Skip to main content

Welcome to Culture Kids International!

By
My name is Amanda Khaukha. I'm one of four. The rest of us are David Khaukha, Kari Wheeler, and Elissa Dale. We all have our own stories you will get to know later.

Culture Kids International. What is that? 
We are working on it. Well, developing the full picture anyway. 

Culture Kids International is born out of the love and dreams of four friends who want to make a lasting impact and long-term contribution in the lives of youth in Uganda, Africa. It is an idea, or lots of ideas, that have been churning in our hearts for a long time. We decided one day that there was enough talking, and we needed to start acting. It came suddenly, from one day to the next. 

David and Amanda in Makhai Village in Mbale, Uganda. (2011)

David and I had been talking for over two years about building some kind of technology and literacy center in his hometown of Mbale in Uganda. David, Elissa, and Kari had a conversation about six months ago about all of us working together, because our hearts line up around the goals of working in Uganda with youth and starting the technology and literacy center. After brainstorming and having several conversations, one week we decided to start putting things together. This is where Culture Kids International came from, a non-profit organization that we are working together to get up and running. 

Learning Lugisu in Makhai Village. (2011)

We have now had four formal meetings and are working on registration paperwork and getting our status as an official non-profit. In the mean time, we have our work cut out for us as our dreams of a fully functioning organization are enormous and optimistic, but we have to start focused and small. For now that is what we are most concerned about.

Amanda and Elissa near the Nile River. (2011)

These first few blog posts are a dialogue of our exploration and a public record of our progress for those who are interested in following along. We hope to make it fun and interesting, but we also hope it will draw interest and bring more and more people into our friend circle who want to partner with us, whether through prayer, advice, dialogue, or action. 

Amanda and Kari in Murchinson Falls. (2011)

Join with us! Pray for us! Let's talk and get to know each other! We look forward to seeing all of you here and throughout our journey to figure out exactly where Culture Kids International is headed and the steps we take to get there. 


**Up Next: Look for our next blog posts - Culture Kids International: Who We Are and Madison for the Weekend


(Written by Amanda Khaukha)

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting To Know CKI: Kari

By
Role with CKI: Director of Administration Loving the kids at Child Restoration Outreach in Mbale, Uganda. Born and raised in rural North Dakota, Kari moved to Minneapolis, MN, after graduating high school to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Intercultural Studies with an emphasis in Children and Youth in Crisis at North Central University. After falling in love with the city and all of its potential, she added an Urban Studies Supporting Program to her list of studies. During those years, she spent two summers in Uganda, Africa, working with various organizations, one of which was Child Restoration Outreach in Mbale. Kari interned as a Teacher’s Aide for CRO while studying the various strategies and techniques used to minister to street children in a holistic way. She later took this information and developed a case study which she presented as her senior project. This project helped to shape her heart and desire to work with street children in Africa. Play time at CRO...
2 comments
Read more

Karen Interview: Culture (Part 1)

By
Last fall, Elissa had the opportunity to interview some Karen youth in St. Paul, MN. They met at a Karen grocery store, shared a meal together, and talked about various aspects of the Karen culture. We have divided this interview into a four part series: Culture, Immigration, Family and Faith, and Food and Holidays. For authenticity, we have transcribed the interview material as accurate as possible. The Karen People We encourage our readers to visit the Karen Organization of Minnesota website  in order to learn more about the history and culture of the Karen people. Part 1: Culture The interviewees Elissa: Within Karen culture what is the definition of success? Re: I think success it is someone who is achieving their dreams and has a stable job and have a place to live. Kyeh: Yeah, I would say people who do a career that they love. My parents whenever they see a doctor they are like, “Oh, there is a doctor,” and they say that person is, you know, very ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Getting To Know CKI: Amanda

By
Role with CKI: Director of Community Outreach Amanda was born and raised just north of Dallas, Texas. Before leaving Dallas, Amanda served as a youth and worship leader for her home church and worked with a homeless ministry called SOUL Ministries leading the music service and serving those present.  In 2009, she moved to Minneapolis, MN, to continue her college education. She attended North Central University pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Intercultural Studies with an emphasis in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and received a minor in Biblical Studies. During her time at North Central, Amanda interned as the Assistant Site Director for Next Step Ministries in Nassau, Bahamas. Here she worked with a small HIV/AIDS community leading teen and college age youth in short-term missions and working on building projects for the residents. She also served as part of the worship team during her internship. This experience lit a fire in her that had been smoldering within fo...
Post a Comment
Read more