In 1997, Michael Warneke had no thoughts of working in Africa upon his graduation from Magnolia High School. A lot has changed in the past 15 years and Warneke has founded and now runs a 501c3 organization working in The Pearl of Africa.

Fields of Dreams Uganda is a non-profit organization based in Evansville, Ind., doing development work through sports in the East African nation of Uganda. The group will be honored in late October in Johannesburg, South Africa at the Beyond Sport Global Awards.

Beyond Sport promotes, supports and celebrates the use of sport to address social issues in communities around the world. They accomplish this through global events, awards events and a year-round online network. Beyond Sport was established by Benchmark Sport International – a suite of brands and businesses that specialize in the development of networks in the business and social sectors.

Fields of Dreams Uganda has been nominated in the Sport for Health Award category under the banner of Community Awards. The Sport of Health Awards are projects that use sport to address health issues through education and awareness raising. Fields of Dreams Uganda specifically is being recognized for their Girls Empowerment Project.

Although Fields of Dreams Uganda works with a large population of boys and girls, some of their programming specifically targets the vulnerability that so many young girls face in the education system in Uganda. The Girls Empowerment Project uses sports and educational programming to target the obstacles faced by the orphaned girls located at their eight-partner schools in the Kampala and Gulu regions of the country. These obstacles include not being able to afford hygiene supplies, health issues related to the use of unsanitary supplies, missing up to 20 percent of classes each month and social pressure to quit school and get married. The Girls Empowerment Project provides hygiene kits and inspires the girls to stay in school as they strive to reach for their goals.

Warneke, one of the founders of this young organization, and the current executive director, resides in Evansville with his family and spends an average of two to three months in Uganda each year. “Uganda is the second youngest nation on the globe,” said Warneke. “AIDS, malaria, poverty, and civil war have decimated this beautiful nation and we are committed to ensuring that this young generation is able to see their dreams for a better tomorrow through to their completion..

“I first traveled to Uganda in 2009 and I saw needs, pain and suffering that simply didn’t sit well with me. At the same time, I saw an incredibly kind, grateful and talented people that seemed to be lacking the resources for a successful future.”

Over the next few years, Warneke, along with committed friends and family from across the country, put in the work to develop Fields of Dreams Uganda into what it has become today. “It is amazing to see how far we have come during this journey,” Warneke continued. “It is such an honor to be recognized by Beyond Sport, and I hope that this opportunity will allow us to continue this work that we have started. None of this is possible without our incredibly dedicated staff in Uganda and they are the reason for our success in empowering the youth we are serving.

The work of Fields of Dreams Uganda is two-fold and tackles the issues facing the most vulnerable children at its partner schools through expansive education and soccer programming for over 5,700 students aged 6 to 18. The work is carried out by eight dedicated staff members in Uganda serving as coaches, education advocates and in other leadership roles.

All entries to the Beyond Sport Awards go through a detailed judging process. Fields of Dreams Uganda is shortlisted in the Sport for Health Award category along with Zip Zap Circus School based in South Africa, and C’mon Tonga, Let’s Play Netball! located on the small island nation of Tonga in the South Pacific.

The winners of all the Beyond Sport Global Awards receive global recognition, a package of substantial business and strategic support, and exclusive access to partnership and media opportunities. The winners of the Community Awards also receive funding alongside the official Beyond Sport Business Support Package, with the aim of enabling them to move forward and become fully sustainable in the future.

Warneke will be in New Martinsville on Sunday, Oct. 5 and will be speaking about his work at KIug Hall located on the campus of St. Vincent De Paul Church, Rosary Rd., New Martinsville. This event will be free and it is open to the public. Rollin’ Smoke Roadside BBQ will be catering the event and a market of hand-made Ugandan goods will also be available for purchase.

To ensure enough food will be available for all participants, those planning to attend should RSVP to mike@fieldsofdreamsuganda.org by Sept. 29. Warneke will also be speaking to students at Magnolia High School about his work on Monday, Oct. 5, with the hopes of encouraging them to be global citizens.

“My time at Magnolia helped shape me into the person that I am today and I am excited to go back and share about this work that has become my passion,” he said. For donations, volunteer inquiries or to learn more about the work of Fields of Dreams Uganda, Inc. please visit the website at: www.fieldsofdreamsuganda.org.