City leader opens home to support education abroad

This holiday season, South Salt Lake City Councilmember Irvin Jones and his wife Leslie are getting into the “spirit of giving” by hosting a special open house to benefit children in Uganda.

In December, Jones and his wife will hold the open house at their home to support nonprofit organization Teach the Children. All proceeds will go to aid educational programs for Ugandan school children.

Jones, a board member of Teach the Children, said the organization is providing books and building libraries to help increase the overall literacy rate, which is currently 68 percent.

“Everyone [in Uganda] can go to school, but it’s not funded,” Jones said.

 Jones traveled to Uganda this year to visit schools that have already received books and supplies from Teach the Children.

From Oct. 31 to Nov. 13, Jones visited schools--such as Liahona High School in the Mukono District--to meet the students and help build bookshelves to store more than 1,000 books sent at the end of July.

He said conditions in the country made him grateful for conveniences that residents of the United States enjoy every day, such as clean drinking water, hot showers, reliable electricity and the availability of a variety of food.

He also said the Ugandan children--about 250 at Liahona High School--were excited receive the books and the educational opportunities that could make traveling to the United States a possibility.

Jones and his wife got involved with Teach the Children years ago when they met organization founder Dickson Sekunda, a Uganda native, and his wife Heather.

Since immigrating to the United States, Sekunda has completed graduate studies. He founded Teach the Children to provide children from his hometown with better educational opportunities.

“It is only through fundraising and the kindness and generosity of others that this is possible,” Sekunda said. “Teach the Children couldn’t do this on its own.”

The holiday fundraiser at Jones home will include a presentation on work done by Teach the Children, additional information for participants to take home and refreshments.

Jones said donations of cash and books appropriate for school-age children would be welcome.

For more information on the holiday fundraiser or the nonprofit organization, visit the website at teachthechildrenuganda.org.