We gathered with village leaders, farmers, students, and members of the most disadvantaged populations. We held communal gatherings, needs assessment surveys, and leadership councils. We listened to their immediate needs while leading them through a dreaming process for the next 5-10 years. We listened. We asked follow-up questions. We listened some more.
We found common themes, such as:
-Increased food security issues -Unemployment challenges -A lack of opportunity to create a sustainable income
We also found that lacking a central home profoundly limited our program implementation effectiveness.
These represent a big change that speaks to a deepening sense of mission, identity, and common purpose. They will ensure that Into Your Hands’ legacy will be rooted in flourishing communities, just as we’ve always envisioned.
Since its founding in 2007, Into Your Hands has strived to create lasting change for those in rural Uganda, and we have succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.
So why change a good thing?
We didn’t expect to, but as we revisited our programs, two questions persisted:
-How does the future of Uganda look? -Are we meeting the needs of our communities to the best of our ability?
To continue to grow and serve the community’s needs, we would need to create a centralized location where people can gather to sell products, learn together, and practically apply lessons.
Such a place does not yet exist, and we have no physical location to accommodate the people we feel called to serve.
We returned to our communities to discuss our shared vision and recommit to serving communal needs. We also decided to shift our nonprofit permit in Uganda, allowing us to buy and own assets outright.
Through this transition, we had the opportunity to rethink our name and how it reflects our mission. We involved key stakeholders in Uganda and the U.S. to guide a reenvisioning of our identity, from our name to colors representing the Ugandan landscape to our logo.