This article is written by Claire & Estelle, two summer interns at Building Tomorrow. Building Tomorrow (BT) is an international non-profit that empowers young people to volunteer their time, talent and resources towards building schools in Uganda. We at BT believe in the power of youth to change the world, and develop community partnerships in Uganda so that those who benefit from the school can be a part of their own solution to poverty & illiteracy. Claire is a sophomore at Indiana University and Estelle a sophomore at the College of William & Mary who both starred in the video discussed below.

“Building Tomorrow, a non-profit organization that partners with communities to build schools in Uganda, is serious about the cause for education.  We are dedicated to doing what it takes, whatever it takes, to ensure that one day every child has access to a safe and local school. And to build more schools for more kids, we’re trying to gain attention for the cause on a national scale.

So we got to thinking, who better to help us spread the word than Ellen Degeneres? She’s one of our personal favorites in the office, and a great, enthusiastic activist. So we made rap video cover of Salt-N-Pepa’s classic “Shoop”, which happens to be her favorite song. The rap is all about Building Tomorrow and tells viewers why they should help us build schools in Uganda. Our hope is that, after learning about the great things we do, Ellen will be compelled to tell the world about it in the way that only she can. And regardless of whether we actually make it to the Ellen Show, we feel that this video is a great tool to introduce new supporters to the energetic nature of our cause.

Response to the video has been incredibly encouraging, with endorsement from do-good blogs like Tonic.com, philanthropic networks such as Changents and of course Points of Light. All of this support inspired us to make a final push to gain Ellen’s attention with an event which we called the #BTweetathon. For twelve hours, on August 2nd, the BT community tweeted @TheEllenShow about the BT rap and the need for education in Uganda. We generated a lot of buzz and most importantly were able to show the true colors of BT. We re-enforced to our supporters the idea that we’re a young organization and as such, one that is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve our goals. We’re not simply asking for donations, but instead for supporters to volunteer their time, talent and resources - whether they be rapping or dancing or designing a school - to help their peers around the world.

The rap may seem silly, but the cause of education is a serious one. And though the #BTweetathon is over, we encourage you to check out the video and learn more about our organization. Let us know what you think, and if you have any ideas for us in the future! We won’t stop at Building Tomorrow until every child with a desire to learn has a safe and accessible place to do so, and will do whatever it takes to make that happen. Please join us in making that dream a reality."

Click here to watch the rap video.