Next Stop: Uganda

Do you remember when we told you we were headed to the Bududa District of Uganda to build with FIMRC this summer?  It feels like ages ago, and so much has happened since that time. We have designs, we have 30/30 Project funding, we have Project Managers, and they have plane tickets to Kampala!We are incredibly proud to introduce you to our next Change Fellows, Kassandra Scheve and Colton Cox.  We have no doubt that they, along with the FIMRC team on the ground in Uganda, are going to build an incredible, comprehensive healthcare facility, creating access for nearly 15,000 deserving individuals.Welcome to the CfC family, Kassandra and Colton!

Meet Our Change Fellows:

MEET KASSANDRA

"I am very excited to be one of the change fellows traveling to Uganda for the 30/30 Project.  I've always wanted to travel, but never dreamed it would be with such a wonderful group or for such an amazing project. 

After graduating in 2012 from Columbia University with a BS in civil engineering and construction management and a BA from Whitman College in applied mathematics I worked in a variety of GIS, training and engineering positions.  I enjoyed learning about different roles in the engineering field, however I was very eager to find a position where I would be able to apply my knowledge of construction.  Then, last January as my internship with the City of Kent was coming to a close, a friend recommended I look into CfC and I am so glad she did!

I am honored to be working with both CfC and FIMRC during the construction process, but am even more excited to be get to know the community we will be working with and seeing first hand the benefit the clinic will have on the area.  I've secretly harbored a desire to volunteer abroad for years, but wasn't sure how to go about it.  CfC has presented me the opportunity to give back in a rewarding way that utilizes my specific, if chaotic, skill set.  

My only regret to living in Uganda for six months is that I won't be able to take my 2 puppies with me and that the responsibility of spoiling them will fall to my family while I am away."

MEET COLTON"I will be one of two project managers for the FIMRC Health Clinic in Eastern Uganda. My interests in construction began as a youngster assisting my family in the building of our small farm in Duvall. From there I found myself undertaking complex tasks with several local General Contractors. Now, as a recent graduate from the University of Washington Construction Management Program, I’m proudly undertaking a challenging project in a complex new world.While I know this project may not fix the current issues of eastern Africa, I am fully confident the impacts to the local community will be realized every day of my stay, and for many years to come. I’m most excited to taste diverse foods, try out for the local soccer team, and embrace a new way of wholesome living in one of the world’s most colorful and striking settings.Now, as I depart on a journey of personal growth and self-exploration as a CfC Change Fellow, I will hold true that ordinary people can do extraordinary things for the lives of others.Outside of my profession, I am an avid scuba diver, backpacker, and snowboarder with interests in permaculture and tasty cooking."We look forward to bringing you updates from the Bududa District of Uganda in the months to come.