From Edwards, Colorado to Kicuna, Uganda

Members of the Vail Christian High School alumni are planning a summer trip to Uganda from May 16th - 30th. We talked to Megan McGee Bonta, VCHS alumni chairperson, about their upcoming trip.

MA: Tell us about VCHS and the goal of your trip to Uganda. 

Megan Bonta: Vail Christian High School is a small, private high school in Edwards, Colorado. Two former VCHS teachers, Bob and Linda Isbell, currently serve as the directors of ChristAid Academy for kids orphaned by the AIDS epidemic in Kicuna, Uganda. We are going to work with the Isbells at this academy and in the larger Kicuna community.

MA: How did you cultivate this interest to go to Uganda among the VCHS alumni?

Megan Bonta: To build awareness and a spirit of serving among the students, each year the students take a mission trip to serve somewhere in the world. Our alumni have discovered that they want to maintain this spirit of service as they enter college and become young adults. VCHS is also a small school known for holistic individual attention and development, as is ChristAid Academy, so we strongly believe in the mission of this project.

MA: What kinds of activities will you engage in and how long your trip will be?

Megan Bonta: We will be in Uganda for three weeks. During this time, we will assist with construction on a soccer stadium that has begun in an effort to reduce crime throughout the region by providing further opportunities for the kids. We will also work and play with the children of ChristAid Academy, serve in an AIDS clinic, and build a playground at the school.

MA: The buzz word lately in most development circles is sustainability: sustainable development, ensuring sustainable outcomes etc. How are you going to make the activities of your trip sustainable?

Megan Bonta: ChristAid Academy is transitioning from the directorship of the Isbells to the directorship of a Ugandan director and staff, and the Academy has secured a variety of diverse funding sources. Our activities in Uganda will help this already-sustainable project by building long-lasting structures such as the soccer stadium and playground to assist the Academy in their work. In addition, personal attention to children will always have a long-lasting impact!

MA: Do you have any plans to return to Uganda after this trip?

Megan Bonta: I would always love to return to Uganda, but also hope that the activities of this trip will be sustainable in a way that does not need us to return!

The Vail Christian School Alumni will be in Uganda from May 16 - 30th.  To contribute towards their trip and mission, please make your cash donation payable to Vail Christian High School, with “Alumni Mission Trip” on the memo line. Send checks to:

Vail Christian High School
31621 Highway 6
Edwards, CO 81632

The group will also hold a rummage sale on Saturday May 9th at the Vail Christian High School in Edwards, Colorado. Megan McGee Bonta can be reached at meganmcgeebonta@msn.com.

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