August 29, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Broadening His Horizons

During his final year of graduate studies at the Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey, Santa Monica native Coby Schoffman traveled to Uganda to volunteer at the Kikaaya College and Vocational School, located in a small village north of Kampala. Schoffman felt that he hadn’t grasped enough on-the-ground life experiences as he would have liked to in the course of his studies, and hoped that this opportunity would broaden his exposure to the real world.

“I was studying conflict resolution and counter-terrorism,” Schoffman said, “and it was one thing to understand levels of poverty and scales of economy and conflicts around the world theoretically in the classroom, but it was another to experience it firsthand.”

The school is composed of over 700 students, over half of whom are orphans. Schoffman noted that there were no toilets or showers available to the community, as well as a lack of educational resources to support the student body. However, Schoffman said, the students were “some of the happiest kids that I’ve ever come across.”

Schoffman traveled to Uganda in January 2014, working there to extend aid to the school and improve its resources in the face of extreme poverty. He worked with the vocational students to construct a basketball court from scratch, and introduced the sport by teaching after-school basketball drills as well as physical education classes. Additionally, he taught computer science classes, working through the challenges of outdated and unreliable technology, lack of internet connection, and a shortage of computers. Schoffman said that the entire trip gave him a new perspective on life itself.

“After living on the school grounds and seeing the levels of poverty and day-to-day struggles that the community was dealing with, it’s not like you could just go back to your regular life and go about things like it never happened,” Schoffman said. “One way or another, you feel obligated to extend aid to the community.” Schoffman emphasized the connection he made with the school community during his time volunteering, and said he still maintains relationships with the friends he met there. Upon returning to the United States, Schoffman was inspired to extend assistance to the Kikaaya community as well as other High Schools across East Africa through the creation of a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization called The Nation Foundation.

NEWS-KIDS61716CThe nonprofit’s mission is to provide the students in these impoverished schools with equal educational opportunities by supplying them with the resources they need to succeed. In the past two years, the Nation Foundation has raised over $20,000, sent volunteers to these developing areas from a variety of countries (including France, Israel, and the United States), and allocated scholastic materials, school uniforms, and other resources to the hundreds of students it sponsors. Schoffman emphasized the nonprofit’s goal to allocate 21st-century technology to its partner schools in East Africa.

NEWS-KIDS61716The Nation Foundation has been able to donate a number of computers to the Kikaaya project (the nonprofit’s partnership with the school in Uganda), and Schoffman hopes to send more in coming months. “For each school that we work with, there are going to be different needs that we cater to, depending on what the school’s resources are,” Schoffman said. In addition to partnering with Uganda’s Kikaaya College and Vocational School, the nonprofit has broadened its reach to schools in Tanzania and Kenya and plans to send volunteers to work in these areas over the summer. “We’re extending the reach of the organization this year to a new school in Tanzania, and we’re progressing better than I could have ever imagined,” Schoffman said. “I hope in the upcoming years, our reach grows even farther and our budget becomes even larger.”

For more information head to: http://nation-foundation.org.

Related Posts

Toxic Avenger Reboot Aims to Smash Box Office and Medical Debt on Labor Day Weekend

August 29, 2025

August 29, 2025

Film’s Release Comes With a Promise to Erase Millions in Medical Bills The upcoming release of The Toxic Avenger will...

Trump Says Beverly Hills Residents Leave Cars Open for Thieves, Locals Call It Nonsense

August 28, 2025

August 28, 2025

Officials and Residents Say Trump’s Crime Remarks Don’t Reflect Reality City officials and residents pushed back this week after former...

Beverly Hills Schools Halt Israeli Flag Display Despite School Board Vote

August 28, 2025

August 28, 2025

Superintendent Cites Safety Concerns After Narrow 3–2 Decision Despite a 3–2 Board of Education vote to display the Israeli flag...

Los Angeles County Public Health Probe Sparks Nationwide Egg Recall Over Salmonella

August 28, 2025

August 28, 2025

More Than 95 Cases Tied to Country Eggs in 14 States; Do Not Eat Affected Cartons Los Angeles Public health...

(Video) The Opening of Mr. Charlie’s with Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete

August 28, 2025

August 28, 2025

Vegan burger restaurant with brightly colored decor now open on 26th street across fromthe Brentwood Country Mart. The Opening of...

California Pizza Kitchen Debuts Heart-Shaped Pizza Celebrating Swift–Kelce

August 28, 2025

August 28, 2025

13 Days of Engagement Pizzas, and Return of Hot Honey Flavors California Pizza Kitchen is rolling out a series of...

Culver Hotel Celebrates 101 Years With 101 Anniversary Menu and Live Music

August 28, 2025

August 28, 2025

Guests Can Enjoy a Four-Course Meal, Nightly Performances, Trivia Contest The historic Culver Hotel is celebrating its 101st anniversary this...

Westside Chefs Shine at the Manhattan Beach Food & Wine Festival in September

August 27, 2025

August 27, 2025

South Bay’s Culinary Festival Returns With Two Nights of Food, Wine, and Music Santa Monica, Westchester, Los Angeles, and West...

(Video) Come Tour The Willows Community School!

August 27, 2025

August 27, 2025

Sign up for a tour at The Willows and come see what makes our school such a vibrant, inspiring place...

Jewish Clergy Rally in Los Angeles Urging Ceasefire, Hostage Release, and Food Aid for Gaza

August 27, 2025

August 27, 2025

Two Dozen Rabbis Gathered at Israeli Consulate, Hostage’s Family Appears at Second Rally Jewish clergy from across Los Angeles County...

Metro LA’s Aug. 30 Deadline for Public Comment on Sepulveda Transit Draft EIR Approaches

August 27, 2025

August 27, 2025

Community Members Can Weigh In Before the 90-Day Comment Period Closes. Metro is reminding community members that the 90-day public...

Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Culver City, and Uni High Gear Up for Early-Season Games

August 26, 2025

August 26, 2025

The Centaurs, Eagles, Normans, and Wildcats Face Key Matchups This Week Football season is heating up across our area, with...

I-405 to See Lane Reductions, Ramp Closures as Pavement Rehab Project Continues

August 26, 2025

August 26, 2025

Drivers Should Expect Delays With Overnight Work Aug. 26–28, Sept. 5 Motorists using Interstate 405 through the Sepulveda Pass should...

Kobe Day Tribute: Lakers Welcome UCLA Newborns With Purple-and-Gold Gifts

August 26, 2025

August 26, 2025

Babies Received Adorable Care Packages in Celebration of “Kobe Day.” Families welcoming newborns at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center and...

Suspect Arrested After Eight-Hour SWAT Standoff in Jefferson Park Shooting

August 26, 2025

August 26, 2025

 Police Say a Man Was Killed and a Suspect Barricaded Himself Inside a Home Hours after a fatal shooting near...