U.S. Ambassador to Uganda William W. Popp led a volunteer effort at the Bless a Child Foundation in Kampala on January 18, 2025, to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Ambassador Popp, accompanied by staff from the U.S. Embassy and Ugandan alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, spent the day volunteering at the foundation, which provides care and support to children battling cancer. The team participated in various activities, including painting, gardening, and playing games with the children.
“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is not only a U.S. federal holiday but also designated as a National Day of Service to encourage Americans to volunteer and improve their communities,” Ambassador Popp remarked. “Today, I proudly joined U.S. Embassy staff and Ugandan alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship to volunteer at Bless a Child Foundation. By helping to paint, garden, and play games with the children, we honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and commitment to service.”
Brian Walusimbi, founder of the Bless a Child Foundation, expressed his gratitude to Ambassador Popp and the U.S. Embassy team for their support. “It is truly an honor to host the U.S. Embassy staff and Mandela Washington Fellowship alumni here at Bless a Child Foundation. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to His Excellency Ambassador William Popp for leading your team in volunteering to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children suffering from cancer.”
Walusimbi noted that the visit was a powerful reminder of Dr. King’s legacy of service to humanity. “As we prepare to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we are reminded of his legacy of service to humanity, which has been beautifully exemplified here today. These small acts of kindness create a significant impact for those enduring hardship.”
The event served as a poignant reminder of the impact that individual acts of service can have on communities. As Dr. King once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'” The U.S. Embassy team’s volunteer efforts at the Bless a Child Foundation demonstrated a commitment to answering this question and upholding Dr. King’s legacy of service.
In a world often consumed by self-interest and division, acts of service like these remind us that meaning is not derived from power or prestige but from sacrifice and connection. The Bless a Child Foundation, founded by Brian Walusimbi, exemplifies this principle in its mission to provide care and hope to children battling cancer. Hosting the U.S. Embassy delegation was not just a logistical event but a moment rich in symbolic significance.
What stands out is not the scale of the work—painting walls, tending to the garden, playing games—but the intention behind it. To serve another is to declare that their pain and joy matter, that their existence has weight and value. The children at Bless a Child Foundation, facing the unimaginable challenge of cancer, are a testament to resilience. The volunteers, in their simplicity of action, offered more than painted walls or cultivated gardens. They offered solidarity, a sense of shared humanity.
Dr. King’s vision of a “beloved community” is not abstract. It comes alive in moments like these—when people, from different walks of life, come together to uplift the most vulnerable. It is a reminder that our greatest strength lies not in what we achieve for ourselves but in what we do for others.
