SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday, October 4th at The Warehouse, 915 Howard Ave. Burlingame, CA 94010

Community Program Fundraiser for Rural Western Uganda Featuring Fine Artwork and Crafts by Ugandan Artists  

Advance tickets available HERE on Eventbrite! Tickets will also be avaible at the door.

Enjoy Ugandan and East African music, entertainment, and light refreshments. We will be selling fine East African artwork, including farmed acrylic paintings, painted wood panels, beautiful prints, and regional handcrafts. 

Close to many nice restaurants in downtown Burlingame nearby! Plenty of street parking near the venue, as well as a parking garage less than 2 blocks away!

Click for their website and events calendar

Click for our event

Brought to you by the nonprofit OTYO! (A Sigh of Relief), for raising money for a community center and sponsorship of youth programs in Rukungiri District, Uganda.

Join us Saturday, October 4th at The Warehouse, 915 Howard Ave. Burlingame, CA 94010

We want to share with you the meaningful success of one of the youth we have supported. Agaba is a local community youth in Rukunigiri District, UG, who was a KTG (Kebisoni Tumanyane Group) sports team captain in the soccer league we sponsor. KTG is a local CBO to which we provide sponsorships for youth and community programs. Agaba was recently supported with help for his tuition to continue an Engineering Program at Nyabyeya Forestry College in Masindi, UG. He graduated from the engineering program, and entered a professional internship with a major business. Agaba is now starting his own business! He is also committing to providing skills training to the youth we support in our target population through KTG, and our Community Center.

In his own words:

“I am writing to express my deep gratitude and appreciation for the financial support I received from the OTYO organization, which enabled me to complete my final semester of a Diploma in Biomass Energy and Technology at Nyabyeya Forestry College, Masindi. It has truly been by God’s grace that I have successfully completed the course.

With the skills and knowledge I have acquired, I am now ready to embark on the next phase of my journey – starting a small-scale business that focuses on Bioenergy Clean Cooking Technologies. This initiative is driven by my passion to mitigate climate change and create sustainable livelihoods for youth and the community at large.

The business will focus on:
– Construction of energy-efficient cook stoves for households and institutions
– Biogas systems for homes and schools
– Smart home charcoal stoves
– Solar-aided eco-stoves
– Incinerator construction
– Briquettes production from agricultural waste
– Ovens and barbecue construction for both domestic and small commercial use

Through this initiative, my mission is to:
– Mitigate climate change through clean and sustainable energy solutions
– Create jobs for youth by offering training and employment in stove, oven, and briquette production
– Provide hands-on training to community members to enhance skills and self-reliance
– Promote efficient energy use and reduce reliance on unsustainable fuels  

Recent Highlights

(Click on Images to Navigate to a YouTube Channel Video)

• Our work has recently been recognized by the Vanguard Charitable Foundation with a generous Grant from the Madrigal Fund.
• Otyo has recently acquired a small plot of land for which to build our community center. We are currently raising money through our GoFundMe and other avenues to finish.
• .
• Otyo’s affiliation with local CBO’s in rural western Uganda progresses, with continued sponsorship of the Kebisoni Tumanyane Group (KTG) youth and community programs. 
• Milka is a local community youth who was previously supported by Otyo with contribution to her A-Level tuition at Trinity College in Nabbingo, UG, where she excelled and qualified into a nursing school. Otyo has now contributed to the funds needed to continue that higher level education.
• Agaba is a local community youth who was a KTG sports team captain, and who was recently supported with help for his tuition to continue an Engineering Program at Nyabyeya Forestry College in Masindi, UG. He has now graduated from the engineering program, and has entered a professional internship with a major organization!           

• The Arise Traditional Dance and Drama Group, which is one of the KTG youth programs sponsored by Otyo, has progressed to being an income generating business. They are being booked for upscale corporate and community events!
• Earlier this year, OTYO! updated the equipment for the KTG JV Kataka Soccer Team, which included gloves, training cones, soccer balls, shin guards, a medical kit, and medical supplies.  

Happenings of Note

• The recent OTYO! visit to Rukungiri District, Uganda in December 2024 and January 2025 included attendance at the Kebisoni Tumanyane Group “Boxing Day Celebration and Exhibition Soccer Game,” attendance at Arise Dance and Drama Group performances, and a viewing visit of the land plot we’ve acquired for the community center. 
• Organization members brought back items for our art and handicraft collections following the recent visit to Rukungiri District, Uganda.

New GoFundMe for OTYO!

Want to join OTYO! (A Sigh of Relief) in making a difference in the village of Kebisoni? We are raising funds to purchase land to build a community center in the village of Kebisoni in rural Uganda. Check our GoFundMe Link.

OTYO! (A Sigh of Relief) started as a passion project more than 18 years ago by two women public health graduate students. Since its inception, the members of OTYO! have worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life and health of women, adolescents, and orphans in rural Uganda, by providing financial and technical support to community-based organizations (CBOs) working with these populations. The CBOs supported by OTYO! will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service provision in areas of Food Security, Health Care Access, Health Education, and Community Empowerment.

Recently we received an opportunity to purchase a piece of land in the village of Kebisoni South which would be perfect for the location of OTYO’s Community Centre. Once we have obtained the land, the construction of the Community Centre will begin.

The community center will be named after President Jolly Bugari’s late parents Faith and Canon Eric Bugaari. Canon Bugaari and his wife Faith were both prominent community leaders. Canon Bugaari was first and foremost an educator who taught at the Kakinga Primary School in Kebisoni for many years and was also Canonized in the church. Faith was a leader of the Mother’s Union for the Kebisoni Chapter. Naming the Centre after Faith and Canon Bugaari would reflect and honor their roles as community leaders and educators, and is a gesture of recognition and appreciation to their community service. Because we believe in contributing to the local economy, the construction of the Centre will be done by local community members and will be managed by OTYO! members based in Kebisoni locally. 

The Centre will be designed to include space for a local OTYO! office, a small library for the community, as well as meeting rooms for skill training and youth programs led by community-based organizations.

Before we can move ahead with the construction of our Centre we need to raise the funds to purchase the land for the site. OTYO! has been offered a parcel of land located in the south Kebisoni. We will need to raise a minimum of $15,000.00 to purchase this land.

We hope you can join us in making the Community Centre a reality for the village of Kebisoni by donating what you can. We will update our fundraiser page periodically as we progress toward our financial goal.