Our Story

Ssatu means "three."

In Luganda, the language spoken across central Uganda, ssatu simply means three. For us it means three mothers in Arkansas who couldn't look away — three families that became one family, stretched across an ocean, held together by a hundred small acts of love.

How it began

Placeholder narrative — share the founding story here. The trip that started it. The child whose name you still say in your prayers. The first wire transfer that felt impossible until it wasn't. The moment the three of you sat at the table and said, "We're doing this. We're doing this together."

Today Ssatu Hearts Foundation is a 501(c)(3) pending organization supporting orphaned and vulnerable children in Uganda — directly, transparently, and personally. We know the kids' names. We know their grandmothers. We know what their school fees cost.

The three of us

Sherri Patterson

Co-Founder & President

Placeholder bio — share your story of how Ssatu Hearts began for you, the moment that called you to Uganda's children, and what you carry into this work every day.

Julia Horton

CO-FOUNDER & TREASURER

Placeholder bio — share your background, your connection to Uganda, and the families you've come to know through this foundation.

Kathie McDaniel

CO-FOUNDER & SECRETARY

Placeholder bio — share your heart for the children, your community here in Arkansas, and the bridge you're building between the two.

Additional Staff

What we believe

• Every child by name. No anonymous beneficiaries. No mass-marketed sob stories. We work child by child, family by family.
• Local hands, local wisdom. We partner with caregivers, teachers, and clinic staff who live where our kids live.
• Slow, faithful, generational. We're not chasing scale. We're showing up — for the long haul.