Dasom, meaning “love” in ancient Korean, is at the root of Dasom Ministries’ mission. Founder Joel Muwonge says the Kasubi, Uganda-based orphanage is “focused on improving lives of the less privileged, needy, and poor people.”

Coming from less privileged circumstances himself, persistency and consistency have been two of Joel’s core leading values as he’s navigated from an impoverished life as an orphaned child to becoming a caretaker for orphans in his adulthood.

In Uganda, Joel says, earning a living takes a lot of hard work: “My education was not enough to get me a good job, so I took in whatever the world gave me.” In order to make ends meet, Joel was required to work hard labor jobs in the cement industry and on building sites, where he carried heavy materials like iron bars and iron sheets. “I was being exploited, only earning money to survive,” he says. “I could share this little [income] with the kids, [and] together with my team and [the] support of my church, we could work out things at the end of the day and put some food on the table.”

Today, with the aid of Umoja’s charity NFT project, Joel’s dreams are abundant, ranging from building a bigger home for the children housed at Dasom Ministries to expanding their efforts across Uganda at large, especially deep inner areas with more challenges. “Many kids out there are suffering and definitely need a hand,” he says.

As for the new construction, it will sit on about four acres of land (secured by Umoja’s financial investment) where the kids will have enough space to enjoy a good life.

Beyond shelter, the orphanage imagines using the land to start a farm for a consecutive flow of food and the ability to sell the surplus for profit. “A farm could end starvation for good,” Joel says. “Grazing cattle, sheep, [and] growing plants like bananas, maize, beans, cassava, among others,” he says, “is the epitome to success.”

Joel also dreams of constructing a shelter for the number of local suffering dogs, and especially a school for the kids, citing the importance of education. “I talk to you today,” he explains, “because some years ago, I learnt English in a certain class.”

Joel believes in prioritizing skills development for the kids so that they can align with the rapidly changing world. “I am open to learn[ing] the western culture,” he says. “We must learn to accept change and adopt it.”

Through our charity NFT project, we aim to support Joel’s dreams to provide better lives for those with less privileged backgrounds, and give them the freedom to dream bigger, too.

Ready to invest in real-world impact? Proceeds from Umoja’s charity NFT collection mint and ongoing resale royalties go toward creating abundance and limitless possibilities for those supported by Dasom Ministries and beyond.

Umoja’s NFT collection mints November 28 for Giving Tuesday.