OUR MISSION
The mission of the ASA Social Fund for Hidden Peoples is to give back the “human-ness” to hidden peoples. This includes vulnerable and fragile children and adults who are impacted by extreme poverty, civil strife, abandonment, gender violence, disfigurement and physical disabilities. These peoples are not served by their countries social support systems. The ASA focus is on the basic human, health and educational needs of these hidden peoples including, but not limited to:
- Parents of children who are disabled and have special needs
- Women and children who are victims of gender violence
- Children who are homeless, victims of conflict, HIV/AIDS, and/or impacted by extreme poverty
As part of our mission, The ASA Social Fund for Hidden Peoples provides financial resources and support to qualified individuals and entities abroad. We do not provide funding to parties prohibited by OFAC. We maintain ongoing relationships with our beneficiaries, and we require information on the ways in which our funding is used, so that we can ensure that funded activities are in line with not only our own organizational goals and principles, but also IRS requirements that foreign programs are substantially similar to programs which would be 501(c)(3)-eligible if they took place in the U.S.
Our History
The ASA Social Fund for Hidden Peoples was founded by Dr. Louis Picard and Pauline Greenlick. Dr. Picard has been actively involved in African issues since 1965 and has continued his involvement in Africa to the present day. His work in Uganda began while he was assigned to Uganda as a Peace Corps nteer. At that time his friendship with the late Honorable Manuel Pinto began when they were both teachers at the Aga Khan Secondary School in Masaka. Throughout the decades they continued their friendship until Pinto’s untimely death in 2008. Dr. Picard became aware of Pinto’s involvement in Bright Kids Uganda Children’s home, as Co-Founder along with Victoria Nalongo Namusisi. At that time, with his desire to keep his long time friend’s spirit alive, Picard became interested in supporting the children’s home.
In 2008, Dr. Picard, along with his wife Pauline Greenlick, visited Bright Kids Uganda Children’s Home, located in the Entebbe area. It was at this point they made a decision to support the vision and mission of Victoria Nalongo Namusisi, the Director of the home. Initially, they were active in the Bright Kids Uganda USA non-profit, providing support in educational, medical and sustainable project needs of the home. In 2015 they wanted to reach out to several additional organizations closely associated with Bright Kids Uganda and they decided to establish the ASA Social Fund for Hidden Peoples, a non-profit organization in the USA. Through this USA based non-profit, Picard and Greenlick continue to support the activities of Bright Kids Uganda Children’s Home through ASA’s priority areas. ASA Social Fund for Hidden Peoples supports activities in the following priority areas: Education, Economic Empowerment, Social Enterprise Development, Health and Basic Needs, Water and Sanitation, and Special Projects. Currently, ASA has partnered with various non profit organizations in Uganda and Hungary to implement projects in these priority areas.
