If you have ever met Isaac Okwang, our Community Relationship Manager in Uganda, you know his joy is contagious. Over the years, he has walked alongside CarePoints, watching children learn, families grow stronger, and local leaders rise into their roles.
As HopeChest Uganda looks forward to its first CarePoint graduations in the summer of 2026, Isaac carries a vision that is both deeply practical and deeply hopeful!
Hear Isaac in his own words:
“CarePoint graduation is exciting because a community you’ve been helping is now able to support itself. It is like being a father. You teach a child how to walk, and eventually you see that child walking on his own two feet. It gives you joy because you played a role in helping him.”
— Isaac Okwang
What Does Transformation in a CarePoint Community Look Like?
On each CarePoint’s #PathToGraduation, Isaac and other staff look for tangible signs of its growth. One key indicator is the progress of children in the CarePoint programs.
“We want to see that a big percentage of children in the program have gone through school and graduated successfully. They may have a degree, a skill, or a trade that allows them to sustain themselves,” Isaac explains.
But the success of children is only part of the story. Graduation also reflects the growth of families. Many families participate in Village Savings and Loan Associations, or VSLAs. These small, community-based groups build financial stability by saving together and accessing small loans.
“When families are part of these groups and actively saving, we know the community is able to sustain itself,” Isaac says. “And then you can see a transformation in the livelihood of the families and the whole community.”
Equipping Future CarePoint Leadership
A big piece of CarePoint Graduation is equipping leaders from the community to carry the CarePoint forward.
Isaac describes how CarePoint staff walk alongside local leaders long before graduation:
- Raising awareness: talking regularly with guardians, leaders, and community members about the coming transition.
- Mentorship and training: supporting the Project Management Committee, who will one day serve as part of the CarePoint’s new leadership board.
- Brainstorming and vision casting: working with leaders, government officials, and community members to identify challenges and craft the CarePoint’s mission, vision, and objectives.
- Forming a CBO: when a CarePoint graduates, it becomes a Community-Based Organization (CBO)—a legally recognized entity with bylaws, a constitution, and a local board.
“Eventually,” Isaac says, “we let them sustain their own activities. HopeChest plays an oversight role at first, but the goal is independence.”
What is a CBO? Isaac will tell you!
Engaging Community Stakeholders
An important part of CarePoint Graduation is bringing the community together. Isaac describes stakeholder engagement meetings where community members, leaders, school officials, religious leaders, and alumni come together to share ideas and contribute to the plan for the new CBO.
“We brainstorm together on how we can best come up with this community-based organization and ensure that it is able to stand and continue operating,” Isaac explains.
These meetings are not only administrative but also moments of connection, learning, and shared purpose. They give everyone a sense of ownership in the success of the community’s graduation!
Community Stakeholder Meeting
The Joy of Graduation
For Isaac, the joy of graduation comes from seeing real, lasting change in people’s lives.
“We are pushing these communities, removing them from dependence to independence and self-reliance. That is what excites me about graduation,” he says.
What gives him hope is the willingness of communities to help themselves.
“People have knowledge they have acquired and a willingness to help themselves. If a community is willing to help themselves, whatever small support you give them will multiply. That alone gives me hope.”
Walking Into the Future
For Isaac, and for all of us at HopeChest, graduation is not an end. It is a new beginning. Communities take the lead. Hope multiplies. And generations of children and families reap the benefits of transformation.
“Even after graduation,” Isaac explains, “we will stay connected. If there are gaps or advice they need, we will be there to support them so they can run their own CBO well.”
Learn more about CarePoint Graduation and join us in celebrating the communities preparing for this life-changing milestone in Uganda and around the world.
