Raymond
"I have had the honor of being a mentor and mom to Raymond,
​ for six years now.
The light of my life, the love of my heart!" 
- Cheralyn Rose
Certificate of appreciation 2021
To all my music industry connections...
"There’s nothing more rewarding
than being of service to less fortunate people
no matter any differences,
if you do, love will fill your heart." 
Eddy Kaliisa
French Montana in Uganda !
...With a joyful heart I humbly invite you all to come on down to VLC Uganda and film a dance video! If French Montana & crew can do it in East Uganda .. so can you!!! These kids “got the moves”

contact chief strategist Eddy Kalissa directly for more information:
www.facebook.com/rrachild​
Christmas 2021 at the VLC
Thank you to LIL NASZx  for his contribution,  and to all the VLC Team !
VLC - Visionary Learning Center.
Testimonial
​
"I have traveled the world as a free spirited humanitarian, and met thousands of people in my journey through life.
Once in a while a beautiful old soul like Eddy Kalissa comes along and you are forever changed for knowing them.
​
For a young man like eddy Kaliisa having a deep understanding of people in need as well as uniquely starting a movement like VLC .

Uniting “World Friends from all walks of life together for one important cause: the children of Rural East Uganda.
It is easier said than done!

While there is a stigma attached to participating in organizations created and operated in Africa.

Eddy defies those odds with his heart of gold love of children, sincerity and authentic passion for helping others in need.

Visionary Learning Center is definitely a cause I highly recommend!"

Cheralyn Rose
Author / Visionary / Humanitarian / Inspirationalist
Eddy speaking in Luxembourg
Sponsored by his Luxenburgush mom Vivian Schaltz & Conny Schumacher.

"I was very happy to visit and talk to the students, and teachers at Lycee, it was a great day to inspire the kids about success.
We can wake up one day and change our world if we are motivated to do so, I did it and it's possible, no matter the age or whenever we are.
They were very lovely people!!
I was glad to be escorted by my lovely Lux Mom, she can break many points in a single sentence!!
So proud of you Ms and Little Angels.
Speak to Inspire. Much love to the Lycee community."    
​- Eddy
Eddy Kaliisa.
Interview with Cheralyn Rose
​
My name is Eddy Kaliisa 
I am a 29 year old humanitarian, visionary,
college educated school teacher from Uganda.

In a continent with so much poverty and dysfunction on the government level, human beings existing in deplorable conditions. In such desperation for survival for so many,
it is extremely hard to come across with credibility and integrity, when so many people, universally, judge Africans by the color of their skin, and not the content of their character.

A little bit about my background...

I was born in Maska , my mother was a teenager who was expelled upon finding out she was pregnant with me. She was forced to do some casual labor in her village until I was the age of three.

At that time she gave me to her mother.
I grew up with my grandmother as my mother went to the capital to find employment to look after me, my grandmother in later life  my little brother as well .

I didn’t have any connection to my biological father until the age of seven, and he has not supported me in anyway in the past 20 years.My 
Mother and my grandmother took care of me throughout my school years.

My earliest influences in leadership we’re :
  • My mother 
  • My grandmother
  • Nelson Mandela
  • Julius Nyerere 
  • President Museveni ( up until the early 2000s)

I learned from my role models early in life there’s nothing more rewarding than being of service to less fortunate people no matter any and differences, if you do, love will fill your heart.

Sometimes in life I find that if someone has disrespected me, not to hold a grudge, and move forward.

“A true leader doesn’t stop even when he achieves their goals”

This is my mantra that I live by!

Growing up with a very resourceful grandmother, I experienced as she managed to look after seven grand kids by selling silverfish, local beer in the village market. She managed to help us at school and at home with basic needs and at times with school fees. She instilled in me that all things are possible.

It was very apparent to my school teachers in primary one as I was elected class monitor when I was seven years old, to be a monitor was how you were validated as doing exceptionally well in class.

In primary I started teaching children who were not going to school by that time, I could teach them simple English, math of course I learned from school.

So it was an evolutionary process that I was naturally compelled to start teaching kids at the side of the road.

My first year at University, my college friend invited me to go to his home. It was about 5 hours drive from the capital. When we got there I saw several (under age) young kids working sugarcane plantations and it was school hours, others were just at their homes.

I met an old woman selling sugarcane, it was really very low prices. The old woman explain to me the best she could that this was the way that she could buy food for her grand kids, take them to school, pay their medical bills…

The vision came very clearly to me at that point!

When I had conversations with people their responses were very limited and small minded essentially they  simply stated “I managed to have 10+ kids didn’t go to school and my  kids will find a way of life.”

This inspired me to go back home and start envisioning how I could help the poverty stricken children in rural areas.

I started teaching a few kids writing  on the ground, learning under trees shrubs, writing on banana leaves, and when their lives started improving ..speaking  basic words in English, I taught them basic hygiene bathing, washing clothes, etc.

I think the locals started to realize the power of education. I started with 11 kids (road side). When the word got out, and it  suddenly grew beyond the resources that I personally had available.

I had the privilege to go to college at the University in Kyambogo. My mother and my stepfather supported my path. I was the first to graduate with a bachelors  degree of the people that I surrounded myself with.

I  currently envision the next five years of school expanding to 1000 underprivileged children.

Setting up an infrastructure to include
  • a computer room
  • big library
  • dorm and teachers houses.
  • extending electricity
  • setting up a secondary school for the post primary kids
  • having a school garden and farm for easy  food supply.
  • having the resources to pay the teachers proper salaries.

I am currently formally mentoring five students to be future leaders. They can lead in any activity we sent to accomplish and they’re able to keep a calm demeanor amongst the chaos of dealing with the other children.

How we began
​​
The visionary instincts of Eddy Kaliisa kicked into high gear in 2010 while doing an intern program at the University of Kyambogo.

Eddy had a heightened awareness while visiting the eastern region of the Kamali district in Namuganda, Uganda. The impact of witnessing hundreds of kids in the rice and sugar plantations during school hours, took an emotional toll on
Eddy to actually witness child slavery.

“The time has come”

Motivating eddy to go home, manifests and formulate an action plan! Recognized as a born leader at a young age it was a natural organic process for Eddy to take on this important leadership role.

Taking his own personal resources as well as financial and emotional support from his parents and partnering Stephen Jones, a good hearted photographer from the USA, who crossed paths with Eddy. It was the perfect alignment, and a great collaboration.

“Teamwork makes the dream work…!”

VLC (aka Revive a Rural African Child), was now born and in it’s infancy. This amazing life skill program is starting to evolve.

Things that started to manifest right before Eddy’s eyes…
  • The contaminated water that was breeding chronic and life threatening illnesses to these children was no longer contaminated. With the support of VLC got the funding for clean water.
  • Simple basic hygiene education was desperately needed…He calls us “world friends” volunteers started to appear. They stepped up and generously donated soap and other much needed hygiene supplies.
  • Living in such deplorable conditions the children needed clothing… And “World Friends” Stepped up and started sewing really nice clothes for the children! Then they generously shipped them to Uganda.
  • Other “World Friends”, started donating school supplies. The kids actually had “real” books, pencils, and paper; they no longer had to write on banana tree leaves underneath the side of the road.
  • More world friends started to surface from all over the globe embracing the concepts and compassion for VLC community.
  • World Friends extremely generous with their knowledge and time mentored Eddy in sustainable ways so that he would be able to cultivate and grow fruits and vegetables. In essence while they were mentoring Eddy, Eddy in return was mentoring the kids in gardening. A positive pattern is beginning to emerge!
  • Another part of the educational and life skill program that VLC was starting to provide tools for the children to support their families financially. Amazing basket weaving, pottery, and sewing skills were offered to these beautiful underprivileged souls.

The legendary story of how Eddie Kaliisa started teaching these kids on the side of the road. The word got out and the kids multiplied rapidly! They were eager for a glimmer of hope for a better life. Was it really possible, they wondered!?
From an early age, children understand that education is not accessible for low income families. Eddy Kaliisa being a big picture thinker tells these children “all things are possible, if you believe you can receive”.

Looking futuristically forward to the up and coming fascinating books, documentaries, and interviews of this amazing beginning of a journey destined for a great young leader such as, Eddy Kaliisa, who is well known and respected as humanitarian and child advocate in Rural Uganda.
Ways in Which You can Support
  • Sponsorship
  • Sending care packages to your child
  • PayPal donations for teacher’s salaries
  • Creating memories for the children!!
  • Hosting a dance party (for food & cake) VLC will take videos of all the fun!
  • Fundraisers
  • Clothing/Shoe drives
  • Sharing VLC on social media

Eddy purchases all the things that you request weather it's for the children in general or for a particular child that you may be sponsoring or letter writing.

Please always make sure when you send PayPal that you give clear directions on what your wishes are and Eddy will send pictures of exactly what it is that you ordered. it does take him at least a month to post pictures but it happens!