A small charity with a long view.
Cariboo Gate Foundation is a volunteer-run, registered Canadian charity based in British Columbia. We raise money, tools and volunteer expertise for Bweyale Vocational Education, so its teachers can train refugees and vulnerable families in Uganda.
Our story
It started with a simple conviction.
A skill no one can take away.
Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach them to fish and you feed them for a lifetime. We believe the most lasting thing you can give someone who has lost everything is a skill no one can take away.
That is why we don't only pay for places in a classroom. We equip the workshops and send volunteer tradespeople to train the teachers, because one trained teacher passes a trade on to hundreds of students over a career.
Cariboo Gate Foundation began in January 2024 as a small volunteer effort supporting the work of Bweyale Vocational Education in Bweyale, Kiryandongo. In 2026 supporters in British Columbia established it as a Canadian charity, so that Canadian individuals, companies and foundations can give with an official tax receipt — and so the same proven, local approach can reach more people.
Why we exist.
Two sentences guide every decision we make, from which programs we fund to how we report on them.
Equip teachers to build self-reliant futures.
MissionDisplacement is not the end of opportunity.
Communities where people who were forced to flee can work, provide for their families and contribute to the places that welcomed them.
Vision
What we hold ourselves to.
- 01
Dignity
We see participants as capable people with plans of their own — never as objects of pity.
- 02
Self-reliance
Our success is measured by how little people need us once their training ends.
- 03
Local leadership
The people closest to the problem decide who is served and how. We fund and support them.
- 04
Transparency
We publish what we did, what it cost and what didn't work as planned.
- 05
Stewardship
Every dollar is treated as if it were our own — because for our volunteers, it often is.
Bweyale and Kiryandongo, mid-western Uganda.
Bweyale is a town in Kiryandongo District, on the road between Kampala and Gulu. Beside it lies the Kiryandongo refugee settlement, government-designated land that gives refugee families shelter and plots they can farm.
More than 100,000 refugees now live in the settlement, close to double the number recorded in 2021, driven largely by the war in Sudan. Most come from South Sudan and Sudan, with others from the DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi. Women, young people and children make up most of the population.
Uganda allows refugees to work and to farm allocated land, which means practical skills turn directly into income. That is the opportunity our programs are built around.
- Refugees living in the settlement today100k+
- Growth since 2021, largely due to the conflict in Sudan~2×
- Countries of origin among residents6+
Refugees in the settlement come from
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- DR Congo
- Kenya
- Rwanda
- Burundi
Sources: WPDI, Kiryandongo program; Lutheran World Federation Uganda; UNHCR Uganda data portal. Figures change quickly — check the UNHCR portal before quoting in proposals.
Bweyale Vocational Education.
Bweyale Vocational Education (BVE) is a community-based vocational school in Bweyale, beside the Kiryandongo refugee settlement. Local leadership stays local — we support it, never replace it.
What BVE does
Its team selects students and teaches the trades, and it covers its running costs through donations.
What we bring
What it cannot easily find alone: tools, money for equipment and volunteer expert tradespeople who train its teachers.
- Location
- Bweyale, Kiryandongo
- Type
- Community vocational school
- Partner since
- 2024
- Programs
- 6 trades + counselling
How we work together
- 01
Due diligence
On governance, finances and track record before any funds move.
- 02
Written agreement
Setting out activities, budget, timelines and reporting.
- 03
Staged funding
Funds released in stages, tied to agreed milestones and receipts.
- 04
Quarterly reporting
Narrative, financial and photo reporting every quarter, plus an annual site visit.
This is how we meet the Canada Revenue Agency's accountability requirements for Canadian charities that work through organizations outside Canada. Due-diligence pack for funders
Run by volunteers. Accountable to everyone.
Our directors serve without pay. The board approves every budget and partner agreement, and you can reach any of us directly.
- MCPhoto to come
MJ Caillier
The Chair
info@cariboogate.ca - EMPhoto to come
Elizabeth Marie
Secretary
info@cariboogate.ca - EZPhoto to come
Emmanuel Zamba
Treasurer
info@cariboogate.ca - JSPhoto to come
John Sleypen
Director
info@cariboogate.ca - BSPhoto to come
Bruno dos Santos
Director
info@cariboogate.ca - JRPhoto to come
Jackson Rosch
Director
info@cariboogate.ca
Directors and volunteers receive no payment for their roles.
Policies we follow
Copies are available to funders on request.
- Conflict of interest policy
- Gift acceptance & receipting policy
- Privacy policy (BC PIPA)
- Safeguarding & child protection policy
- Anti-fraud & anti-corruption policy
- Anti-terrorist financing & sanctions screening procedure
- Whistleblower policy
- Partner due-diligence & grant-monitoring procedure
Want to see the numbers, or help?
Read our latest annual report and financial statements, give your time and skills, or ask us anything. A director replies within 3 business days.