Background

In 1971, a skinny teenage boy from rural Uganda won the chance of a lifetime. Lawrence (Lance) Omeje was selected by American Field Service (AFS) to be an exchange student to the United States at Placer High School in Auburn, California. Little could he know how this opportunity—to live with an American family and study for a year—would change the course of his life and later the destiny of his tiny Ugandan village. Arriving with little more than the clothes on his back, Lance made the most of his American experience. Then he returned to his little village.

By the time of Lance’s return, there was much political unrest in Uganda, which led to a decision to go back to the United States in 1974.

For almost 20 years, Lance was unable to safely return to Uganda. But Lance used those years to great advantage, attending Sierra College on scholarship, and later California Polytechnic State University, and finally earning a Master’s degree in agronomy and a teaching credential from Cal State University, Fresno.

Embarking on what became a 25-year distinguished teaching career at Fresno Unified School District, Lance was known for introducing his elementary students to agriculture, including creating edible gardens at school. In 2006, he was honored as Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year for the entire state of California.

Experience had led villagers to assume that Lance would never return to them. But Lance never forgot them. Nearly 20 years after his hasty departure, Lance was finally able to make his first return to his village in the early 1990’s. While happy to be reunited with his community and extended family, he was dismayed to see that little had changed. Poverty, a lack of energy infrastructure, and deplorable learning conditions persisted. There still was no classroom building, and school was conducted as weather permitted under a mango tree with no desks, lavatories, or protection from inclement weather. Noting the absence of books, Lance returned, bringing thousands of books to start a library for children; but he soon realized that books were not enough. Children need a school that would allow them to attend class year round, regardless of rain, high winds, insects, and extreme heat. And so the dream began.

As a gifted teacher, Lance recognized that, just like the U.S., education in Uganda is the key to improving quality of lives. In the village, where most people survive on subsistence farming, one key is to learn effective agricultural methods. For girls, a good structured early education can lead them on the path to independence through vocational training and pursuit of higher education, giving them the platform to find their own voice and strive for betterment.

With his newly established Abiya School Project, Lance’s Ugandan community and surrounding villages are seeing the reality of a bona fide school to serve their children. Please refer to our FAQ page for how you can help make Lance’s dream come true.