Byabuku, Uganda
250 children are already showing up. Now we’re building them a school.
Mercy & Grace School is already educating children in rural Uganda—some in temporary classrooms and others beneath the trees. The land for a permanent campus is paid for. The vision is ready.
- $260,000 goal
- 10 classrooms
- Pre-K–P7
- Land paid for
The school today
This isn’t an idea.
Every day, approximately 250 children come to Mercy & Grace to learn. The school currently operates from two temporary buildings, and some classes meet outside beneath nearby trees.
Photographed in Byabuku
Photographed in ByabukuSome don’t have a classroom at all.
The teachers are here. The students are here. What Mercy & Grace needs now is a permanent campus built for the work already happening.
$10.50
One student’s school fee for an entire term.
Many families cannot pay the full amount.
Owned outright
The land is already paid for.
Within walking distance of the current school is the land for its permanent home. Pastor Nelson Ntanda purchased the property in full before this campaign began.
Photographed in ByabukuThe next step is to build.
Photographed in ByabukuPurchased in full by Pastor Nelson Ntanda, a short walk from the current school.
The future campus
Explore the future campus.
Ten classrooms designed for 240 students, Pre-K through P7—laid out on land that is already owned.
Architectural visualization- 1
Administration
A small administration building near the entrance with three offices.
- Funding
- Part of the $260,000 campaign
- Cost
- Being verified
- 2
Nursery / Pre-K
Classrooms for baby, middle, and top class — the first buildings planned for construction.
- Funding
- Part of the $260,000 campaign
- Cost
- Being verified
- 3
P1–P3
Lower-primary classrooms, single-story with shaded verandas.
- Funding
- Part of the $260,000 campaign
- Cost
- Being verified
- 4
P4–P7
Upper-primary classrooms completing the path from Pre-K through P7.
- Funding
- Part of the $260,000 campaign
- Cost
- Being verified
- 5
Kitchen
A kitchen designed to serve lunch to every student.
- Funding
- Part of the $260,000 campaign
- Cost
- Being verified
- 6
Water
Rainwater collection and filtration, with the ability to sell clean drinking water locally to help support operations.
- Funding
- Part of the $260,000 campaign
- Cost
- Being verified
- 7
Gardens
An irrigated garden with fruit trees, banana, and matoke to help feed students.
- Funding
- Part of the $260,000 campaign
- Cost
- Being verified
- 8
Play yard
Open space for play and gathering.
- Funding
- Part of the $260,000 campaign
- Cost
- Being verified
- 9
VIP latrines
Ventilated improved pit latrines for students and staff.
- Funding
- Part of the $260,000 campaign
- Cost
- Being verified
The live build
The live $260,000 build.
Every gift brings the campus into color. As funding grows, the plan fills in—until the whole school is ready to build.
$0raised of $260,000
- Percent funded
- 0% funded
- Remaining
- $260,000 remaining
Last updated Oct 5, 2026, 7:00 PM CDT
Preview data — not a real total
Campus areas fill in to illustrate overall campaign progress. They do not indicate that a specific building is funded.
40+
Years of ministry
Portrait coming soon
Ugandan-led
Meet Pastor Nelson Ntanda.
Pastor Nelson Ntanda is a Ugandan pastor who has spent more than 40 years serving Christ through ministry. His understanding of this community is not theoretical. He knows its people, culture, and needs because this is the community he has spent decades serving.
Nelson founded Mercy & Grace School to create educational opportunity for local children, including families unable to afford even modest school fees. Today, approximately 250 children attend the school he began.
A relationship built over time
Josh and Dacia have known Nelson personally since 2012. Over more than a decade of friendship and ministry together, they have seen his character, leadership, and stewardship firsthand and personally vouch for his integrity.
This project is not being led from thousands of miles away. It is being led in Uganda by a Ugandan who has spent his life serving this community.
Read Nelson’s storySustainability
Not built for permanent dependence.
The campus is designed with practical systems intended to help support ongoing operations.
Grow
Irrigated garden + fruit trees.
Water
Rainwater collection + filtration, with the ability to sell drinking water locally.
Power
Solar panels + battery storage, supporting campus power and local charging/power services where electricity access is limited.
Land + Water + Sun → A school designed for sustainability.
Accountability
Every dollar has a destination.
Donations will first be received by a nonprofit entity responsible for accounting and record keeping before approved project funds are transferred to Uganda for groundwork, materials, and campus development.
- Step 1
Your gift
Given online or by check.
- Step 2
Receiving nonprofit
Responsible for accounting and record keeping.
- Step 3
Approved transfers
Project funds sent to Uganda.
- Step 4
The build
Groundwork, materials, and campus development.
| Total received | — |
|---|---|
| Transferred to project | — |
| Construction spend | — |
| Remaining funds | — |
Milestones
The build journey.
Land
Purchased (complete)
Fundraising
In progress (current)
Groundwork
Upcoming
Foundations
Upcoming
Classrooms
Upcoming
Water + Solar
Upcoming
Campus Complete
Upcoming
They already have the school. We’re giving it a home.
$260,000 can turn land that is already owned into a permanent campus built to serve children for generations.