About our organization
Our Mission
Guiding Light Orphans, Inc. is a charitable organization dedicated to providing support to orphans and critically vulnerable children and their caretakers in rural Uganda with free, quality basic health care, training, and skills for self-sustainability to break the vicious cycle of chronic hunger and poverty.
If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.
GLO strives to create an impact and collaborate with other local and global organizations by working to improve and empower the lives of the people of Masindi.
Our Purpose
Meeting basic health needs is the essential first step in improving the lives of people in the rural villages of Uganda. GLO is proactive in helping to meet immediate needs and creating a self-sustaining model through training and equipping local health care workers, as well as forming partnerships with local medical facilities and other organizations. GLO’s priority is improving the lives of critically vulnerable children, many of whom have been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, through medical interventions and other physical and emotional support systems.
Guiding Light Orphans believes:
- All people have a right to the most basic needs of food, shelter, health care, education, and love
- All people are created equal and have a duty to help one another
- All people have a right to be heard, respected, and valued
Guiding Light Orphans operates according to the highest standards of personal honesty, trust, and ethical behavior. We hold ourselves accountable to our supporters, partners, and the people we serve.
Our Help in Numbers
100,000
People who have the potential to be impacted by GLO's Efforts
9+ Years
GLO has been focusing on Masindi because it is one of the poorest, most underserved areas of Uganda. There are no other NGOs working in the Masindi district.
310
Monthly Epilepsy patients visited by our Village Health Techs - allowing us to help 85% of patients be seizure free.
Board of Directors
Every member of our board of directors is a thought leader who has made significant contributions to our society.
Each one brings a unique set of skills and expertise to our organization.
Jolly Lux
Executive Director
Jolly is the co-founder of Guiding Light Orphans (GLO). Her unwavering compassion and determination to help others were shaped by the influences of her mother, Christine Ndagambaki Amooti, and grandmother, while growing up in Uganda. Since the founding of GLO on June 30, 2011, Jolly has devoted herself to making a difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families in need.
Kurt Lux
President
Kurt Lux is a dedicated advocate for persons with disabilities and serves as a Senior Team Manager for SourceAmerica, a leading US non-profit agency supporting employment opportunities for individuals with severe disabilities. Kurt's love for the people and country of Uganda began with his engagement to Jolly in Kampala in 2003, shaped by his Christian values and the influences of his loved ones.
Dr. Adam Perrin
Medical Director
Dr. Adam Eugene Perrin is a family medicine physician and faculty member at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. With extensive experience in primary care, he serves as the Director of Medical Student Education in Family Medicine and Director of Student Wellness. Dr. Perin acts as the Medical Director for Guiding Light Orphans (GLO), providing medical care to underserved populations in Uganda, having traveled multiple times to Uganda to offer medical assistance.
Alexa Orban
Communications Director
Alexa is a seasoned marketer with a deep personal commitment to using her skills for meaningful change in the world. With over 7 years of experience in social media marketing, public relations, branding, and creative project management, she wholeheartedly embraces the opportunity to make a difference through her work. Guiding Light Orphans (GLO) holds a special place in Alexa's heart, as she passionately supports their mission.
Natalie Goodskey
Secretary
Natalie Goodskey is a compassionate and skilled nurse. After graduating from the University of Connecticut in 2013, she pursued a nursing career, completing her studies at Northwestern Connecticut Community College in 2021. With prior experience as a Phlebotomist and Emergency Department Patient Care Technician at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, Natalie now works as a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department at MidState Medical Center. Her passion for helping others fuels her excitement to bring her nursing skills to care for patients in rural Uganda through GLO.
Mimi Madden
Board Member
Mimi Madden has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 20 years to help achieve strategic goals for institutional advancement, including fundraising, grant writing, promotion, and program development. At Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, CT, she served as Grants Manager as well as director of the national Sunken Garden Poetry Festival. Currently she serves as Development Director at the American Mural Project in Winsted, CT. She is pleased to support the important work of Guiding Light Orphans by serving on the board of directors.
Anne Gerard
Board Member
Anne Gerard is both an RN and a social worker with a career as a psychotherapist with many years experience. As a member of the board of directors, she is passionate about and committed to empowering people with finding healthy perceptions of themselves, strengthening their relationships, and discovering their ability to live their lives constructively and creatively.
Guiding Light Orphans and Anne’s commitment to people’s well being fit perfectly together!
Judy Bergman
Board Member
Judy Bergman grew up in Simsbury, CT and works part time at Little Folks Corner Preschool and Daycare. She is involved in her local synagogue, and is a recent graduate of Simsbury High School. She currently attends Drexel University where she is majoring in Elementary Education and planning to add a minor in Global Studies. In Philadelphia, Judy is involved with the Drexel Hillel and assists in the first grade classroom of a local elementary school.
Judy first became involved with GLO when attending an informational meeting about a service trip with a local church in 2015. Since then, she has traveled on site to Uganda in 2016 and 2018, and can’t wait to embark on more in the future! Her favorite parts of the trips were playing duck duck goose with the kids and distributing medication at the clinic’s pharmacy. She is so thankful for her past experiences in Uganda, and is looking forward to taking part in the growth of this incredible organization. Most importantly, she is so excited to be able to work with Jolly and Kurt on this amazing cause.
Our Partners & Supporters
Support a child
A small donation can make a big impact.
A $10 once a month donation allowed Guiding Light Orphans to purchase 20 pounds of cornmeal, 10 pounds of beans and cooking oil enough to feed a family of three for two weeks and several 5 bars of soap so that they can wash, and stay clean.
If $10 from just one person could have such an impact. Imagine what a community of people ready to give back could do. Your support to GLO makes an impact. Our donors get to know exactly how their money is being spent and who they can help.
Support a program
Looking to make a specific impact?
If there is a specific program that you or your organization would like to support, we are able to make that IMPACT!
Your donation will support 100% of the program of your choice, and we will send you an update of the progress.
Together, we can make a change.
Guiding Light Orphans, Inc. (GLO) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and is operated completely by volunteers. All your donations are tax deductible.