Dr. Prudy Barrett Nelson Receives 2026 Donald MacRae Peace Award
Michigan Rotarian Dr. Prudy Barrett Nelson Receives Prestigious 2026 Donald MacRae Peace Award
International recognition honors decades of humanitarian service as Nelson works to raise the final funds needed to build a 400-student primary school in Uganda.
Rotary District 6360 is proud to announce that Dr. Prudence “Prudy” Barrett Nelson, a member of the Rotary Club of St. Joseph–Benton Harbor, has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Rotary Zone 28–32 Donald MacRae Peace Award, recognizing her extraordinary commitment to advancing international understanding, goodwill and peace.
Nelson was selected from a competitive field of nominees for the award, which honors Rotarians whose service exemplifies Rotary’s commitment to international understanding and peace. Her selection recognizes decades of humanitarian pediatric and public-health service around the world and, particularly, her commitment to improving the lives of vulnerable children in southwestern Uganda.
For Nelson, the recognition came as an unexpected honor.
“I had no idea this was more than just a local recognition,” Nelson said. “I am incredibly honored, but I also hope this award can help bring attention to the children and communities in Uganda and the work that still needs to be done.”
That work began for Nelson in 2012, when she traveled to Uganda as a pediatrician and worked in a refugee camp outside Kihihi. There, she met Jonathan Atukunda, a young Ugandan whose dedication and potential left a lasting impression. Nelson and her husband subsequently helped Atukunda attend medical school. He later served as medical director of a large refugee settlement before entering an obstetrics and gynecology residency.
That relationship became the beginning of a much larger commitment.
Nelson continued helping young Ugandans who possessed the ability and determination to pursue an education but lacked the financial means to do so. In 2019, that work was formalized through the creation of the Welfare Organization for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (WOOVC), a Ugandan charitable organization governed by local educators, pastors, business professionals and other community leaders.
As the number of children being served continued to grow, Nelson and her supporters established Helping Hands for Vulnerable Children (HHVC), a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, in 2022 to support fundraising for the work in Uganda.
Today, HHVC supports 34 carefully selected students from primary school through university, helping young people pursue educational opportunities that otherwise might be beyond their reach. Nelson believes the group includes future doctors, lawyers, engineers and other professionals who can ultimately become leaders and change-makers within their own communities.
A Vision for 400 Students
Now, Nelson and her Ugandan partners are undertaking their most ambitious project yet: creating a self-sustaining primary school serving approximately 400 students in southwestern Uganda.
The need is significant.
In some of the area’s government schools, Nelson and her partners have encountered classrooms with more than 100 students per teacher, five children sharing a desk, inadequate books and other serious resource limitations. Some children walk miles to school only to discover that a teacher is not present. Families who can afford alternatives may have to send even young children hours away from home to attend boarding schools.
The conditions became so concerning that HHVC moved the students it supports into private boarding schools to ensure they could receive a quality education.
The locally led WOOVC Board determined that a more sustainable solution was needed and developed a business plan for a 400-student primary school designed to become financially self-sustaining.
The land for the school has already been purchased and building plans have been developed. The overall project includes approximately $70,000 for land and $360,000 for construction, furnishings and other building needs. Supporters have already raised nearly $170,000 and secured approximately $150,000 in additional pledges, leaving a funding gap of roughly $110,000 before construction can begin.
HHVC plans to assist with initial operating expenses during the school’s first two to three years, after which the school is intended to become self-sustaining under the leadership of WOOVC.
Nelson hopes the attention generated by the Donald MacRae Peace Award can introduce the project to people and organizations who believe, as she does, that education can be one of the most powerful tools for creating lasting change.
“Prudy’s work embodies what Rotary means when we talk about creating lasting impact,” said Tim Lee, Governor of Rotary District 6360. “She has taken her professional skills as a physician, combined them with compassion and an extraordinary commitment to service, and built relationships that are changing lives. This recognition is richly deserved, and we hope it also helps more people discover the important work Prudy and her partners are doing in Uganda.”
Decades of Service Above Self
Nelson’s work in Uganda is part of a much broader lifetime of humanitarian service.
A retired pediatrician with approximately 30 years of medical experience, Nelson also earned a Master of Public Health and completed postgraduate study in infectious disease. Since 1992, she has participated in volunteer emergency medical and humanitarian service internationally.
Her Rotary service has included serving on Rotary International’s Cadre of Technical Advisers, where she has provided expertise related to international projects, as well as involvement with the International Committee of the Rotary Club of St. Joseph–Benton Harbor.
In 2024, Rotary District 6360 recognized Nelson’s commitment to international humanitarian work with the PDG Terry Allen International Service Award.
The Donald MacRae Peace Award adds another significant honor, recognizing a Rotarian whose work advances international understanding, goodwill and peace.
Yet Nelson’s focus remains on what can be accomplished next.
“Prudy’s story demonstrates that promoting peace is about much more than resolving conflict,” said Chris Lewis of Rotary District 6360. “It is also about creating opportunity, strengthening communities and giving young people the tools to build a better future. The MacRae Peace Award celebrates what Prudy has accomplished, but the school in Uganda gives all of us an opportunity to become part of what happens next.”
Rotary District 6360 will work with Rotary Zone leadership and Nelson to coordinate formal recognition and presentation of the 2026 Donald MacRae Peace Award.
About Helping Hands for Vulnerable Children
Helping Hands for Vulnerable Children is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working in partnership with the Welfare Organization for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in southwestern Uganda. The organizations seek to close educational gaps and develop young people who can become professionals, leaders and change-makers in their communities.
HHVC currently supports 34 students from primary school through university. Its current major initiative is raising the remaining funds necessary to construct a locally operated, self-sustaining primary school capable of serving approximately 400 students.
About Rotary District 6360
Rotary District 6360 brings together Rotary clubs and members throughout Southwest and South Central Michigan who work to create lasting change in their communities and around the world. Rotary members use their professional expertise, resources and commitment to service to promote peace, fight disease, support education, grow local economies and address humanitarian needs.
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