for adult lives that contribute to the progress of their communities and the world. Local schools will perform better. Students will progress to higher levels of learning and professional careers. Through adult education programs, literacy will increase in local communities.
• Establish clinics and community health programs that provide children and their families with access to modern healthcare, medicines, and treatments. More people will live longer with a higher quality of life.
• Encourage villages with AAH programs to employ technology and provide services for surrounding areas. Building and farming techniques will demonstrate an increased environmental awareness.

Through shared learning experiences, AAH will foster greater cultural understanding on local, national, and international levels.

Our Core Values:

We are an organization that believes in ...

Education

• We believe that all children have a right to education and basic healthcare.
• We believe that education is the key to transformation and provides new opportunities.
• We believe that children are our hope for the future.

Integrity

• We responsibly and strategically use our resources of time, talent and money.

Respect

• We value the Ugandan culture and way of life.
• We are inclusive of diverse ideas, perspectives and backgrounds within AAH.

Communication

• We honestly and openly share our ideas and organizational decision making.

Partnership

• We foster teamwork and value relationships with our volunteers, child sponors, donors, partners and friends as we work to achieve our goals in partnership with the people of Uganda.

A Passion to Serve

• We empower people with opportunities to help children and others in need.
• We strengthen and grow the organization in a positive and constructive way.

Why did I choose AAH?

At first it was difficult to decide which non-profit to volunteer for because there are so many organizations that stand for noble causes. The Arlington Academy of Hope caught my eye because it is a local organization that aims to create a sustainable community in rural Uganda. They campaign for education and accessible healthcare.

" The Arlington Academy of Hope established a school in the Bumwalukani village, which enrolls more than 300 students in seven grades providing dedicated teachers, individual attention and a supportive learning atmosphere. In three years, it has become the model school for villages in eastern Uganda. They established a clinic in 2006 provides immunizations and basic healthcare to students, their families and the local community. More than 3,000 patients have been cared for since September 2006. They launched a secondary education program launched in 2007 provides scholarships to AAH and select local students helping them continue their education and reach for their dreams."

The founder of this organization, John Wanda, is a native of this African town. It is rare that individuals have the opportunity to attend a university and move to the United States. It is amazing that he is able to give back to the community that he came from. When Wanda spoke at American, I was not only touched by his personal account, but I was inspired to be a part of something this wonderful. Often people are so fixated on the negative things in the world (war, poverty, alienation) that they overlook the the beauty of humanity.