About the Founder: James Green

First of all, I would like to thank you for visiting my website!

I was incredibly fortunate to spend my last deployment in the Marine Corps deployed to Uganda, Africa. During this time I absolutely fell in love with Africa and began to read everything I could get my hands on. When I returned to the United States, I decided to continue that passion in college where I studied both Economic Development and African/Afro-American History.

The people I met in Uganda were and remain truly inspiring. I have never worked and lived around culture where gratitude and community are so central. While deployed to Uganda with the Marines, one of my best friends Daniel Tonner and myself, collected used soccer balls from our friends and families back home to distribute to Ugandan schools with out any recreational equipment. The reactions were inspiring and addictive. I knew I wanted to get back involved in Uganda after graduating but I wasn't sure exactly sure what my path would be.

While on YouTube one night, I was watching some survival video's when I saw several people create water filters out of charcoal, sand, and gravel. I couldn't believe it. No one in Uganda has a problem finding water, the picture below is me at the source of the Nile River in Uganda. Clean drinking water however is a whole separate issue.

Once I realized how cost effectively I could help provide clean water, I created a 501 (c)3 non-profit called buckets of water. My next challenge was how was I going to pay myself while running Buckets of Water. It was important to me that every dollar donated to Buckets of Water is able to be sent over to Uganda. While talking this problem out with a few friends, someone looked at the paintings I had brought back with me from Uganda from my friend Prince Joseph and said, "why don't you sell those?"

That was my moment of clarity, not only can I help some of my Ugandan friends sell a lot more of their art, I can run the non-profit salary free and donate 25% of my profits to Buckets of Water.

It is important to me that I am not just facilitating the purchase of incredible art from my talented friends. I knew arguably the most important thing I can do is help share their culture with the world and tell their story. For that reason, my focus is to help you feel as connected to the artists as possible, hopefully while showing you a few things about Africa you didn't know along the way!