Dani Walker
International HALO Ambassador to Uganda
Dani Walker became HALO’s Ambassador to Uganda in July 2010. She has committed to serving 2 years in Kampala, Uganda in order to continue HALO’s mission. While in Uganda, Dani will oversee all HALO-supported homes in the area, visit each home regularly, and monitor the budgets and programs for each home. Dani will continue implementing HALO’s mission in art therapy and ensure that all HALO-supported children are given their basic needs as well as the opportunity to go to school and receive vocational training. Dani will be writing a column in her hometown newspaper, The Star, and we will post these here as they are published.
Click here to read Dani’s blog.
Contact: daniwalker@haloworldwide.org
Donate to Dani’s Mission
To donate to Dani Walker’s mission, click here and enter “Dani Walker” in the box labeled “in tribute to,” or mail a check to the HALO Headquarters and write “Dani Walker” in the memo
In Dani’s Words
I am volunteering for The HALO Foundation, a nonprofit which is based out of Kansas City, MO and supports orphans from all over the world by providing them food, shelter, clothing, water, education, and art therapy (HALO stands for Helping Art Liberate Orphans). In order to keep administrative costs low and make the most difference with the money we receive, HALO partners with well-established organizations that have been operating in-country. In Uganda, HALO partners with an organization called Cornerstone, which is an organization whose people and programs I have come to love and admire. They are certainly unique in the way they approach development because they firmly believe in the power of relationships and leadership. By investing deeply in each child, they serve to make a difference on a small scale, which will produce leaders who will invest in their communities and country and make a difference in the big picture.
One of Cornerstone’s main programs is their Youth Corps homes, homes for disadvantaged children who have many different stories. Some have lived on the street for years, some are orphaned, some have been sexually exploited, and some have been abused. Some have experienced all of these circumstances. Each of these homes has 2 or 3 Ugandan mentors who get to know the children deeply and intimately. They serve as stand-in mothers or fathers, as role models, as teachers, and as spiritual mentors who aim to take the children’s desperate pasts and turn them into promising futures. Cornerstone has not had the capacity to adequately financially support many of their Youth Corps homes, so HALO has stepped in to provide the essentials for the kids. I have heard that before HALO stepped in, the girls in the Mengo home were only eating one meal a day. They are now well provided for. HALO currently supports 5 Youth Corps homes, and we are hoping to expand our reach as time goes on.
I am HALO’s only American ambassador on the ground. It will be my responsibility to visit each of our homes frequently and communicate with the mentors to find out what issues may arise in the home. If a child needs health care, I must communicate with the head office and figure out how to make it happen. If another child enters into one of the homes, I must do a profile on him or her. Much of what I will be doing is essential administrative tasks such as working out monthly budgets, writing home updates, and taking pictures and videos for those who support the children. However, once I am more familiar with how things run and with each of the homes, I will be able to build programs for each home in order to give the children a means of self-expression and a source of self-worth. We will do art projects, sports programs, crafts, and gardening – whatever is suitable and desired by each individual home. I must be able to make some tough decisions from time to time and be able to learn how to communicate and thrive in the culture these children come from.
I know that it won’t always be easy, but it is my hope that by serving for a mere 2 years, I can contribute in some small way to the positive development of 100 kids, who will in turn contribute to the positive development of their nation and world. This is certainly something that I believe in. Thank you to all of you who have believed as well.
