The Uplift Project

Carla Smith is a resilient entrepreneur from Wakapau, who dreams of rebuilding her once-thriving chicken business. Carla initially started her poultry venture to support her children's education and her family's daily needs. However, life's challenges, including her husband's illness and financial pressures, forced her to pause this promising venture. Now, Carla seeks support through the Uplift Project's grant to restart her business. With the requested funds, Carla plans to purchase chickens—both broilers for meat and layers for eggs—alongside essential feed and supplies. She aims to raise around 60 chickens initially, focusing heavily on egg production to meet local demand. Wakapau villagers currently travel significant distances, spending thousands to obtain poultry products. Carla's business would provide a convenient, affordable alternative, improving her family's livelihood and benefiting the local community. "This business helps me feed my children and support my family," Carla passionately explains. Community members recognize Carla for her dedication and excellent poultry farming skills. With your support, Carla's vision to restart her poultry business can become a reality, creating sustainable economic opportunities and positively impacting her community. Join us in empowering Carla and her family by contributing to her journey toward economic independence.

In the indigenous community of Wakapoa, Guyana, people rely entirely on rainwater for drinking. During the rainy season, they collect water off their roofs with gutters and funnel it into large, 500-gallon tanks that sit on concrete pads. These have always been essential for collecting and storing clean drinking water. However, over the last decade, as the climate changes more rapidly, the seasons in Wakapoa have become less and less predictable. The rainy season brings more rain, while the dry season grows longer and drier than before. Now, many people run out of water toward the end of the dry season and don't know when their tanks will be refilled. Our goal is to install eight 500-gallon water tanks for people in Wakapoa who don't have one. Each tank will be built on a concrete pad to allow for gravity-fed usage and longevity. We will also purchase and install 15 gutter systems on people's houses to help catch more water during the rare showers of the dry season. In June, our director Forrest will be walking 100 miles through Guyana's dense rainforest to raise money and awareness about this issue. The journey starts in Wakapoa village, where the Uplift Project has been giving grants for the past year. Wakapoa is the rural villageIt sits at one end of a centuries-old walking path that connects it to two neighboring villages, a rarely used alternative to traveling by boat. Impossible to follow and overgrown except by the most seasoned indigenous trackers, this path cuts through 20 miles of deep jungle separating Wakapoa from Akawini and Kabakaburi along a roughly worn pathway. The former chief of Wakapoa will be joining Forrest as a guide on this trail, showing him the ins and outs of camping in the bush and traversing long distances in the rainforest. The jungle path finishes at the village of Kabakaburi, where Forrest will meet with the chief to discuss a proposal for the Uplift Project to begin giving grants there as well. From here Forrest will travel by boat to Bartica, and the walk continues onto the Bartica-Potaro Road, a red dirt road connecting the town of Bartica to the interior of Guyana. Passing no villages and only a couple of rural farms, this 80-mile stretch will bring the walk to a close at the village of Rockstone. Please consider making a donation to this cause.