Live at the Library with Twesigye Jackson Kaguri, Author of "The Price of Stones"

Start: 08/23/2010 6:00 pm

End: 08/23/2010 8:00 pm

Join us for another FREE author event at Avon Public Library. Twesigye Jackson Kaguri with speak with us about his inspiring story of perseverance and determination to make a positive difference in the world.

In Uganda, where HIV / AIDS has affected almost a third of the adult population, almost two million children have been orphaned by the epidemic—including the nieces and nephews of Twesigye Jackson Kaguri.

The Price of Stones: Building a School for My Village by Twesigye Jackson Kaguri with Susan Urbanek Linville, is the story of the building of an extraordinary school for these orphans and the astonishing effort by one man to raise an entire community out of poverty and hopelessness. Weaving together stories that illuminate key life-changing moments in Jackson’s youth with the remarkable account of the challenges he faces as he overcomes countless complications in building the school, THE PRICE OF STONES is an unforgettable page-turner that demonstrates that one person with a dream can change lives and make the world a better place.

In 2001, Jackson—having left for the United States to continue his education—returns to visit his family in Uganda with his wife. Having lost two siblings to AIDS, Jackson is particularly moved by the plight of the thousands of children in his district, orphaned by the disease and shunned by superstitious villagers fearful of “contamination.” He and his wife Beronda vow to open the first tuition-free school for these orphans, despite the opposition of a domineering father, the difficulty of procuring supplies in rural Uganda and the corruption of local officials. With the help of a multitude of supporters in America, Canada and Uganda and the sustenance of their religious conviction, Jackson and Beronda doggedly build a school, one room at a time.

Today, Nyaka School, www.nyakaschool.org, provides education, meals, healthcare, and often homes to 407 students. Jackson, with an amazing vision, a shoestring budget, and unbelievable persistence in fundraising, has created programs for clean, gravity-fed water systems for the school and the town; a Grannies program to help the grandmothers who are often left to raise their grandchildren; a vocational training program; a farm to feed the schoolchildren and their sponsor families; and a second school, Kutamba, in a nearby district. Jackson has also raised money to sponsor all students who graduate from Nyaka School as they continue their education at costly secondary schools in Uganda.