Table of Contents
Extraordinary early praise for The Price of Stones
The Price of Stones is an inspiring account of turning tragedy into hope for others.
President Jimmy Carter
This is a remarkable story about how Twesigye Jackson Kaguri transformed his sufferingthe loss of several of his family members to AIDSinto action. Kaguri is a wonderful example of one person using educational success responsibly and with purpose to benefit the lives of those less fortunate. If youve ever doubted your ability to impact the lives of others, read this story and it will change your mind and heart.
Ishmael Beah, author A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Many Americans feel disconnected from the AIDS pandemic occurring on a continent so far away. Twesigye Jackson Kaguri, in his inspirational book The Price of Stones, shortens that distance, making the effects of this disease personal by giving names and faces to AIDS orphans. But more significantly, many of Ugandas discarded children have been given hope and, even more important, love as students at the Nyaka AIDS Orphans School. Twesigye Jacksons life illustrates beautifully that one person can make a difference.
Ron Hall, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Same Kind of Different as Me
By page 23, I was hooked. By page 33, I had tears in my eyes, the first of many times as I read this impassioned account of one mans humble yet courageous efforts in confronting the grim legacy of the ruthless serial killer AIDS in his Ugandan village. If The Price of Stones doesnt break your heart over the plight of AIDS orphans in Africa, see a cardiologist immediately. You may need a transplant.
Lynn Vincent, New York Times bestselling writer of Same Kind of Different as Me and Going Rogue: An American Life
By creating a school for AIDS orphans in a remote region of southwestern Uganda, Twesigye Jackson Kaguri answered the question And who is my neighbor? By telling his story with clarity and passion, he makes his neighbors ours as well.
Senator John C. Danforth, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
Twesigye Jackson Kaguri is a force to be reckoned with. He is a social entrepreneur who had a vision and made it a reality. The Price of Stones tells the amazing story of how, with courage and deep faith, he has brought the gift of education to children orphaned by AIDS in rural Uganda. I could not put the book down and cried through many parts of it.
Maya Ajmera, founder and president, the Global Fund for Children
Kaguris story is a reminder of the importance of education in the lives of children around the world. The obstacles he faced in expanding access to education for children in his native Uganda highlight both the challenges confronting many educators in Africa, and the benefits received by each and every child from attending school.
Rebecca Winthrop, Ph.D., fellow and codirector, Center for Universal Education, Brookings Institution
This book is a testament to the power of faith and the will to make a difference. Transforming dreams to reality, Twesigye Jackson has found himself to be a man of compassion and empowers us all to be compassionate, too. A fantastic readenlightening, enlivening, and inspiring.
Allan R. Handysides, director, GC Health Ministries, Seventh-day Adventist Church
This book introduces us to people behind the statistics and offers an intimate insiders view of the hardship, heartache, sacrifice, hope, and joy of children and their families in one community in Uganda. The author provides an inspirational personal account of someone following his heart and giving back to his community. We desperately need to hear more stories like the one told in The Price of Stones.
Martin Hayes, child protection specialist, ChildFund International
Twesigye Jackson Kaguri beautifully narrates his journey to transform the devastating legacy of HIV/AIDS and poverty into an occasion for educational excellence. While so many others with his opportunity have left, Jackson returns to his community with a full heart and a herculean investment for the future of the children of Uganda.
Jessica Huber, director, Peace and Justice Programs, USAID/Stability, Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Uganda Project
This remarkable book is the best case study on best practices in community-driven development in an African setting. Readers will be inspired by the books stories as will anyone anywhere who is trying to make the world a better place.
Frank Byamugisha, operations adviser for Africa, World Bank, USA
This book shows that you can build a solid educational foundation for the future of Africas children at the price of stones. Immensely inspiring.
Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development, Harvard Kennedy School
Too often we study poverty and disease as abstract phenomena in academic studies. Valuable as such studies are, Twesigye Jackson Kaguri brings us in this book face-to-face with the nature, culture, and response to poverty and the epidemic of HIV/AIDS in rural Uganda. It is also the story of one couples determination to do something about one of the most moving crises in Uganda, the plight of HIV/AIDS orphans. Kaguri does not flinch from reporting the family arguments, the various manipulations of community and government officials, and the uphill struggle to get something even so fine as a school under way. But in the end it is a story of Africas resilience, the courage of its peoples, and the ways in which even a small community in America can give hope to those who deserve it the most.
Princeton N. Lyman, adjunct senior fellow for Africa Policy Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
Twesigye Jackson Kaguri created a school for AIDS orphans in a remote area of Uganda; he did this with few resources other than his dreams, imagination, and trust in the goodness of his friends. He created a community dedicated to a holistic approach to fighting a scourge in his country. He has provided a wonderfully evocative picture of rural Uganda, and his book rivets attention with each chapter telling a distinct story in a very telling fashion. His book provides a model of how problems can be solved in a Third World situation with few resources but lots of imagination and optimism, the generation of community support, and the resourcefulness of friends.
Merrick Posnansky, professor emeritus of history, UCLA; former professor at Makerere University, Uganda
An inspiring story of courage and perseverance, The Price of Stones captures the power of hard work and determination to transform lives in Africa.
Christopher Higgins, president, Friends of New Hope School Foundation, Uganda
In loving memory of my brother, Frank, and sister, Mbabazi,
and in recognition of my mother and all the grandmothers who have
dedicated their lives to AIDS orphans throughout Africa
The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
PSALMS 118:22