Learning with hope
Children across Buyende District are back in the classroom with books, uniforms, and the support they need to pursue an education that once felt out of reach.
Hope in Action
Transforming Lives in Rural Uganda
Empowering orphans and vulnerable children with education, dignity, and a future worth dreaming of.
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About BCEF
Rooted in Immeri Village. Reaching across Eastern Uganda.
Byonabyangu Community Empowerment Foundation (BCEF) is a registered non-profit community-based organization founded in 2016 in Immeri Village, Nkondo Sub-County, Buyende District, Uganda, established with the generous support of Mama Mary Ober of Concord, New Hampshire.
We walk alongside the most vulnerable members of society: orphans, street children, single mothers, widows, and marginalized communities, providing long-term, sustainable solutions to poverty through education, agriculture, health, clean water, and socio-economic empowerment.
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Powerful mission
Education
School fees, supplies and scholarships for orphans and vulnerable children.
Clean Water & Sanitation
Boreholes and rainwater harvesting tanks for safe drinking water.
Healthcare & Nutrition
Malaria prevention (mosquito nets, etc.), immunization, HIV support and balanced meals.
Women & Youth Empowerment
Skills training, seeds and tools for income generating groups.
Child Protection & Care
Safe shelter, counseling and rescue of children at risk.
Our Mission
To transform the lives of the unreached.
We empower helpless individuals, orphans, vulnerable children, and marginalized communities by providing capacity building, quality education, healthcare, clean water, and economic opportunities.
Our Vision
A poverty-free Uganda.
Where every child has access to education, healthcare, and a bright future, and every community has the tools to lift itself with dignity.
Core Values
Integrity
Compassion
Excellence
Community Unity
Empowerment
Inclusiveness
Sustainability
Meet Our Director
The Heart Behind BCEF
Byonabyangu Bright
Founder & Director
Immeri Village, Buyende
"Poverty stole my childhood, but it also planted the seed for a calling. Every child we lift up today is a future I once prayed someone would give me."
Byonabyangu Bright (BCEF) is the founder of the Byonabyangu Community Empowerment Foundation, a nonprofit organization in the Eastern and Central districts of Uganda. Originally registered as the Byonabyangu Child Care Foundation in 2017, the expanded goals of his foundation now encompass not only education and a holistic approach to child safety and wellbeing, but also supporting women's equity and helping impoverished families reach self-sufficiency through raising seed money to establish small businesses.
Byonabyangu was separated from his family at the age of four when civil war came to his village. He was rescued, kept safe and educated by a priest. At the age of 15, he found his family and rejoined them in the central Ugandan village of Immeri, working as a herdsman to earn the money to complete high school. When Mary Ober and Byonabyangu were introduced in 2016, he was 24, and already reaching out to empower those around him. In 2025, Byonabyangu completed his Bachelor's degree at Kampala University, graduating first in his class for Social Work and Social Administration. He served as the coordinator for the University's School of Arts & Sciences in his region, mobilizing students for their remote lectures, while serving a ministerial role for gender, social and special needs. With unwavering support from Mama Mary Ober of Concord, New Hampshire, he founded BCEF in 2016 to turn that lived experience into lasting change.
A passionate community organizer, mentor, and advocate for child rights, Byonabyangu Bright has spent nearly a decade walking door to door across Buyende District, listening to widows, encouraging students, and rallying international friends around a single belief: that no child should be defined by where they were born.
10+
Years of service
5
Villages reached
100+
Lives changed
What We Do
Our Impact Programs
Eight integrated programs tackling poverty from every angle, from a glass of clean water to a sponsored education.
Most needed
Child Sponsorship Program
Provide education, nutrition, medical care, clothing and beddings. Build a personal connection through letters and photos.
Primary $30/mo • High School $50/mo
Clean Water Project
Drilling boreholes and installing rainwater harvesting tanks. Goal: clean water within 1km of every village.
Borehole $8,101 • Dug Well $6,308
Girls Menstrual Health
Reusable sanitary pads and education to reduce school absenteeism for adolescent girls.
Supported by Shantay Bullock (UK)
Women Empowerment
Income generating activities, seeds and tools for women groups (GEKUDA & TWDA).
5 women groups supported
Elderly Care
Food, blankets and shelter for the elderly, including a house built for 90-year-old Namu.
Dignity in old age
Health Initiatives
Malaria prevention (mosquito nets, etc.), immunization drives, and ongoing HIV support for the community.
Nets $15 • Immunization $20
Skills Training
Tailoring and hairdressing programs for girls and young women to build self-reliance.
Practical livelihoods
Safe School Transport
Planning a second-hand van to protect children from the risks of long, dangerous commutes.
Goal: $6,000
Impact & Stories
Making Real Impact
Numbers we are proud of, and the human stories behind every one of them.
20+
Children Awaiting Sponsors
4
Rainwater Tanks Installed
5
Women Groups Supported
3
Girls Now Safely Transported
Gifts that bring joy
Generous supporters send clothing, bedding, and essentials that lift spirits and remind every child that someone, somewhere, believes in their future.
Clean water at home
Rainwater tanks installed for rural families mean safe drinking water steps from the door, fewer waterborne illnesses, and more time for school and work.
Our Story in Pictures
Faces of Hope
A glimpse into the lives, smiles, and small miracles your support makes possible.
Get Involved
Be The Change | How You Can Help
Every contribution, large or small, becomes clean water, a uniform, a school desk, or a safer tomorrow.
Most prominentChoose a Child to Sponsor
Sponsor a Child
Make a monthly or annual commitment and receive photos, letters and updates from the child you support. Change one life, transform a generation.
- Education & school supplies
- Nutrition & medical care
- Personal letters & photos
Primary Education Sponsorship
$30.00/monthly
High School Sponsorship
$50.00/monthly
Every gift counts
Make a Donation
One-time or recurring gifts go directly to programs serving children and families in Buyende District.
Clean water & sanitation
Education & school supplies
Healthcare & malaria prevention
Women & youth empowerment
$15Mosquito net for a family
$20Child immunization
$100Garden tools & seeds
Via Revy Foundation, US 501(c)(3) partner
Donate Now Option 3
Fund a Specific Project
Choose the cause closest to your heart; your gift is tied to a tangible outcome you can see and celebrate.
Borehole
$8,101
School Van
$6,000
Dug Well
$6,308
Mosquito Net
$15
Immunization
$20
School Fees & Supplies
Varies
Garden Tools & Seeds
$100.00
Partners & Testimonials
In partnership with Revy Foundation
We are profoundly grateful to friends from around the world who walk this journey with us.
Stories of Hope
Lives transformed across Buyende
Real moments from the field, made possible by supporters like you.
Graduation day joy
Children who once had no path forward are now crossing the stage with pride, diplomas in hand and futures wide open.
Back in the classroom
School fees, uniforms, and supplies mean every child in our program can learn without the weight of poverty holding them back.
Dignity through sanitation
New latrines built in rural villages protect families from disease and restore dignity, especially for women and girls.
Gifts that change lives
Generous supporters send clothing, bedding, and essentials that turn a difficult season into one filled with hope.
Every girl belongs in school
Reusable sanitary pads and mentorship keep adolescent girls in class every day of the month, not just some.
Smiles worth everything
When a child feels seen, fed, and cared for, the whole community feels the ripple of that joy.
Communities rising together
From village meetings to shared harvests, BCEF walks alongside families as they build lasting change from within.
Graduation day joy
Children who once had no path forward are now crossing the stage with pride, diplomas in hand and futures wide open.
Back in the classroom
School fees, uniforms, and supplies mean every child in our program can learn without the weight of poverty holding them back.
Dignity through sanitation
New latrines built in rural villages protect families from disease and restore dignity, especially for women and girls.
Gifts that change lives
Generous supporters send clothing, bedding, and essentials that turn a difficult season into one filled with hope.
Every girl belongs in school
Reusable sanitary pads and mentorship keep adolescent girls in class every day of the month, not just some.
Smiles worth everything
When a child feels seen, fed, and cared for, the whole community feels the ripple of that joy.
Communities rising together
From village meetings to shared harvests, BCEF walks alongside families as they build lasting change from within.