Blog

PPE Arrives from California

A very generous contribution of cloth and plastic face masks, as well as other Personal Protection Equipment, which will protect our KCDO staff and community members, arrived today from California. The package was prepared by Dr. Eliza Lo Chin, MD, MPH, Executive Director of the American Women’s Hospitals Service, a program of the American Medical Women’s Association, https://www.amwa-doc.org/, and by her friend, Khawaja.

It has taken several months to organize this donation as Dr. Eliza had to get permission from her organization to export these critical PPE items. Khawaja then FedExed the package to Wonderland BookSavers, who then sent the package by DHL to Kampala. From Kampala, Ms. Sarah sent the package by taxi to Kyamaganda, Here at KCDO, the items have been distributed. We continue to work for the safety of our community members during this difficult Covid-19 pandemic. Many thanks to Dr. Eliza Lo Chin, Khawaja and the American Women’s Hospitals Service!

Rakai Health Sciences Supports Community

We are so grateful to Rakai Health Sciences Program for their continued support of our KCDO community. This week Rakai supported 35 households with items that will enhance agricultural production of foods, both for family use and for sale at market.

Agricultural support items include spray pumps, improved maize, fertilizers, and herbicides; all of these will allow for the community to support themselves through producing maize on a commercial level.

Additional information was shared from an environmental engineer in the US. Stephen Henshaw writes, “Please read the labels thoroughly and make sure that the children are not exposed to harmful chemicals. Skin absorbs chemicals. Chemicals also go into ground water and travel from fields to other areas. Do not let children touch herbicides and fertilizers. Children should never be near bottles or mixtures with these chemicals.”

Willy responded, “Great for that technical guidance and hope the engineer can give us timely guidance to overcome environmental pollution and related long-term undesirable effects.”

Thank you SO much Rakai Health Sciences Program! The KCDO women, children and families are so grateful for your continued support, and are proud to have the opportunity to produce quality maize for commercial sales in the market.

Peace Corps Donates Mosquito Nets

Willy writes, “I Am happy to inform you that we secured 400 mosquito nets for our supported children.”

“The nests were donated by Peace Corp Uganda through Lwengo District local government.”

“Uncle Jackson Wadidi and leader of the Catholic laity, Mr. Lubega, showing how to lay out mosquito nets before use, and sharing learning materials to study at home with children.”

150 homes have been served with mosquito netting and Covid-19 health information

“We are happy and hearts rejoicing today as we have distributed mosquito nets and lockdown learning materials to vulnerable households in Lwengo District.“

Rakai Health Sciences Program promotes Women’s Entrpreneurships, supports Child-headed Households

This morning KCDO gratefully received direct assistance from the Rakai Health Sciences Program, an organization sponsored by Johns Hopkins University. Rakai has previously provided 5 years of HIV medicine and research for local KCDO children afflicted with HIV.

Bukenya Willy, Executive Director of KCDO, writes, “Am happy to inform you that Rakai Health Sciences Program has supported more women and child-headed families with income generating projects to ensure sustainability and family improvements in income levels.”

Bukenya Willy continues, “The support includes retail shop items, charcoal sellers, farm inputs like vegetable seedlings, herbicides, fertilizers, spray pump.”

“Watering cans were given to all HIV positive children so that they can help in the gardens.”

Receiving these gifts is both a great achievement and a great blessing. KCDO’s ongoing positive relationship with Rakai has helped secure this important assistance. These products will give women and children the ability to work to sustain their own families so that they can have independence and security.

Covid-19: Food and Water?

While the world is held hostage by this terrible virus, and children everywhere are told, “Just keep washing your hands!” the children of KCDO are wondering not only how to wash their hands without water, but also wondering how to get food, now that everyone is under quarantine.

The lack of running water is always a problem, but during this pandemic mothers and children are doing the best they can.

This young woman is using stockings as a mask.

One of the main difficulties that families are facing is the lack of food. Fortunately the Wonderland BookSavers Go Fund Me page funds sent to KCDO are enabling the community to purchase beans, rice and cooking oil.

This KCDO community leader is delivering sacks of food to the many villagers who are suffering starvation due to this pandemic.

Thank you so much to the many American donors who have enabled this supply of food.

Please keep remembering these children in your prayers. They are praying for you as well.

Piggery Pop-Up

The Covid-19 pandemic has reached Uganda, and KCDO offices are being closed; the piggery is being temporarily disbanded. Fortunately, notwithstanding the pandemic, the KCDO piggery is providing frontline micro-economic opportunities for local women in the Lwengo District of Uganda.

As Jack Neighbor notes in a recent article in National Geographic, “Women have long been underestimated and underutilized in many societies, including across Africa. Now, through hard work, global commitments, and localized training initiatives, women entrepreneurs are making their mark on the economies of southern Africa.”

Each piglet, with her bag of food, is ready to start a new piggery

To Neighbor’s point, both the piggery and KCDO are using this opportunity to provide 20 local women with booster grants and materials to start their own businesses.  KCDO has been teaching entrepreneurial skills for the past year.  The women graduates are now provided with the tools for success.

Willy writes, “Am happy to inform you that today, Saturday, we have been able to support 20 women with income generating projects to assist them in these trying moments.  10 women got pigs, animal feed and booster feeds to start their own piggery schemes at the household level.  Others have got retail shops items like merchandise goods, drums for brewery, seedlings, fertilizers since its planting season, among others.”

And he says,

“We are grateful to Wonderland BookSavers and the team who helped us start the piggery project that is supporting other small businesses for rural poor women in Kyamaganda community and Lwengo District.”

This is a great example of successful micro-entrepreneurship, which started with a fund-raising pool party in the USA and 8 months later concludes with financial independence for 20 women and their families in Uganda.

 “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10