Matale Sponsor-A-Student Fund

Katie Reed 
Beaverton, OR 
Issue: HIV/AIDS orphans
Age: 17

You never know what will provide the spark. For Katie Reed, it was hearing the story of Thomas Lwebuga. Born in Matale, a small village in Uganda, Thomas was always one of the brightest students. Only one of his classmates outshined him—a girl. But when primary school ended it was Thomas, not the girl, who had the chance to continue his education, setting him on a path that would carry him to university and eventually to the U.S., where he would meet Katie Reed.

Thomas's story inspired Katie to build a partnership between her high school in Beaverton, Oregon and St. Andrew's School in Matale, Uganda, where Thomas had been a student. Through the Matale Sponser-a-Student Fund, Katie led her classmates in raising funds to support the schooling of Ugandan girls and AIDS orphans, who face great obstacles in pursuing an education. Katie made 157 t-shirts to represent the number of students at St. Andrew's who had lost both parents to AIDS, and set out to raise the funds they would need to stay in school.

Katie's hard work made it easy for people in her community to connect with students in Matale. She created educational packets, led monthly talks to raise awareness and worked with teachers to incorporate lessons about Uganda in their curriculum. Freshman from the Katie's school exchanged letters with students in Matale, and students and faculty held a 24-hour fast to raise money for the town's first library, which they filled with books they had collected.

In her senior year of high school, Katie is taking steps to ensure that the partnership between Beaverton and Matale will flourish long after she heads off to college. She has formed a committee of community members, students, teachers and administrators which will oversee the program for years to come.

"At the beginning of this project, I thought I would be the one providing the direction," said Thomas Lwebuga. "But now I feel like Katie is leading me."

Where are they Now?

Katie Reed talks about her ongoing work with AIDS orphans, getting ready for college, and the people who inspire her. Read about her experiences >>