We are proud to announce that this Saturday we will be partnering with Pan-African Association for their PAAWR to Empower 5k Walk/Run in Chicago! We’ve all been involved with PAA in various capacities for a number of years and we’re honored to be a part of this great event. Come by and visit our table and support PAA and the very important work that they do!
See you there!
Rationale is happy to announce that Vertigo Sky Lounge will be hosting Rationale’s one year anniversary fundraiser on Friday, March 22nd! Enjoy skyline views on an evening that will include complimentary Grey Goose and Bacardi Signature Cocktails from 5-7pm for just a $25 donation, with Rationale receiving 100% of the night’s proceeds to support our scholarship and food security programs in Gulu, Uganda.
There will also be a raffle throughout the evening with prizes including a Lululemon yoga mat and strap, Argo Tea tea 101 tasting parties for you and four friends, Exhale “Week of Transformation” spa package, box of 25 Macanudo imported Dominican cigars, Aveda private wellness & beauty party for five, and two tickets to Chicago Chocolate Tours’ walking and tasting tour.
Join us in celebrating our students’ success in their first year and looking forward to success in the next!
Please share the flyer below with your networks
Facebook Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/135563656622050/
We look forward to seeing you there!
The details:
When: Friday, March 22nd, 5-7pm
Where: Vertigo (2 W Erie St, Chicago, IL 60654 [right off the Chicago red line stop])
Why: To raise funds for Rationale’s scholarship and food security programs in northern Uganda and celebrate Rationale’s one year anniversary
Cost: $25 donation will get you a bracelet and complimentary Grey Goose and Barcardi Signature Cocktails from 5-7pm
Before beginning the new year with an expanded team in Chicago, we would like to take a moment to thank everyone who made our 2012 such a success.
A very special thank you goes to Sarah and Mamadou for making our largest fundraiser of the year at J-Bar Chicago a reality.
The gift baskets and raffle donations for that night would not have been possible without the work of Deborah and Tammy. Half of the night’s donations were generated as a direct result of their dedicated work and we cannot thank them enough.
Finally, we would like to thank all of the business that supported us in these past six months:
Gratia Pearls
www.gratiapearl.com
Tate’s Ice Cream
http://www.facebook.com/TatesIceCreamShop
Aveda
www.aveda.com
Lululemon
www.lululuemon.com
CorePower Yoga in Chicago’s South Loop
www.corepoweryoga.com
Hendrickx Belgian Bread Crafter
100 E. Walton Street Chicago, IL 60611
Exhale Spa Chicago
www.exhalespa.com
Chicago Chocolate Tours
www.chicagochocolatetours.com
Caribou Coffee
www.cariboucoffee.com
Conscious Cup Coffee
www.consciouscup.com
Argo Tea
www.argotea.com
Barnes and Noble
www.barnesandnoble.com
Thanks for standing with us in our first year – we look forward to the years ahead!
Happy New Year! Before we move into 2013 we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past year.
Thanks to our team in Uganda, our partners and volunteers here in the States, and everyone who has supported us in our inaugural year, 2012 was a year to remember for Rationale. What began as a partnership between two individuals in 2009 has blossomed into the organization we now call Rationale and we couldn’t be more proud of our early achievements.
This year we…
2012 has been a momentous year for Rationale and we cannot wait to see what 2013 has in store for us!
From all of us at Rationale: Thank you for making 2012 a success for our young organization.
Top Row, L-R: Francis, David (mentor) Bottom Row, L-R: Emily, Gloria, Scovia (prospective scholarship recipient)
We are happy to announce that we are expanding our team! We are seeking motivated, creative individuals who are committed to furthering Rationale’s mission.
(Some of our staff in Gulu)
Rationale works to improve access to education among vulnerable youth in northern Uganda by building community-driven scholarship programs. Our current partnership is with St. Jude Children’s Home in Gulu, Uganda. Together we have created a scholarship program that supports secondary and university students while simultaneously investing in their food security farm which provides agricultural skills-training for our scholarship recipients as well as essential, nutritious meals for younger children still living at the home.
Rationale is currently seeking: a communications & operations volunteer, a grant & research volunteer, working group members, and fundraising volunteers.
Below is an outline of each position:
Communications and Operations Volunteer
Responsibilities:
Maintain Rationale’s social media presence by combining knowledge of Rationale’s programs with developments in the field
Write and/or edit copy for a wide range of organizational documents and outreach
Communicate with donors
Qualifications:
Attention to nuance in the field of NGO and African affairs
Proficiency in Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and Vimeo
Rehearsed in international, preferably African, affairs
Interested in following Uganda related news
Experience in graphic design is an additional benefit
Grant and Research Volunteer
Responsibilities:
Research potential grant opportunities specific to Rationale’s programs
Present a summary of qualifications for those grant opportunities
Maintain a database of those opportunities
Conduct research on other non-profit organizations focusing on similar objectives in Chicago and northern Uganda
Prepare literature reviews on relevant international programs
Share the research findings with the organization
Maintain a database of relevant literature
Qualifications:
Strong research skills
Attention to nuance in the field of NGO and African affairs
Interest in reading field reports, organizational documents, and academic commentary to make recommendations
Working Group Members (1-2 meetings per month, ~2 hours per meeting)
*we are looking for working group members in Chicago, IL and St. Louis, MO! *
Responsibilities:
Group members will be responsible for meeting once or twice a month to brainstorm how to best promote Rationale, develop fundraisers, or discuss issues related to Rationale’s programs in Uganda. The discussions will be wide-ranging and critical in nature, resembling more of a discussion group than an organizational meeting. A primary goal of this group is to ensure that our work consistently remains in line with our name and our mission.
Qualifications:
Attention to nuance in the field of NGO and African affairs
Critical thinking skills
Experience or working knowledge of debates related to non-profit development, education, or food security programs within an international, preferably African, context
Fundraising Volunteers (time commitment varies)
Qualifications:
Committed to furthering Rationale’s mission
Self-Motivated
Committed
Examples of How You May Choose to Get Involved:
Serve as a liaison between Rationale and high schools or universities
Build partnerships with local businesses
Utilize your existing networks to support Rationale’s programs
We value critical dialogue and an inclusive working environment. All of our staff are 100% volunteer. Individuals interested in the above positions need to be highly motivated with the ability to communicate with other members through email or phone on a consistent basis and work successfully without a central office.
If you are interested in any of these positions we would love to hear from you! Please email us at rationale@projectrationale.org, using the position’s title in the subject line. Please include a brief description of why you are interested in the position as well as a bit about your background (a CV/resume can also suffice).
We look forward to hearing from you soon!
A sincere thank you to everyone who attended and/or donated raffle items for our November fundraiser at J-Bar Chicago! It truly went above and beyond all of our expectations: because of your efforts, we raised enough money to see all of our students through their studies all the way until the end of 2013! As a reserve grows, we look forward to enrolling additional students into Rationale’s scholarship program and continuing to support St. Jude’s community projects.
A special thanks to Mamadou (J-Bar) and Sarah (Grey Goose) - without the two of you this event would never have been possible. Thank you for all that you have done. Your passion for education in Uganda is going a long way.
For the full set of event photos, please visit our Facebook page, the album is called “J-Bar Benefit Event”
A few weeks ago I had the benefit of Skyping with Gloria, one of our scholarship beneficiaries, about our event happening tomorrow night at J-Bar. She was excited about the prospect of a full-scale fundraiser in Chicago and decided she wanted to send you all a message. This video is the result:
Gloria - Plan for Study and THANK YOU from Rationale on Vimeo.
First, Gloria says thank you. Thank you for taking time out of your day to support educational opportunities in northern Uganda, thank you for coming out to our event tomorrow, and thank you for standing behind Rationale.
Second, Gloria wanted to update everyone on her academic program. Gloria’s dream was to pursue either nursing or agriculture, with a preference on the latter. In August, Gloria was notified of her acceptance to Gulu University, her preferred university for agriculture. Her entrance, however, was for Information Technology. In Uganda, you may enter the institution of your choice (after acceptance) and later switch into the program in which you are apt to succeed. This is not very different than the way you can switch majors in US institutions of higher learning.
Unfortunately, after accepting her position at Gulu University in IT, she was unable to switch into agriculture. Gloria had three choices: continue with IT (a program that her heart wasn’t in), wait until next year to begin agriculture at another university, or transfer to Soroti to begin nursing immediately. After many days discussing the decision with her family, St. Jude administrators, and her mentor provided by Rationale, she decided that her priority must be to begin her studies as soon as possible. As such, we are happy to announce that Gloria will begin a program in Nursing in Soroti in just one week!
We couldn’t be more excited for what Gloria’s future will hold in her new field of study. Stay tuned for more updates!
We look forward to seeing you at J-Bar’s event tomorrow evening!
The details:
When: TOMORROW, Thursday, November 8th, 6-9pm
Where: J-Bar (610 North Rush Street, Chicago, IL 60611 [right off the Grand red line stop])
Why: To raise funds for Rationale’s scholarship and food security programs in northern Uganda
Cost: $20 donation will get you a bracelet and complimentary Grey Goose Signature Cocktails from 6-9pm
There will also be a raffle throughout the evening consisting of Ugandan and Chicago items.
100% of proceeds go to Rationale – please come out and support our programs!
Rationale is happy to announce that J-Bar will be hosting a benefit for Rationale on Thursday, November 8th! The evening will include complimentary Grey Goose Signature Cocktails from 6-9pm for just a $20 donation. There will also be a raffle throughout the evening with prizes including gift baskets filled with Ugandan and Chicago items.
Rationale will receive 100% of the night’s proceeds which will go to benefit our scholarship and food security programs in Gulu, Uganda.
Meet the students who benefit from our programs:
http://projectrationale.tumblr.com/whobenefits
Please share the flyer below with your networks
We look forward to seeing you there!
The Details:
When: Thursday, November 8th, 6-9pm
Where: J-Bar (610 North Rush Street, Chicago, IL 60611 [right off the Grand red line stop])
Why: To raise funds for Rationale’s scholarship and food security programs in northern Uganda
Cost: $20 donation will get you a bracelet and complimentary Grey Goose Signature Cocktails from 6-9pm
Gift baskets and raffle ticket prices to be announced shortly!
At the car wash, we also pulled the winners for the raffle. Our first place winner was Sarah Sebastian, who won the brand-new Keurig and coffee pods. Our second place winner was Michael Cushion, who won two Cubs tickets to the game on August 13. We thank both winners for supporting Rationale!
As the summer winds down, we will begin hosting more fundraisers so please stay tuned to see what comes next!
Meet Emily.
“For me, my goal is to provide medical services to others” Emily remarks, with her eyes scanning the hospital grounds that surround her. Emily studies midwifery and is currently finishing her first year at Lacor Hospital Nursing School. She has thought about transferring into a nursing program, as the midwifery program at Lacor is quite young, but one thing is certain: Emily wants to improve the health of those around her. “For me, all along I was depending on others, after five years from now I should be helping others, especially at St. Jude. They did so much for me. I should help them, find a way to help them in return.”
Emily has been studying to practice medicine for some time. Like Gloria, Emily attended St. Mary’s Aboke for secondary school where she spent her A level (last two years of secondary school) specializing in biology and chemistry. She especially enjoyed chemistry from S2-S6 and often rose to the top of the class. Her favorite was organic chemistry. She also enjoyed biology “because [it] concerned our bodies… [it is] real, on the ground” in a way that she feels other subjects are not. The immediacy of biology fueled her passion for the subject, and her presence at Lacor stands testament to this.
Emily has a long history with St. Jude since she joined when she was only in nursery school. Spending most of her earliest years at St. Jude, she identifies heavily with the Home as the source of her success. As part of St. Jude’s resettlement program - where St. Jude attempts, when possible, to reunite children staying at the Home with their extended family - Emily returned to her grandfather’s care when she was in P5, around 2003. Many children entered St. Jude as a result of their families being separated during the war. By 2003, her grandfather was able to take care of her again. Reunification, however, does not mean that the connection to St. Jude also disappears. St. Jude, through an international donor, continued to pay for her secondary fees at St. Mary’s Aboke. The project, however, only supported students during their tenure at secondary school and not any further. This is where Rationale stepped in.
(“Let us learn to transform our society” - Sign at St. Mary’s Aboke)
Emily hopes to work in a hospital after she completes her studies. Studying at Lacor provides her with the opportunity to develop medical skills through hands-on training. Students keep a record of the work that they do in the ward, counting for up to 30% of their total grade. They may take the histories of patients, prep the patient for the nurse or doctor, or provide other forms of support for the hospital. They also have a demonstration room where exercises place students right in the middle of medical practice.
When asked about her plans for a family she offers a small laugh. “I will not be ready for a family in five years… I think maybe in ten years I will be married with a family, still working in a hospital.” She adds, “I should also be able to respond to you. There is no way I can forget about the sacrifice you in America did for me to support my studies. If there is anything I can do for you, I would want to be settled and able to help you by this time.”
Emily is not just a prolific student; she also likes to have fun. She was the leader of the Acholi traditional dance group at St. Mary’s Aboke and was recognized as one of the very best dancers at the school. She also enjoys drumming and often goes to the homes in her village to teach traditional drumming to the community. Her favorite style of music is contemporary hip-hop and she names Brandy, Rhianna, Ne-Yo, and Eminem - especially “I’m not Afraid” - as some of her favorites.
Emily is very social and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. She says she looks forward to being a part of Rationale’s scholarship program because many other programs “just collect names” without building “that better relationship” that she has always hoped for. “It is important that those in the US get to know me,” she insists, increasingly resolute in her words. She is surprised when I tell her about our car wash fundraiser happening next weekend. “You mean the Americans, you, will be the ones washing the cars?” After I assure her that this is the case, she smiles. “That sacrifice is so good.”
We’re incredibly happy to have Emily be a part of the project, and look forward to her future as a medical professional!
Rationale is a non-profit organization working in Uganda to improve access to education for vulnerable youth by building community-driven scholarship programs.
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