The Figment Foundation
The Figment Foundation is a small but impactful registered Canadian charity dedicated to education around the globe. Inspired by the Disney character Figment, The Figment Foundation was started in the early 1990's. The Figment Foundation helps to foster the creativity and imagination of students around the world, ensuring that quality education does not remain a "figment of the imagination" for so many.
The Figment Foundation was first involved in providing scholarship programs for higher education in the South Pacific. Since then, the foundation's founder Jim Greatbanks and his wife Aman have found a passion for supporting education and capacity building in Uganda. Over the last five years, the Figment Foundation has found purpose in funding the Ebenezer School in Bwindi, an agricultural training program in Bwindi and recently with COVID assistance at the local hospital. They have also funded a Masters degree program for a young lady from Bwindi at Makerere University.
In 2020, when the Uganda Partnership received official Canadian Charitable Registration, a new partnership grew. The Legacy Community School requires infrastructure development, including new buildings, and more in order to best serve the community. Jim, Aman and the Figment Foundation are involved, compassionate and generous in their funding projects, exemplifying impactful charity work.
Our Work Together
2019
2020
Jim Greatbanks finds the Uganda Partnership in his search for a Canadian Registered Charity working in Uganda and focusing on education. Unfortunately, at this point, UP was not yet a registered charity. We anxiously awaited our successful application so that we could start what would become an extremely fruitful and rewarding partnership.
Even before our official partnership, The Figment Foundation agrees to help the Legacy Community Primary School to maintain its registration and become accredited as an examination center by funding the repair of our latrine and the construction of a school gate.
​
Shortly after Jim agreed to help us with this necessary work, the Legacy Community Primary School was forced to close (alongside all other schools in Uganda and across the globe) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As construction of the School Gate and the latrine was ongoing and the school was closed, The Figment Foundation also funded the plastering and painting of all existing school buildings, helping to ensure their longevity.
2021
2021
UP receives charitable registration from the CRA!
​
The story goes that Nina, our Board President, opened an email from Jim inquiring if we were ready to start out formal partnership as a charity yet at the very same time that she opened a letter from the CRA granting our status.
Once we were able to move forward with an official funding partnership, one of the first major infrastructure projects that the Figment Foundation took on with UP was to build a new Library and Computer Lab and to outfit it with new furniture. This work began during the COVID-19 closures.
2021
Committed to holistic and sustainable community development, the Figment Foundation also helped us to take the first step on a long time goal of the Uganda Partnership and the BWA: to open a community clinic to serve the widows, and other community members. Near the end of 2021, the land was purchased and plans began to come to fruition!
2022
After nearly two full years of school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Legacy Community Primary School was able to re-open, with the Library & Computer Lab ready to use and many other exciting improvements to the school underway with the Figment Foundation.
​
During the pandemic, and while work with the Figment Foundation was underway, news about the improvements to the Legacy Community Primary School was spreading and our enrollment numbers for reopening began to spike!
2022
The construction of the school gate is finished in time for the school to reopen and for a visit from Jim and Aman from the Figment Foundation.
2023
With the development of the school and the future community clinic, comes the need for more facilities such as a reliable water source. To address this need, the Figment Foundation funded the drilling of a deep borehole well. In September 2023, we hit water!
This was an extremely exciting event for those of us in Canada and in Uganda, as we watched the water burst to the surface and began to realize what access to running fresh water will mean for the students and community.
Other ongoing Figment Foundation projects
Alongside the above infrastructure updates and new construction, the Figment Foundation has been instrumental in funding various other projects that continue to provide development opportunities and positively impact our community.
