The Kellermann Foundation is a U.S.– based Christian nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the displaced Batwa pygmies in all areas of development and to providing high-quality healthcare to the Batwa and their neighbors in southwest Uganda.
Our Mission
To provide resources for sustainable development, health, education, and spiritual outreach in partnership with the Batwa pygmies and adjacent communities.
Our Vision
By the grace of God, the Batwa and surrounding communities will achieve life in all its fullness.
Our Partner Programs
The Batwa pygmies are one of the most impoverished and isolated people groups in the world. Our focus is on poverty alleviation through a wide variety of programs designed in consultation with the Batwa. The areas of need that the Batwa identified were health, education, land acquisition, home building, disease prevention, and preservation of their culture. Our two partner organizations, Bwindi Community Hospital and the Batwa Development Program, are helping to address all of these issues in practical ways.
Bwindi Community Hospital
From its humble beginnings with Dr. Kellermann treating patients under a ficus tree in 2002, Bwindi Community Hospital has grown to a full-service institution with lab, X-ray, maternity and surgical services, community and public health outreach, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. The hospital supports several outlying clinics to serve the populations in the remote, mountainous areas surrounding the Bwindi forest. The Batwa and their neighbors are ensured high-quality, low-cost healthcare, and they benefit from community education about the importance of pre-natal care, hygiene, clean water, sanitation, nutrition, and prevention of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria. Without the hospital, healthcare in the entire Bwindi area would still be nearly non-existent.
Batwa Development Program
The Batwa Development Program (BDP) is made up of tribal representatives who work with Batwa and non-Batwa staff members to implement programs in the areas of need outlined by their communities. The BDP was founded to empower the Batwa to chart their own future.
Several schools have been constructed and hundreds of Batwa children are being educated. Adult literacy programs are present at each school. Agricultural and job training instruction are underway. Clean water and sanitation systems have been put in place. Hundreds of acres of land have been acquired for the Batwa, and over 100 homes have been constructed. Income generation projects, including artisans’ work sold through the Batwa Craft Banda in Bwindi and BatwaBaskets, are helping the tribe move toward self-sufficiency. Batwa culture is being preserved through the Batwa Experience, a living history encounter and cultural site where Batwa children learn about their tribe’s traditions. The Batwa Experience is also open to tourists, generating much-needed income for Batwa communities.
History
In 1992, the Batwa pygmies of southwest Uganda faced extinction. The Batwa, indigenous forest nomads of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, had been removed from their homeland to help protect the endangered mountain gorillas living there. The Batwa were left homeless and destitute. They existed on the fringes of society, sometimes starving, with no land of their own, limited job skills, and few options for improving their lives.
The Anglican Church of Uganda reached out to the Batwa, with the help of Diane Stanton and the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, Texas. In 2000, Dr. Scott and Carol Kellermann visited as medical missionaries from the Episcopal Church to complete a needs survey of the displaced tribe. Findings indicated that 38% of Batwa babies never reached their fifth birthday, and one of every 120 pregnant mothers died giving birth. The Batwa had a life expectancy of only 28 years and an average annual income of $25. The need for medical care and poverty alleviation was enormous, not only for the Batwa, but also for the 250,000 other residents in this remote corner of Uganda.
Diane Stanton of Dallas, Texas
The Kellermanns returned home to California, closed a successful medical practice, and moved to Uganda to serve the Batwa. They lived there full-time from 2001-2009, expanding on work begun by the church. Supporters in California and Texas funded early building projects, with additional assistance from Rotary International, which donated medical equipment and implemented clean water projects.
The Kellermann Foundation was formed in 2004 to sustain and expand the Kellermanns’ work. Dr. Kellermann continues to serve in Uganda about six months of every year.
Building dedicated June, 2004 by the U.S. ambassador to Uganda, Jimmy Kolker.
Our Supporters
Funding for our programs comes through grants and donations from individuals and organizations who believe in our work. We are grateful to have friends around the world who give generously and provide encouragement. We are also grateful for all the volunteers who invest their time and energy, in both the U.S. and Uganda, to increase the reach and effectiveness of our programs.
Jean Creasey, DDS, President
Harry Auld
Bert Barker, Attorney at Law
Richard Cunningham
Don Fultz
R. Simi Lyss, MD
Rob Michelin, MD, FACOG
James Phillips, Attorney at Law
Lynn Schwaab, RN
Diane Stanton
Sarah Woerner, MD
Staff
Executive Director Sally Stillings
Marketing and PR Coordinator Dorothy Nakaweesi Gonsalves
