who we are

About us

Why Uganda?

We, Elsa and Josef Schagerl, are often asked, „Why and how did you come to be involved with Uganda?

The daughter of a family friend had traveled to Uganda with an organization called Kisi Kids in order to help a group of children rehearse and perform Christian musicals and gospel songs.

Upon her return, she spoke passionately about the hardshipsand poverty faced by children in an orphanage. It was then that we decided to spend a few weeks volunteering at the orphanage ourselves.

After a short while, the children and people there grew so close to our hearts that we decided we wanted to do something more to help them. After a long period of brainstorming and prayer, we finally— with God’s help—took on this task in January 2013. Since then, the Bible verse Isaiah 43:5 “Fear not, for I am with you!” has been of great help to us. In 2014, we established the Brücke nach Uganda „Bridge to Uganda“ non-profit organization in order to give children coming from poor families the opportunity to attend school.

The urgent need to help the children

The number of orphans, abandoned children, and youths with only one parent in Uganda is constantly on the rise. Every year, thousands of people pass away from AIDS, negatively impacting social and economic life. Since so many families in Uganda are affected by AIDS, their children are left behind either orphaned or with only one parent.

Many orphaned children end up on the streets or as mistreated house workers without any rights. Others, after having suffered the loss of their parents, also lose the family members that took them in and therefore face an uncertain future. Some do have family members or neighbors who would care for the children if only they could afford it. This is where our organization comes in: taking on the school fees for these children.

Account: Brücke nach Uganda
BIC : RLNWATWW939
IBAN : AT83 3293 9000 0006 0145

I want to share my time, my good fortune, and my experiences with God with others, especially with orphaned children who would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend school.

Elsa Schagerl

retired teacher

Next to freedom and basic rights (food, shelter), experiencing a sense of belonging in a familial community and having a chance at an education are some of the most important requirements for a successful and dignified life. It is through my daughter, who completed an internship and volunteer work in Kichwamba, that I became very close with the organization. That’s why I support this initiative!

Wolfgang Rerych

retired teacher

“It’s a pleasure for me to be able to support my wife’s work in Uganda. As soon as you realize how fortunate we are here in Austria, when there are still so many places in Uganda that face extreme poverty—where families live in squalid mud huts and children do not even have the opportunity to attend school—it becomes a moral obligation to help them and to at least alleviate some of their need.”

Josef Schagerl

retired teacher

English class