From holding doors for strangers on campus to serving on mission trips in far away countries, there’s no doubt that most Cyclones perform amazing acts of kindness everyday. 

A group of students partaking in the Iowa State University Uganda Program embody Iowa State’s mission to make the world a better place, and they need the community’s help to fulfill their mission.

These students have organized a school supply and book drive to take donations with them to Kamuli and Kampala, Uganda this May. There, Cyclones will be serving by striving to improve aspects of life such as education and nutritional food security.

Taylor Mauch, a senior studying environmental science, is one of the students helping with the school supply and book drive. This will be Mauch’s second mission-based trip, but first time partaking in the Uganda Program.

The trip is through the global resource systems major, but is open to anyone interested in the program. Mauch said that one of her main roles in Uganda will be working with soil improvement, which correlates with what she wants to do as a future career. 

“It would be a dream to go and work in places where I can work with water accessibility and quality issues,” Mauch said. 

Mauch is not only excited for a service-based experience, but also to build stepping stones into her future.

Mauch explained that part of their time in Uganda will be spent teaching fifth and sixth graders subjects such as math, agriculture, and integrated science, and the other part they will be working on a binational team with students from Makerere University in Uganda on projects dealing with soil improvement, bee keeping, insect repellents, and health and sanitation.

Cyclones will also be working hands-on with the fifth and sixth graders in their school and in their school garden, so they will be able to see directly how donations from their drive are impacting lives.

“I think the major goal of [the school supply/book drive] is just to keep them in school as long as they can,” Mauch said. “Because that will hopefully help when they have children, then their children can finish school.”

School supplies needed for the drive are wooden pencils, blue or black pens, stickers and notebooks, and desired books are beginner through seventh grade reading level. If you have any of these items to donate, you can drop them off in boxes located in 119 Kildee Hall, Horticulture Hall Atrium and Abe Student Services Office 1320 Elings.

The drive ends May first, but the group is willing to accept donations until the end of the school year.