From Love to Hope: for their wedding day, Juliette and Mert decided to give love differently.
Instead of classic wedding favours, the two turned their wedding into a gift for children in Uganda — with a donation to the Jona Foundation.
Just looking forward to our wedding was one long celebration of joy. And at some point I thought: if a day feels this rich before it even happens, it belongs to be shared — with those who have less.
One day became an afternoon in Mityana
Part of the support turned into joy quite directly: cakes, laughter and a little party for the children. Eyes lit up, hands clapped — and the joy leapt from their wedding day straight into the children’s lives.
A wedding day can join hearts — and it can give hope, far beyond the day itself.
The rest stays where it is needed every day
What did not go into the party flows into the kindergarten in Mityana — into the things that rarely make it into photos and are still needed every day: food, materials, the local team.
Why an occasion works so well
An occasion donation has an advantage you only notice at second glance: it costs no one anything extra. The guests would have brought something anyway — this time it just does not end up in a cupboard, but in Mityana. And it arrives when no appeal is running.
Who benefits from it
- 80 children between three and six years old
- Two meals on every kindergarten day
- Pre-school, language and social learning
- A Ugandan team running the day to day
A wedding, a birthday, a company anniversary, a run in autumn — we have yet to hear of an occasion you cannot make something of. Here is how it works with us.
Why a kindergarten moves so much here
Mityana lies in a region heavily affected by HIV. Where parents are missing or ill, the oldest children often take over the care of their younger siblings — and stay away from school to do it. A kindergarten breaks exactly this chain: the little ones are cared for, the older ones can learn.
Then there is the location. The kindergarten stands on the grounds of the primary school of our partner organisation PMCO, which has been running since January 2023. So the children do not move to a strange environment — they simply go one building over.
How an occasion donation works
It takes less than most people think — and we handle the organisational part.
- Get in touch brieflyOne email is enough: occasion, rough number of guests, date.
- One sentence on the invitationWe send you suggested wording and, if you like, your own donation link.
- Guests donate instead of giftingOnline or the classic way, into a box at the entrance — both work.
- Feedback afterwardsYou hear what came of the sum. We issue donation receipts for every guest who needs one.
Wording for the invitation
“We have everything we need — except your company. If you would still like to give us something: we are collecting for the Jona Foundation. It runs a kindergarten for 80 children in Mityana, Uganda, and is currently working on its next project, a medical and school truck for the surrounding villages. Every contribution goes there in full.”
What became of it
The kindergarten has been running since March 2025. Eighty children come every day, a Ugandan team runs the place — and what was collected on that wedding day has long since gone into meals, materials and salaries. We wrote up how the first year went here.
Curious now?
Sharing love means multiplying joy. Thank you, dear Juliette and dear Mert, for letting your love flow into the children’s hearts too.
If you would like to give joy in everyday life — through a donation or a creative idea of your own — do get in touch: info@jonafoundation.org. How others do it is over at the ambassadors.
